(Credit: Ken Howard / Met Opera) This is a review of the April 1st performance, the opening night of this production’s first revival at the Metropolitan Opera. To stage a successful production of Strauss’ “Elektra” is a monumental feat all its own, but to do it with such sophistication and finesse as the Metropolitan Opera’s Friday night performance is herculean. {…}
Hoping to reinvigorate waning public interest in Italian opera’s extravagance and pretentious filigree, Händel was of no mind to delay conceiving a new orientation for his musical talents. Thus, despite staying firmly committed to his Italian proclivity, he began creating English oratorios on the side to supplement lost income, and after a series of tries with both English and Italian, {…}
In 2017, soprano Hibla Gerzmava was on tour throughout the United States performing at important halls alongside Vladimir Spivakov. The soprano had garnered an international following and had been performing at the great opera houses in the world, including the Metropolitan Opera, where she had made her debut in 2010 and had already been featured in HD performances. However, when {…}
(Credit: Ken Howard) In the opera world, it’s a common cliché to think that Mozart, because of the simplicity of his music, is “easy to perform.” That’s often why we see opera conservatories and universities often take on his masterpieces for performances. But in my view, nothing is more challenging than Mozart. Not only is the music itself complex in {…}
Photo: Juilian Hargreaves Since the end of February 2022, in statements made by several artist or theaters, we have kept reading something along the lines of: “Art must be separated from politics.” It is an encouraging and probably fair point, but can it be, especially, when we talk about opera? Today, when we enjoy a performance worth hundreds of thousands {…}
(Credit: Fabrizio Sansoni / TOR) Ten days after La Accademia di Santa Cecilia performed a concert version of “Turandot,” Il teatro dell’opera di Roma presented a new production of Puccini’s last opera, directed by the versatile Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei. Oksana Lyniv conducted the performance which starred Oksana Dyka in the titular role: both are Ukrainian artists, and {…}
I tried to write again today, but I cannot write. The war has gone on for one month. Every time I start an article, I burst into tears. My writing only lasts a couple of paragraphs. Today, everyone is talking about the so-called cancelation of [Russian] culture. And in normal life, I’d expect myself to become an ardent advocate of {…}
(Photo: Richard Hubert Smith) Rimsky-Korsakov wrote 13 operas, yet outside his native Russia they have struggled to establish themselves, notching up only the occasional performance, with the possible exception of his final opera “The Golden Cockerel,” which has always managed to maintain a presence on the international stage. Based on Pushkin’s 1834 fairy tale poem of the same name, Rimsky-Korsakov {…}
(Photo: Musacchio, Ianniello & Pasqualini) Warner Classics produced a new recording of Puccini’s “Turandot” with a dream cast consisting of some of today’s best singers, all under the baton of Antonio Pappano. After one week of recording sessions, a concert version was offered on March 12 at the Sala Santa Cecilia, in the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome. The {…}