ABELARD AND HELOISE by Robert Ward and Jan Hartman
Marshall had no trouble pulling the powerful music from the Charlotte Symphony.— Charlotte Observer, February 20, 1982 American Symphony Orchestra League, Mark Bernstein, President “It was an artistic triumph of first-rate proportion.”
ABELARD AND HELOISE by Robert Ward and Jan Hartman (World première)
Superb music, singing mark première of opera at Duke”—New and Observer (Raleigh, NC), Nell Hirschberg Thirty-two members of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, directed by Richard Marshall, provided the excellent accompaniment… It was a huge production from beginning to the quiet touching, conclusion. To Marshall must go the credit for overall direction. In particular, the projection of the voices and the smooth elaboration of the action were all one could ask.—The Arts Journal, Hall Farwell
ABELARD AND HELOISE Judged a Solid Success. Richard Marshall conceived the idea of the première, saw it to completion, and guided the Charlotte Symphony skillfully at the performance.
ABELARD AND HELOISE by Robert Ward and Jan Hartman
It was an artistic triumph of first rate proportions… left me gasping for breath. The Metropolitan Opera could not have presented a more beautiful production. —Mark Bernstein, President, American Symphony Orchestra
ABELARD AND HELOISE by Robert Ward and Jan Hartman
The performance of Abelard and Heloise was one of the most glorious moments of our lives and we felt lifted beyond measure. —Mary and Jim Seman, Mary Duke Biddle Foundation, New York
ABELARD AND HELOISE by Robert Ward and Jan Hartman
The staging of a world première work by a composer of Ward’s stature is a special event… Fittingly Richard Marshall, the company’s first fulltime professional director, conducted the Charlotte Symphony for the première… Both performances were sellouts. The event itself turned into one of the city’s biggest social events of the year. —Miami Herald
ALICE IN WONDERLAND by Peter Westergaard. World première, June 2, 2008 at Princeton University.
A dramatically fantastical and musically modernistic adaptation of the Lewis Carroll classic.—The New York Times
CHRISTOPHER SLY by Dominick Argento
Christopher Sly by Dominick Argento and John Manlove is based on the induction to Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. The Center’s production was first-rate. Shawn Roy romped energetically through the title role without forgetting to make music with his robust baritone and Robert Trentham’s crisply sung, acid-etched portrayal of the reptilian Lord seemed just about perfect. As Sly’s tormentors, the rest of the cast savored every moment of Thomas Holiday’s lively staging, and Richard Marshall conducted an expert band of musicians.”—New York Magazine, Peter G. Davis (New York Première).
The musical preparation by Richard Marshall, who also played the organ, was prodigious. This was one of the best readings I have heard, gripping and involving.”—Daily News, Bert Wechsler, February 25, 1988 “The pace is slow, the intensity high, but in a good performance—and the one at the Arlington Street Church is very good indeed Curlew River casts a remarkable spell… impressive artistry—Boston Globe, Michael Steinberg
DER FREISCHÜTZ by Carl Maria von Weber
An overwhelming success because of Richard Marshall’s inspiring musical leadership… Brought a thundering ovation. —The Jewish Advocate
DREAM PLAY by Timothy Sullivan. February 1990
The CCO presentation [is] first-rate. The ultra-style production intriguingly evokes Japanese Noh Plays, and the performance conducted by Richard Marshall was savvy indeed.—Daily News
THE HARMFULNESS OF TOBACCO by Martin Kalmanoff after the humorous story of Chekhov in a 1995 production.
A hen-pecked husband is commanded by his domineering wife to present a lecture on the harmfulness of tobacco. Instead he tells the audience of all his personal troubles until he thinks he sees his wife in the wings. A delightful piece and a joy to perform. A truly virtuoso performance. Biting satire peerlessly interpreted by baritone Kurt Loft Willett… a masterpiece of its kind.—The Westsider
IDIOTS FIRST by Marc Blitzstein, finished by Leonard Lehrman.
IDIOTS FIRST is based on a story by Bernard Malamud. The writing was Blitzstein at his best– stridently passionate yet unmarred by rhetorical excess… The first-rate orchestra responded sensitively to Richard Marshall’s skilled direction.— Opera News
INSECT COMEDY: THE WORLD WE LIVE IN – Martin Kalmanoff and Lewis Allen (World Première) New York Post, Shirley Fleming, May 22, 1993
Richard Marshall conducted with dash and energy.
This was Martin Kalmanoff’s major work for the theater. “The cast of 23 was a strong one. The English diction set an admirable standard. Richard Marshall’s musical direction was equally effective…Left a powerful impression.—New York Post… left and unforgettable impression.—The New York Times
KAFKA: LETTER TO MY FATHER by Stanley Walden (U.S. Première) June 28 & 29, 2000
The music—wry, angular, and turbulent, sometimes giving off a whiff of Kurt Weill and seldom letting up in tension. Powerfully projected… Richard Marshall conducted with his customary vigor and sense of commitment in a performance under the auspices of the always adventurous Center for Contemporary Opera.—American Record Review, Shirley Fleming, November/December 2000
NOYES FLUDDE by Benjamin Britten
It was one of the most enjoyable performances in Charlotte this season. —The Charlotte Observer, March 23, 1982
OF MICE AND MEN by Carlisle Floyd
Brilliant performance. —Christian Science Monitor
THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE – Stephen Paulus (New York Première) New York Post, Shirley Fleming, July 2, 1998
June and July saw some important musical events, the most important being The Postman Always Rings Twice.. Postman is eminently listenable and memorable–it definitely is one of the most arresting recent American operas, and it deserves a solid place in the repertory. The Center for Contemporary Opera, gave an outstanding performance. —The Westsider, Bill Zakariasen, July 16, 1998
SUMMER by Stephen Paulus and Joan Vail Thorne after the novel by Edith Wharton. New York première on June 19 and 20, 2002
…This production shows what a remarkable institution the CCO has become after but a score of years…It has produced 40 operatic events including 14 premières… This was the crux of Richard Marshall’s initial mission – to develop an operatic counterpart to the American Composers Orchestra, no mean task. And to fulfill that mission he attracted the finest composers for the stage [so they] could see their works produced on a commendable professional level. Bravo! —New Music Connoiseur
TRANSFORMATIONS by Conrad Susa after the book by Anne Sexton. New York première, June 26 and 27, 1996.
TRANSFORMATIONS by Conrad Susa, Metrobeat, James Jorden, July 18, 1996
The CCO performers were not only beautifully prepared, they achieved that rare and ecstatic level of performance when every note, every word, every gesture felt like an improvisation. These gifted singing actors were totally, organically involved in the work. I cannot praise Music Director Richard Marshall highly enough for his sensitive and accurate leadership of the soloists and his virtuoso chamber orchestra…
It is difficult to overstate the importance of the Center for Contemporary Opera. The Center has single-handedly produced more 20th century operas since its founding in 1982 than the Metropolitan Opera and the New York City Opera combined.