June saw the crowds flock to see superstar tenor Jonas Kaufmann, but it was the Charlotte to his Werther in the opera of that name, Russian mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina, who stole the show and garnered all of the plaudits. This amazing young woman possesses a magical, plush mezzo, and a wondrous array of colors to call on to paint exquisite passages. She has rapidly become the opera world’s go-to “Carmen,” since making her debut in the role, in London, in 2017. Not only remarkable, vocally, she has an innate form of artistry that compels her to explore the nuances and characteristics of every role she portrays, and in “Werther” she exuded the qualities and temperament of a much more mature woman. She is a superlative artist who will undoubtedly continue to triumph.

The other performance that I must put on my list is Detroit Opera’s “Ainadamar,” Osvaldo Golijov’s brainchild. While the theatre is undergoing a sizable change in repertoire and worldview, its original artistic director David DiChiera having unfortunately passed not too long ago, it’s far too easy to reprimand Detroit Opera for turning its back on classical repertoire. Even the Metropolitan Opera House has had to choose to program more modern works over its museum pieces. In any case, the house ended its 2022-23 season in a wonderful and show-stopping way and this following season, we are going to be promised Cagean opera, operatic repertoire, mind you, which is hardly ever performed anymore due to its novelty and difficulty on top of its experimental nature all these years later. I’m looking forward to where opera is going and I hope our readers are too. There is a lot to expect and to wait for on the precipice of 2024 and I hope you’ll come with us.

David Salazar

It was a great year for opera with a tremendous amount of amazing individual performances – Ermonela Jaho in the Met’s “La Traviata,” Eri Nakamura in “Madama Butterfly” at the Royal Swedish Opera, and Joyce DiDonato in “Dead Man Walking.” Then there were amazing casts in such works as “Florencia en el Amazonas,” “Dialogues des Carmélites,” “Don Giovanni,” “Tannhäuser,” and “Lohengrin,” (all at the Met).

But three performances stood tallest for me, both for different reasons. On one hand, the Met Opera’s new production of “Die Zauberflöte” continues to resonate with me months after experiencing it. As I glanced through my list of performances from 2023, there was no doubt that this one would be the one I would mention. The production is pure perfection, but the entire cast from this past season nailed every moment beautifully, transforming the classic work into something truly special and revelatory.

And that would have been all if not for two year-ending experiences at the Teatro alla Scala, my first, of “Don Carlo” followed by the legendary Robert Carsen production of “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” at the Opéra National de Paris. First, La Scala. While the “Don Carlo” is nothing to write home about and feels like it’s stuck in the past while trying to fit into the present, what pushed the needle here over other performances I mentioned above, was the perfection of its cast. Every single singer called in to take on the iconic Verdi roles nailed it from start to finish. It wasn’t sheer perfection, mind you (whatever is?), but I doubt you can find a better cast for that opera today. But what really put it over the edge for me was Riccardo Chailly, conducting Verdi with such confidence, composure, and narrative drive and understanding that I personally think no one else possesses right now. Not even close. It’s going to be hard to enjoy orchestral interpretations of Verdi after that.

Meanwhile, Carsen’s “Hoffman” is pure genius, a love letter to opera perfectly crafted and mined. I could not believe that the production is nearing the quarter-century mark because it feels so rich and alive to this day. Not one moment or character is wasted on stage. To top it off, it starred Benjamin Bernheim in the title role and I honestly can’t think of any tenor today that can sing the role with such poise, nuance, and vocal richness. In terms of the French repertory, there’s no one that comes close right now and it was incredible to experience what was his final performance of this incredible role. Throw in Christian Van Horn’s powerful turn as the four villains and this was an incredible performance to cap off my 2023.

Francisco Salazar

This year I had the pleasure of traveling all over the world to see a variety of operas and had a chance to rediscover some of my favorite works. One such opera was “Florencia en el Amazonas,” an opera that finally landed at the Metropolitan Opera. While the production was quite terrible, the work by Daniel Catan is one of the great contemporary operas that pays homage to some of the great composers of the past while also adding new Latin flavors to opera. The Met brought a delightful cast to the opera led by the musically incisive Ailyn Perez, who sang with some exquisite phrasing and showcased her musical insight, particularly in the final aria “Escuchame.” Gabriella Reyes was a revelation as Rosalba, while Nancy Fabiola Herrera gave a heartfelt performance, especially in her Act two aria. The male cast was also incredible especially Mario Chang and Mattia Olivieri. Yannick Nézet-Séguin led the Met orchestra in arguably in my opinion his best conducting in years.

Other highlights included the Teatro alla Scala’s performance of “Don Carlo” which made me recall why I love the work so much and had some real vocal fireworks. There was also Anna Netrebko’s performance of “Aida” at the Arena di Verona which was nothing short of showstopping as she brought dramatic insight to the character and which showcased some of her best theatrical work and singing in years. Then there was Xabier Anduaga’s Met debut in “L’Elisir d’Amore” which you could say confirmed him as one of the most promising young talents of his generation and a singer whose voice needs to be heard on all the great stages of the world. Finally, Anja Kampe’s  Senta in “Der Fliegende Holländer” at the Teatro La Fenice was impactful because of the sheer power of her voice and her great understanding of Wagner’s music which can also be sung with great lyrical qualities.