Varying the song Varying the song

The opera The Rake’s Progress, as many people know already, was inspired by a series of engravings and paintings of the same name by William Hogarth, showing the decline of a young man into depravity and insanity.

on May 31, 2022 at 2:19 PM
Lucia di Lammermoor Lucia di Lammermoor

Riccardo Frizza conducts Nadine Sierra (Lucia), Javier Camarena (Edgardo), Artur Rucinski (Enrico) and  Christian Van Horn (Raimondo.)

on May 21, 2022 at 10:00 AM
Reviving a pharaoh Reviving a pharaoh

The Met brought back 2019 smash Akhnaten last night, with nearly the exact same cast and creative team, and with nearly the same knockout effect of three years ago.

on May 20, 2022 at 1:26 PM
Resisting the recognizable Resisting the recognizable

It was Matthew Jocelyn’s libretto, with its disorientingly deconstructive approach to its source text, that gave Brett Dean’s Hamlet its identity.

on May 18, 2022 at 2:07 PM
Stained class Stained class

With no disrespect to Nadine Sierra, who as Lucia acquits herself honorably if not magically in vocal terms, the undisputed cause célèbre here is director Simon Stone.

on April 24, 2022 at 11:38 AM
A crazier day A crazier day

Saturday’s performance of Le nozze di Figaro at the Met mined the humor from Mozart’s divine setting of Beaumarchais’s play about a crazy day in the Almaviva household.

on April 12, 2022 at 12:00 PM
Twisted sisters Twisted sisters

Nina Stemme’s Elektra always seemed the sanest individual onstage never quite giving over to obsession or hysteria with a good line in mordant sarcasm and contempt.

on April 04, 2022 at 1:23 PM
Through different eyes Through different eyes

I was reminded at the Met’s season premiere of Eugene Onegin Friday night always to expect the unexpected.

on March 28, 2022 at 1:24 PM
Eugene Onegin Eugene Onegin

Ailyn Pérez makes her role debut as Tatiana opposite Igor Golovatenko in the title role of the urbane nobleman who rejects her, much to his later dismay.

on March 25, 2022 at 4:00 PM
Enter the queen Enter the queen

Eleonora Buratto will make her role debut as Elisabeth de Valois in Verdi’s Don Carlo in the 2022–23 season, replacing Anna Netrebko for the first five performances of the run.”

on March 25, 2022 at 12:47 PM
Soaring on multicolored wings Soaring on multicolored wings

Eleanora Buratto at this fully matured point of her career has a warm, creamy full lyric soprano that has the roundness and sweet warmth of a Freni but can also expand into the spinto power of a Tebaldi. 

on March 21, 2022 at 2:31 PM
Seria effect Seria effect

While it must be admitted that Elza van den Heever doesn’t have an ideally warm and agile Handel voice, she evidenced fierce control over her instrument and skillfully built a powerful portrait of the courageous Rodelida fighting for her survival.

on March 15, 2022 at 10:09 AM
A Concert for Ukraine A Concert for Ukraine

Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Ségui will lead the Met Orchestra and Chorus and star soloists.

on March 14, 2022 at 5:07 PM
The Met supports Ukraine The Met supports Ukraine

The Metropolitan Opera announced today “A Concert for Ukraine” on Monday, March 14, at 6:00pm ET, with Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin leading the Met Orchestra and Chorus.

on March 07, 2022 at 2:50 PM
Desert island diva Desert island diva

This sterling revival shows the Metropolitan to be surviving well and in good shape.

on March 03, 2022 at 12:00 PM
Our retrospection will be all to the future Our retrospection will be all to the future

The Met’s new season, including Medea with Sondra Radvanovsky, set parterrian tongues wagging during the month of February 2022.

on March 01, 2022 at 10:37 AM
(Some) Thoughts on ‘Don Carlos’ (Some) Thoughts on ‘Don Carlos’

In online discussion on “Favorite Opera” and cuts in opera in general, it seems Don Carlos (in its original French title) or Don Carlo (as it is better known in Italian) – with or without the “s” – generally get the most votes both as favorite and as an opera from which deplorable cuts are made.

on February 25, 2022 at 12:42 PM
Midwinter marriage Midwinter marriage

Despite having lost its announced Cherubino, conductor and Count (the latter in the midst of rehearsals), the season premiere of Le Nozze di Figaro Saturday afternoon proved to be one of the most enjoyable Met Mozart performances I’ve attended in ages.

on January 11, 2022 at 10:27 AM
Any old palace Any old palace

At the heart of this success was Quinn Kelsey’s revelatory take on Rigoletto. He was matched, vocally and dramatically, by Rosa Feola’s Gilda—a tour-de-force performance.

on January 01, 2022 at 10:48 AM
After midnight After midnight

The Met’s Cinderella is a charming adaptation of Massenet’s opera. Frothy, fun, and enchanting, it is a magical holiday treat for the whole family to enjoy.

on December 25, 2021 at 8:30 AM
Every little thing she does is magic Every little thing she does is magic

A good time seemed to be had by all though I don’t recall seeing a single child in attendance.

on December 20, 2021 at 9:56 AM
Tosca Tosca

Yannick Nézet-Séguin leads Sondra Radvanovsky (Tosca), Brian Jagde (Cavaradossi), George Gagnidze (Scarpia) and Patrick Carfizzi (Sacristan).

on December 11, 2021 at 11:52 AM
The Magic  Flute The Magic  Flute

Rolando Villazón makes an exciting role debut as the lovable lout Papageno.”

on December 10, 2021 at 5:43 PM
Eurydice Eurydice

Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts Erin Morley (Eurydice), Joshua Hopkins (Orpheus), Jakub Józef Orlinski (Orpheus’s Double), Nathan Berg (Father) and Barry Banks (Hades).

on December 04, 2021 at 12:00 PM