Uncovered gems

Despite some complications, the Deutsche Oper exhumes buried treasure in Franz Schreker’s Der Schatzgräber. 

Asmik Grigorian in Recital
Streamed February 11, 2026 at 2:30 PM
No shrinking Violanta No shrinking Violanta

A chic production of Violanta at the Deutshce Oper Berlin continues the Korngold craze on the other side of the Atlantic.

The crowd-pleaser comes around The crowd-pleaser comes around

Juan Diego Flórez‘s charm and artistic sensibility remain as vibrant as ever, as seen at a recent Carnegie Hall recital.

Assai più vale il soglio
 che un genitor perduto Assai più vale il soglio
 che un genitor perduto

Parterre Box highlights a busy few months of Verdi performances for Marina Rebeka and Ludovic Tézier with an exciting sample of their debuts in Nabucco.

One is silver, the other is Golda One is silver, the other is Golda
In an all-Mozart program with the San Francisco Symphony, Golda Schultz shows that her soubrette days are behind her.
The 2023 <em>Turandot</em> is so overrated The 2023 <em>Turandot</em> is so overrated

The recent highly hyped studio recording of Puccini’s Turandot left me greatly disappointed.

Carnegie Hall 2026–27 season: the vocal highlights Carnegie Hall 2026–27 season: the vocal highlights

Heavy-hitters: the first complete Ring in its history, Tosca with Marina Rebeka, Jonas Kaufmann, and Ludovic Tézier; plus recitals from Aigul Akhmetshina, Nadine Sierra, Jeanine De Bique, Michael Spyres, and more

“I don’t play a wilting flower very well” “I don’t play a wilting flower very well”

Jennifer Holloway, star of Salome at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, talks with Christina Colanduoni about re-launching her career as a soprano and how her Salome is “just trying not to disappear under everybody else’s rule.”

More than a material girl More than a material girl

The vivacious MANON! at Heartbeat Opera makes a strong case for the return of opera in translation.

Any recording of <em>Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny</em> is so overrated Any recording of <em>Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny</em> is so overrated

It’s always surprised me how so many performances of the major Brecht/Weill collaborations seem to have zero clue of how to handle either Weill’s music.

Past is prologue Past is prologue

Simon Boccanegra has never felt as foreboding or prophetic as it did at a recent performance at La Fenice.

San Francisco Opera 2026–27 San Francisco Opera 2026–27

Music Director Eun Sun Kim is at the center of the repertory, and a long Wagner arc is now officially underway

Women’s liberation Women’s liberation

Parterre Box highlights two recent Verdi Requiems of interest with a pair of Libera mes from Asmik Grigorian and Anna Netrebko.

The 2018 <em>Macbeth</em> is so overrated The 2018 <em>Macbeth</em> is so overrated

I don’t know if it’s overrated because I don’t think anyone rates it, but for pure party disc joy not much beats this 2018 recording of the original 1847 version of Verdi‘s Macbeth.