Every Friday, Polina Lyapustina delivers a short essay on some of the most sensitive topics in the industry with the intent of establishing a dialogue about the opera world and its future. The last few weeks were noisy on the battlefield between Gelb and the unions representing the rights of the Met Opera workers: Peter Gelb continued unveiling future plans for Metropolitan {…}
An aesthetic outlier in the grand tradition of Italian opera, “La Fanciulla del West” occupies a singular position both historically and within the growing catalog of Pentatone’s multichannel audio recordings. The Dutch label proposes two contrasting takes on Puccini’s tale of the Wild West; a remastered version of the DG classic (with Carol Neblett’s magisterial Minnie) and its most recent {…}
(Photo: Azat Satlykov) Every Friday, Polina Lyapustina delivers a short essay on some of the most sensitive topics in the industry with the intent of establishing a dialogue about the opera world and its future. On February 9, violinist Misha Nodelman recorded and published the Musicians’ Open Letter on the Eve of the Civil War, addressed to the Russian Government. {…}
Every Friday, Polina Lyapustina delivers a short essay on some of the most sensitive topics in the industry with the intent of establishing a dialogue about the opera world and its future. “Real music is right in the heart of what we struggle. Our task is not to be a leisure activity, but to go the places where no political {…}
(Photo: Masaaki Komori, edits P. Lyapustina) Every Friday, Polina Lyapustina delivers a short essay on some of the most sensitive topics in the industry with the intent of establishing a dialogue about the opera world and its future. At the very end of December of an already very difficult 2020, the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and UK {…}
Despite the pandemic continuing to rage and canceling productions around the world, the Teatro Real de Madrid was able to bring together three of the world’s most renowned opera stars, Joyce di Donato, Jonas Kaufmann, and Javier Camarena, to perform recitals on its legendary stage. While DiDonato and Kaufmann took on more intimate programs, Camarena gave a full display of {…}
(Credit: Laurie Sparham) In every theatre there is a “ghost light.” It is a single lamp that shines in the middle of the stage when a theatre is deserted. In London, these lights have been doing their duty for longer than most had hoped. The ghost light is there to keep performers and technicians safe when the theatre is in {…}
(Photo: Archive Teatro Alla Scala) Every Friday, Polina Lyapustina delivers a short essay on some of the most sensitive topics in the industry with the intent of establishing a dialogue about the opera world and its future. Back in 1996, the Italian government altered its approach to organizations representing priority national interests in the music sector. According to Legislative Decree #367, all {…}
This review is for the performance on Dec. 8 and featured Maria Jose Moreno’s first performance in the role of Donna Anna. Claus Guth, the stage director, is famous for his scandalous and modern productions. He certainly did not disappoint with his approach to Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” which was presented at the Teatro Real 15 times throughout the holiday season. {…}