Born to lose Born to lose

Robert Lepage‘s direction of a crucial scene in the Ring is even worse than Otto Schenk‘s, if such a thing is possible.”

on March 20, 2019 at 2:48 PM
Broadcast: Xerxes Broadcast: Xerxes

Stefan Herheim‘s intensely enjoyable “barocke Muppet-Show” take on Handel’s opera starts streaming at 1:00 PM today on OperaVision.

on February 01, 2019 at 9:51 AM
Gas mark four Gas mark four

How is it possible that no one has ever done a production of Hänsel und Gretel with the Witch played as Fanny Cradock?

on December 13, 2018 at 2:37 PM
E qui la luna l’abbiamo vicina E qui la luna l’abbiamo vicina

“Puccini’s operas seldom take well to abstraction, since the composer engraved every detail of what should happen into the score so specifically that there was little wiggle room left.”

on December 11, 2017 at 1:49 PM
Phone rings, door chimes, in comes Sängerkrieg! Phone rings, door chimes, in comes Sängerkrieg!

“Heinrich, come on over for dinner! / We’ll be so glad to see you!”

on October 16, 2017 at 10:36 AM
Someday I’ll step on their freckles Someday I’ll step on their freckles

Congratulations to dramatic coloratura soprano Klára Kolonits.

on July 10, 2017 at 8:00 AM
Stage beauty Stage beauty

>What does a great opera production do, and what does a bad production fail to do?

on November 11, 2016 at 10:00 AM
Heaven must be missing 14 angels Heaven must be missing 14 angels

The Hänsel und Gretel discussions over the holidays plunged me down a YouTube rabbit hole.

on January 08, 2016 at 10:00 AM
Tanks a lot, but no tanks Tanks a lot, but no tanks

The production by Sebastian Baumgarten is the type of regietheater that’s not a rethinking or reconstruction, but just a hot mess.

on August 31, 2015 at 11:15 AM
Dead nacred Dead nacred

La Cieca (not pictured) surrenders, cher public: she can no longer bear the burden of opposing ignorant, hysterical pearl-clutching on the internet. The clutchers have won.

on June 02, 2015 at 10:40 AM
Up to speed Up to speed

“New York is great. Opera is great. They deserve each other. So what can we do to get them together? Who can show us how it’s done? We need to ask the Germans.”

on May 22, 2015 at 2:46 PM
Cooting edge Cooting edge

Fans of the “context-free laundry list” school of opera criticism will be happy to know that “the world’s preeminent philosopher in the field of aesthetics,” Roger Scruton, has now shouldered the white man’s burden of rescuing opera from interpretation.

on May 19, 2015 at 3:35 PM
Words and music Words and music

As is happening increasingly in opera productions today (e.g., the Rosenkavalier in Stuttgart), the action of Moses und Aron at the Komische Oper begins some minutes before the music does.

on May 15, 2015 at 9:00 AM
The grandeur that was Rome The grandeur that was Rome

Some thoughts about the perishability of opera productions follow.

on April 17, 2015 at 12:27 PM
Love it to death Love it to death

Mariusz Trelinski will direct Tristan und Isolde for Metropolitan Opera in a production that will premiere there on opening night 2016.

on February 04, 2015 at 4:46 PM
Flame war Flame war

The role debut of a world-class singer is always a time of great anticipation, hopefully to be followed by celebration, if not unbridled jubilation.

on November 12, 2014 at 9:30 AM
Timor di me? Security! Timor di me? Security!

Anna Netrebko (Leonora) is seen during the Il Trovatore photo rehearsal on August 4, 2014 in Salzburg, Austria.”

on August 05, 2014 at 12:26 PM
Gee, our old Chagalls hang great Gee, our old Chagalls hang great

It’s time to bring out the canard again, this time a whole row of them in fact.

on June 06, 2014 at 11:16 AM
Dead European white males once again in jeopardy Dead European white males once again in jeopardy

Our old friend Heather Mac Donald (not pictured) is back, ostensibly to mourn the loss of ‘Petrarchan intimacy with the past’ in the study of the humanities, but, reliably enough, she can’t help taking a swipe at Regietheater while she’s at it.

on January 21, 2014 at 9:33 PM
Come to the unstable Come to the unstable

How, then, to explain the perplexing performance last Friday night of Falstaff, Mr. Levine’s first new production since his return?

on December 11, 2013 at 8:13 PM
Blonde, bombshell Blonde, bombshell

So we may all be on the same page as we discuss, following the jump is the video of the December 7 Traviata from La Scala.

on December 09, 2013 at 3:47 PM
The mystery of Stefan’s “Vêpres” The mystery of Stefan’s “Vêpres”

The much-anticipated Stefan Herheim production of Les Vêpres Siciliennes opened last night at the Royal Opera, and the New York TimesZachary Woolfe was something less than completely bowled over.

on October 18, 2013 at 10:56 AM
Bo, concept Bo, concept

The surprises, and puzzles, of Dmitri Tcherniakov‘s production of Don Giovanni in this DVD of a performance at the Aix-en-Provence festival begin before a note has been played or the curtain has risen.

on October 14, 2013 at 11:13 PM
Von Kopf bis Fuss Von Kopf bis Fuss

La Cieca is happy to present the following readymade blind item.

on September 21, 2013 at 11:33 AM