It was intermission at the premiere of Phelim McDermott’s new Metropolitan Opera production of Mozart and Da Ponte’s “Così Fan Tutte” and someone made this statement to me. “It’s fun and everything, but why set it on Coney Island?” It’s a great point, but one could extrapolate that entire statement to the opera itself – “It’s got great music and {…}
The Met Opera’s upcoming “Così fan tutte” is set to make a major splash in coming weeks. The new production set on Coney Island, which is set to feature more than a number of major tricks, will undeniably play a major role in its popularity. But any opera will live and die with its singing actors, and the cast that {…}
It’s going to be a busy December with the Met showcasing a number of revivals leading up to a major new production on the final day of the year. The first work to makes its return to the repertoire is one of its finest (it was even named the Greatest Opera of All Time in a recent survey) – Mozart’s {…}
On April 12, Rossini’s “La Gazza Ladra” returns to the Teatro alla Scala, the house where it first premiered in 1817. In honor of the opera’s 200th anniversary Rossini expert, Riccardo Chailly conducts the work in a move to return the Bel Canto repertoire to La Scala. Meanwhile, famed film director Gabriele Salvatores makes his La Scala debut. Salvatores is {…}
For audiences who missed Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” at the Metropolitan Opera, there is another chance on Feb. 19. PBS will broadcast the HD performance originally shown in movie theaters on Oct. 22 starring baritone Simon Keenlyside in the title role with Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi in the pit. The cast is rounded out by Hibla Gerzmava as Donna Anna, Malin Byström {…}
