Last week, Arts Knoxville offered up our admittedly subjective opinions on 2019’s Most Memorable Classical Music Performances, with Andrew Swafford and Reid Ramsey tickling our interest on important 2019 films. Now, we get to reveal what readers found most interesting in the arts and music pages of Arts Knoxville—at least, interest as defined by their willingness to visit the site and read. Out of 126 eligible articles, here are the Top Ten as ranked by number of reads. Grateful and heartfelt thanks to all the loyal readers who did just that in 2019!
#10 – “The Pilot Light and Big Ears” by Eric Dawson
Eric Dawson noted the importance of the intersection of the Pilot Light and the Big Ears Festival on the occasion of the 2019 festival.
“The Pilot Light and Big Ears” [March, 2019]
#9 – “Review: KSO and Choral Colleagues Combine for a Sublime Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony”
“On this occasion of the Ninth, the KSO gave the audience what they came for—a feast of emotions and well-played performances across the orchestra. Demirjian built the excitement gradually on Friday evening, extracting warmth and dramatic details in the first two movements with a careful ear for expressive dynamics.”
“Review: KSO and Choral Colleagues Combine for a Sublime Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony”
[April, 2019]
#8 – “Review: CBT’s Whimsical and Poetic ‘The Madwoman of Chaillot’ Reveals the Truth About Evil”
“Ending the season with a large and colorful bang has generally been the modus operandi for the Clarence Brown Theatre, closing out with a season finale production that pulls out all the stops with a visual and aural feast for the eyes and ears that supports a large cast and dynamic, energetic performances. That is certainly the case with the current one—Jean Giraudoux’s The Madwoman of Chaillot.”
“Review: CBT’s Whimsical and Poetic ‘The Madwoman of Chaillot’ Reveals the Truth About Evil”
[April, 2019]
#7 – “Review: Marble City Opera’s ‘Suor Angelica’ – A Magic Hour in Every Sense”
“Filmmakers and photographers call it the “magic hour” — that time of day just before sunset when warm light from the setting sun paints the overhead clouds with warmth, creating an ambiance of soft and muted colors that both reveals and flatters. For Marble City Opera, magic hour was also showtime for their intimate and captivating outdoor production of Giacomo Puccini’s one-act opera Suor Angelica which opened last evening in the courtyard of St. John’s Cathedral in downtown Knoxville. “
“Review: Marble City Opera’s ‘Suor Angelica’ – A Magic Hour in Every Sense”
[May, 2019]
#6 – “Review: Knoxville Opera’s ‘Madama Butterfly’”
Reviews of Knoxville Opera productions are perennially among the most read articles on the site, so this certainly comes as no surprise.
“Review: Knoxville Opera’s Madama Butterfly“
[October, 2019]
#5 – “Most Memorable Classical Music Performances of 2019”
We were quite surprised that our Most Memorable Classical Music Performances ranked so high.
“Most Memorable Classical Music Performances of 2019”
[December, 2019]
#4 – “Review: A Seductive and Luscious ‘Carmen’ From UT Opera Theatre”
“UTOT’s Carmen, led by production director James Marvel, was defined by a relatively simple visual approach of tarot card metaphors and suggestive abstractions that used minimal hanging set pieces that were given mood, meaning, and location by lighting and projections—all of which provided an open staging environment for the singers and chorus. Music director and conductor Kevin Class led a reduced ensemble, but one perfectly sized for the Bijou Theatre orchestra pit and acoustics.”
“Review: A Seductive and Luscious ‘Carmen’ From UT Opera Theatre”
[April, 2019]
#3 – “Review: UT Opera Theatre Sparkles With ‘The Elixir of Love’”
“For director James Marvel and the University of Tennessee Opera Theatre’s production of Elixir last weekend, their approach was not to find a new milieu for the opera’s action, but rather to energize a generic one with choreographic comedy, while elevating the dramatic role of the chorus to a distinct “quirky-character” status—one that added to, and complemented, the four leading roles.”
“Review: UT Opera Theatre Sparkles With ‘The Elixir of Love’”
[November, 2019]
#2 – “Review: CBT’s ‘People Where They Are’ – A Lesson in Escaping the Gravity of Our Past”
“This is brilliant theatre, with brilliant ensemble and individual performances. But, importantly, it contains the admonition that while some things in our socio-political existence change for the better, other issues evolve and hide in the shadows biding their time.”
“Review: CBT’s ‘People Where They Are’ – A Lesson in Escaping the Gravity of Our Past”
[October, 2019]
#1 – “Review: Soprano Meryl Dominguez and Knoxville Opera Make for a Sensational ‘Lucia di Lammermoor’”
By a surprisingly wide margin, the Most Read Arts Knoxville article of 2019 was the review of Knoxville Opera’s Lucia di Lammermoor with Meryl Dominguez in the title role.
“Review: Soprano Meryl Dominguez and Knoxville Opera Make for a Sensational ‘Lucia di Lammermoor’”
[February, 2019]
Best wishes to all Arts Knoxville readers for a happy and joyous New Year!
