Photo Credit: Miklos Szabo/Lincoln Center (2011) Having composed the internationally celebrated work, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale‘ (1988), an opera which has gained a truly canonical spot in theatrical repertoire thanks to its global embrace, Danish composer Poul Ruders was and remains on the cutting-edge of opera today. With five operas to his name, among them ‘The Thirteenth Child‘ (2016) and ‘Kafka’s {…}
(Photo: David Bazemore) Now that 2025 has come and gone, and we are facing a new year of possibilities, it’s best to take a quick review of the stories we’ve explored together in the last years before 2026 really begins. While there has been a good deal of historical articles like the cinematic presence of Maria Callas and Wagner, there’s {…}
(Photo: La Boheme movie still press image) There’s no denying it. Italian opera, or ANY opera in another language for that matter, loses something, intrinsically, when it’s sung in English. Additionally, operas performed as a motion picture for cinema lose something more, by necessity, the artists having to mime to a pre-recorded rendition, negating the true passion and emotion of {…}
(Photo Credit: Jo Schramm) Operatic depictions of cruelty, vengeance, wrath, mercilessness, wickedness, barbarism, savagery, and anger seem hallmark elements of the genre itself. From villains like Queen of the Night, Lady Macbeth, and Don Giovanni to ghastly characters like Elektra, Scarpia, Iago, Mefistofele, and Caesar, all the way to troubled souls like Wotan, Giorgio Germont, Turandot, Poulenc’s Chaplain, Anna Bolena, {…}
(Photo: Sakari Viika/Finnish Music Quarterly) Throughout operatic history, family difficulties are among the most widely utilized themes by composers, with the more recognizable feuds seemingly being children and their (step) mothers. From Pamina and her mother (“Die Zauberflöte”), Hansel, Gretel, and their stepmother (“Hansel and Gretel”), Lucette/Cinderella and her stepmother (“Cendrillon”), and Elektra and her stepmother (“Elektra”), there is something {…}
The world of classical singing is fraught with challenges, especially for those wishing to make a career from singing alone. From an oversaturated marketplace of voices and biases of all shapes and sizes, to economic stressors and the constant fight for golden opportunities, what keeps someone going? The chronic instability within the classical music industry makes searching for opportunities both {…}
Photo Credit: IMG Artists/Frederica von Stade/Robert Millard (2005) This year was exciting for many reasons but one of them stands out. On Monday, March 10, 2025, the documentary about Frederica von Stade, “Flicka: A Love Letter,” first created in 2023, was screened at the National Opera Center in New York City. Combining archival footage of performance clips, Brian Staufenbiel’s “Flicka” gave {…}
Following its win for “Best Musical Film” at the Cannes World Film Festival, John Aylward’s one-act opera film “Oblivion” will be performed and screened internationally this fall. First, Enigma Chamber Opera will present a live workshop performance of “Oblivion” at the Goethe-Institut Boston on Nov. 6. This event will feature live vocal performances alongside projected film excerpts, offering audiences a {…}
Currently, opera in America in a state of unprecedented upheaveal. With the ongoing precarity occurring at the Metropolitan Opera House, from the recent dip into their endowement, noticeable drop in attendance, and the highly controversial partnership with Saudi Arabia, the idea of American opera is in a state of flux. While this was defended by Gelb as an example of {…}
The Atlanta Opera Film Studio is set to release 18 new cinematic opera films. Past Atlanta Opera productions such as, “La bohème,” “The Anonymous Lover,” and “Das Rheingold,” have been developed from live performances into richly produced films which will be available to watch on the company’s streaming platform. Beginning Sept. 25, subscribers of the Film Studio will receive access {…}
Photo Credit: Hugo Thomassen/Nationale Opera & Ballet Striking a balance between innovation and tradition, the genre of opera films often toes the fine line between two ways of viewing both art-forms. When opera is treated as the subject it comes to life, playing the leading role, whereas when opera is perceived as the object its role becomes supportive, and life {…}
