The Metropolitan Opera revived Bartlett Sher’s production of “Roméo et Juliette” for the first time since 2018. As always, Gounod’s famed masterpiece is all about its two titular characters, the opera designed to explore the dynamics of the lovers amidst the larger feud between their warring families. Painting with Vocal Colors The Met Opera nailed its casting of Benjamin Bernheim {…}
As we wrap up 2023, here is a look back at some of the most-read articles of 2023. We will focus mainly on longer-form pieces like reviews and interviews for this article. Top 10 Most-Read Reviews of 2023 Metropolitan Opera Review of “Die Zauberflöte” Arena di Verona Review of “Aida“ Metropolitan Opera Review of “Don Giovanni“ Metropolitan Opera Review of {…}
(Credit: Karen Almond / Met Opera) Back in 2017, The Guardian meditated on why, despite being one of the world’s greatest plays, “Hamlet” had no great corresponding operatic adaptation. The article notes that despite there being about 40 actual operatic adaptations, none have stood the test of time or held the stage. Perhaps the lone work with staying power is {…}
(Credit Javier del Real) This review is for the performance of the 3d of October 2020. Due to the cancellation of a previous soprano, the Teatro Real engaged three additional sopranos for this middle-period Verdi opera: Saioa Hernandez, Maria Pia Piscitelli, and Sondra Radvanovsky. And while all three are fantastic artists in their own right, there was no doubt that {…}
Little could Met audiences know about the full fledged lyricism of Petr Nekoranec when he took on the spieltenor role of the Doyen in the company’s premiere production of “Cendrillon” in 2018. Certainly, the Doyen has earned his keep in the eclectic repertoire of Jules Massenet and the long tradition of French opéra comique; it remains, however, a somewhat ungrateful {…}
On the evening of April 26, 2019, guests excitedly filed into the Metropolitan Opera’s grand auditorium, eager to experience Verdi’s masterpiece “Rigoletto.” Returning to the stage for its second run of performances this season with a new principal cast, Michael Mayer’s production sets the tragic opera in Las Vegas in the 1960s. With the audience seated and Maestro Nicola Luisotti standing ready {…}
Back on Jan. 4, I published this piece of criticism on this website. Entitled “Metropolitan Opera 2017-18 Review – Tosca: Yoncheva, Grigolo, Villaume Not Ready for Primetime,” it was clearly no ringing endorsement for the major performers of this hotly anticipated Met Opera production. In fact, it was scathing takedown in some ways of everyone involved, done in the greatest {…}
Friday night at the Metropolitan Opera was the last time that audiences would get a chance to see Willy Decker’s production of Verdi’s “La Traviata.” The powerful vision that first came to see the light of the world in Salzburg over 10 years ago is in and of itself a long goodbye, an intricate look at how a woman says {…}
This review is for the performance on Wednesday January 11 and is written jointly by David & Francisco Salazar. Applause rang from every corner of the Metropolitan Opera, the audience awaiting the final performer to step onstage so that she too could get her accolades. The moment Ailyn Pérez walked out of the iconic golden curtain, she was not only {…}
This review is for the performance on Friday, Dec. 16, 2016. Verdi’s famed overture for his first masterwork “Nabucco” starts off with a few brass calls followed by a massive explosion of sound a few bars later. From there Verdi’s music traverses the contrast between a glorious melody clamoring for peace and one of military drive. It is this contrast between {…}
Over the course of two uninterrupted hours, Strauss’ “Salome” must develop from a clueless ingénue to a passionate seductress that eventually ends up a murderous, lustful lunatic. It is the dream role for any actress, but also one that demands a grade-A star to dispatch all of its nuance and intense passions. Patricia Racette was not supposed to be the {…}