Institutions often outlive their original purpose. Empires collapse, churches lose congregations, universities change beyond recognition, but the rituals remain, transformed into heritage. The question is whether opera is heading the same way: admired as a monument, but no longer essential. Opera was once the ultimate multimedia art form, fusing poetry, music, theatre, and design. For centuries it stood at the {…}
(Photo: © Monika Rittershaus) “Don Giovanni” is an opera of seductions and escapes, moral wreckage and divine retribution, a shimmering mosaic of comedy, tragedy, farce, and existential dread. Yet “the mother of all operas” is also a uniquely treacherous work—at once alluring and intractable, irresistibly open yet elusive. Music’s sublimity rarely fails to connect with audiences, even in a less-than-stellar {…}
(Credit: © Sandra Then) The sounds of history often linger, echoing into the present in ways that demand our attention. Sometimes they whisper, unsettling but distant; other times, they crash through with devastating force. In Germany, the past is never far from the surface, but it has rarely felt as raw and urgent as it does now. At the Hanover {…}
Cerise Lim Jacobs grew up in colonial Singapore and then under the “benign” autocrat and strongman Lee Kuan Yew. Her passport was revoked when her family emigrated to Australia, punishment for an act deemed “unpatriotic.” She was a trial partner at Goodwin Procter (one of the 20-plus law firms being investigated for its DEI-related employment practices.) After she retired, she {…}
Recently the city of Hamburg announced plans for a brand-new opera house—not on Dammtorstraße in the historic district of Gänsemarkt, where the historic Staatsoper stands, but in the upscale HafenCity district. Funded by billionaire Klaus-Michael Kühne’s foundation, owned by the Hamburg-born billionaire in international cargo industry, the project promises a world-class cultural venue. Yet beyond the promise of artistic renewal, {…}
(Credit: Marty Sohl) Throughout the entire history of opera, from its beginning in the Francophile 18th century to the American 21st, there have been numerous moments which stand out as having been controversial of their time and controversial even today due to the contentious nature of the events. If one looks to contemporary issues like Anna Netrebko’s alleged blackface while {…}
On July 11, a renowned composer John Adams posted on X (ex-Twitter): This @deutsche_oper production: painful to even think about. “Nixon in China” is so often mistreated or misunderstood. In 35 years I’ve only seen 2 productions that got it right. This one? Clearly a disgrace. But we composers can only babysit our creations for so long. What do we {…}
There are not many editorials that I write and have a memory to start with. The opera industry changes fast as new world crises hit it again and again. Today, we cannot even say if Peter Gelb is the villain or a savior. One of my last memories from Russia, before I left it about ten years ago after Russia {…}
(Credit: Brigitte Lacombe) While the Metropolitan Opera is finishing its season with 72 percent of tickets sold, increasing consistently and showing a growth of six percent compared to the 2022-23 season, a lot of questions remain as Met’s General Manager Peter Gelb and the company head into the off-season. When Peter Gelb and Yannick Nezet-Seguin were answering questions for the {…}
In December 2023, Unesco announced its decision to include the most Italian of all arts, that explodes with passion and is powered by mastery in music, singing, drama, and design, the Italian Opera, or simply Lirica as it is called in Italy, under its category of Intangible Cultural Heritage. This summer, the Arena di Verona Foundation invited all lovers of {…}
A recent survey by Encore shows that over 1 in 4 UK musicians skip meals because of the cost of living crisis. While the top-tier operatic and classical music from the UK consistently achieves great international success, the well-being of the average and especially emerging artists always seemed quite unstable and problematic. According to the research of the Musicians’ Union (MU) {…}