Our own JJ (not pictured) revisits A Little Night Music, and who should be inhabiting that chateau extravagantly overstaffed but Elaine Stritch? [Capital New York]
“Carmen, opera’s favorite bad girl, is sexy, unpredictable and fascinating — everything the Met’s new production of Bizet’s Carmen is not.” [NYP]
“It’s no spoiler to reveal that, at the end of Hansel and Gretel, the kids defeat the witch. In the Met’s production of Humperdinck’s fairy-tale opera, the singers of the title roles steal the show, as well.” [NY POST] Read more »
“As for Elektra — one of the most strenuous of opera roles — the Met seemed to have settled for a singer who could survive the ordeal.” [NY Post]
“As the Met chorus raised their voices at the climax of Les Contes d’Hoffmann Thursday night, the tavern setting opened up, revealing … a gray wall. It was a sadly appropriate visual symbol for a glamour-deprived dud of a new production.” [NY Post]
“Since the 1918 premiere of Puccini’s Il Trittico, only two divas at the Met dared to sing the leading roles in all three of its one-act operas: Renata Scotto, a supreme vocal stylist, and Teresa Stratas, a magnetic singing actress. On Friday, Patricia Racette, who is not quite either of these things, took the plunge.” [NY Post]
Our JJ writes his rave of raves: “If such a thing as perfection in opera is possible, in this House of the Dead, the Met achieves it.” [NY Post]
Our Own JJ interviews the Met’s general manager Peter Gelb in today’s New York Post.
Cher Public