Reviews and quotes concerning Lily and compositions related to the opera:
It was a wonderful experience to be able to bring the opera, "Lily", to life by performing arias and duets in front of a live audience. Although our audience is accustomed to standard repertoire, I believe they enjoyed the melodic arias, such as Act One's "I will always be beholden", Lily's aria to end Act One, and the dramatic duets, such as the "Deal with the Devil" duet with Gus and Lily in Act Two. I believe the librettist, Lisa Van Allen, did a masterful job in creating the dramatic intensity from Edith Wharton's novel, "The House of Mirth", that is so essential in any opera.
I believe that art, especially opera, does not emerge from the ground wholly formed. Every generation builds upon and expands the works that came before. There is a path that leads from Monteverdi through Mozart, Rossini, Verdi and Puccini to contemporary opera of the 20th and 21st centuries. Through his opera, "Lily", Garth Baxter has provided an American opera that moves along this path and is worth the attention and enjoyment of today's opera audiences.
Jerrold Kalstein
President of Boheme Opera NJ
"Garth has such a beautiful melodic sense — every melody was simply gorgeous. The harmonies and textures were so responsive to the text. The production was so impressive, especially during Covid."
Lori Laitman
Composer
"Lily is a masterpiece and should become part of the standard opera repertoire."
Hollis Thoms
Composer
"Lily is a masterpiece! The end of Act II, Scene 1 is brilliant! The opera has a wonderful balance of emotions that keep the pace going and help to intensify the dramatic moments."
Ross Scimeca
Professor Emeritus
University of Southern California
"Is this the cost?" From Act II, Scene II was included in the album
ASK THE MOON from Navona Records
“The most poignant selection on the recording is 'Is this the cost?' from his opera Lily, sung beautifully by Katherine Keem.”
Laurence Vittes
Gramophone Magazine
"The late Katherine Uhna Keem is heard in a tantalizing excerpt from Baxter's opera Lily that allows her to unfurl the unconventional beauty of her voice."
Christopher Berg
The Journal of Singing
“'Is this the cost?' is an elegiac exemplar of Baxter’s flair for dramatic writing derived from Act II, Scene II of his opera Lily (Lisa VanAuken, librettist).”
Darren Rea
Review Graveyard: 18 January 2018
"Could you dream what I dream" for violin and piano, based upon the aria "I want to imagine"
from Act I, Scene II was included in the album Resistance from Navona Records
Baxter’s compositional vocabulary is modern in its harmonic movement and melodic/harmonic relationship, but it’s still very much romantic in its use of strong lyrical melodies. The middle section is especially romantic and builds to a wonderful call and response between the violin and piano. Baxter’s ability to keep the movement in the piano part while still creating interest and space for the melody is remarkable. With shifting harmonic progression and double stops the music takes us through another wonderful theme where the duet performs in a call and response pattern as they build the gorgeous melody. The capitulation has power, and it ties the composition together and again demonstrates Baxter’s authority with the tradition of the classical heritage and its ability to be expanded upon.
Brice Boorman
Chalkedupreviews.com
In listening to Lily, I felt privileged to hear beautiful, powerful music, with a heart-wrenching tale of love, heartbreak, and despair. What an honor and a rich and intense experience!
Katherine Keem
Soprano