Halfway through the recital opener, Berlioz’s Villanelle from “Les nuits d’été” questions arose as to why Sabine Devielhe is only just now making her New York City debut. The soprano has run rampant in Europe, with numerous albums, signed exclusively with Erato. On this night the program, which Devieilhe spoke passionately on, was based on the artist Pauline Viardot, sibling {…}
Leah Crocetto is having an epic season. While performing at Glimmerglass in upstate New York late this summer, she got the call as a late replacement for the Washington National Opera’s “Aida,” which she squeezed in just prior to her triumphant role debut last night as Tosca with the Pittsburgh Opera. If that last minute opportunity to portray Verdi’s final {…}
“Così fan tutte” has often been a vehicle for some terrific singing as the third and final Mozart opera penned by Lorenzo Da Ponte. That was again the case Friday night at the Bayerische Staatsoper as a cast of rising stars showcased their respective talents in octogenarian Dieter Dorn’s production. When something has lasted for almost a quarter century, there {…}
For the final new production of the 2016-17 season, La Fenice presented Krenek’s chamber opera, “Cefalo e Procri,” consisting of a prologue and three scenes. Written in 1934, for the 3rd International Festival of Contemporary Music at the Venice Biennale and premiered at the Teatro Goldoni, to a libretto by Kuefferle, it received only a lukewarm reception and promptly disappeared {…}
A farewell is never easy. If you’re José Carreras, though, you can take to the stage at the end of your star-studded 40-year career and say goodbye with such ease and vitality as you did at the very, humble beginning. Making one last lap around the globe, the 70-year-old leukemia survivor handcrafted a selection of pleasingly romantic Spanish and Italian {…}
Collaboration is a word not used much in these hyper-polarized political times. For arts organizations facing some hard realities, it is becoming a vital part of their future. It was this cultural backdrop that brought Lyric Opera of Chicago together with the famed Joffrey Ballet for the company’s season opener of Gluck’s “Orphée et Eurydice,” seen Wednesday in the run’s {…}
Will Bartlett Sher’s production of Offenbach’s “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” become one of the Metropolitan Opera’s more beloved productions now that eight seasons have passed since it debuted? It is hard to say considering that the final work of Hoffmann remains a mystery that was completed after his death. To recap, the Cologne-born Offenbach died before he completed the score for {…}
On September 27, 2017, the Metropolitan Opera revived its Julie Taymor production of “Die Zauberflöte.” Her take on this beloved classic, complete with puppets and dancing flamingos, is a treasured relic of the Volpe era and this revival received the star treatment. James Levine, the Met’s music director emeritus, was in the pit while coloratura Kathryn Lewek offered her world-famous {…}
The Metropolitan Opera launched its 2017-18 season with its usual flash and sparkle, ushering celebrities onto the red carpet for their turn at the step and repeat as droves of opera fans in their black tie best bustled under the crystal chandeliers. The house was abuzz from the very start: patrons chattering in excitement even after the lights went down. {…}