“Great Scott” departs from the standard American-opera template in one significant way: this is not an adaptation of a well-known novel, play, or film but an original story. A noted American diva named Arden Scott has returned to the Midwestern city where she grew up . . . Needless to say, complications ensue: the company struggles to stage the eruption of Vesuvius; an ambitious younger singer moves in on Scott’s territory; and the city’s N.F.L. team, the Grizzlies, aims at winning the Super Bowl the same night . . .
He [Heggie] also writes a zany tour de force for the Bakst character: in one scene, she inserts herself into the football pre-game show and delivers “The Star-Spangled Banner” as an ornate bel-canto showpiece . . .
“Great Scott” had a shiny first night in the Winspear Opera House, the Dallas Opera’s handsome, resonant home . . . Ailyn Pérez feasted on the role of Bakst.”
Alex Ross – The New Yorker