March 13, 2009:Â Verdi Trumps Marx What the Marx Brothers mocked in “A Night at the Opera,” the Metropolitan Opera has now redeemed as a night of great music drama.
February 20, 2009: Plà cido to the Rescue  Tenor leaves aside the baton with creditable turn as male lead in “Adriana Lecouvreur.”
February 06, 2009: Opera Misplaced Drama  Rolando Villazòn cracks once, Anna Netrebko punts once in “Lucia.”
January 09, 2009:  Diva-Worthy Angela Gheorghiu breathes life into “La Rondine,” little-seen Puccini love fantasy
December 18, 2008: Undue Interpretation  A naughty Renée Fleming plays the sinner Thais.
November 20, 2008: No Hint of Peril  Anja Harteros’ Violetta missed the thrills.
October 16, 2008: Diva Trumps Hunk  Karita Mattila delivered in Salome; Erwin Schrott disappointed in Don Giovanni.
May 01, 2008: Bravura All the Way Around  Natalie Dessay, Juan Diego Flórez , Marian Seldes make for charmed evening.
April 24, 2008: Dreamlike, With Studied Variations  Richard Croft offers a star turn in the modest role of Gandhi.
April 03, 2008: A Tenor’s Neat Hat Trick  Gary Lehman rises to challenge of arriving at Met as Tristan.
March 20, 2008: Surmounting Disaster  Strong cast, Donald Runnicles’ baton dodge fate of John Doyle’s staging.
February 14, 2008: Problematic Puccini  The Met’s 1980 production of Manon Lescaut has seen better days.
January 17, 2008: No Mere Breadcrumbs  Lush orchestration, house-filling voices make up for doggerel translation.
December 20, 2007: Rare Surprises. Met resurrects Gluck’s Iphigenie; first-rate Strauss, Handel at Chicago’s Lyric.
November 29, 2007: No Norma Rave. Legendary maestro Tullio Serafin once said that trying to perform Bellini’s Norma without a great soprano is as futile as attempting to cook risotto without rice.
November 15, 2007: False Notes On Style. Misplaced irony of Cendrillion; flatlining Vanessa
November 02, 2007: Neutering Macbeth. Met revives a production of Verdi that has a history of catching flak.
October 13, 2007: Twin Stars Shine at Met. The Metropolitan Opera’s opening week offered two super-starry nights that more than offset a misfired new production across the plaza at the New York City Opera.
June 15, 2007″ A Night At The Opera. This writer approached the new off-Broadway play The Second Tosca with more than a bit of trepidation, worried that it might amount to no more than second-rate Terrance McNally or, even worse, unfunny inanity like Lend Me a Tenor.
May 10, 2007: Mark Morris At The Met. No one could doubt the sincerity of Mark Morris’ admiration for the late mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, who was to have collaborated with him on the Metropolitan Opera’s new staging of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice.
March 21, 2007: Damrau, Voigt Are Dueling Divas. If you’re hoping to rediscover a forgotten masterpiece, Die Ägyptische Helena may disappoint you. But superb performances and a glossy new production at the Metropolitan Opera (heard March 15) build a convincing case for the revival of this Richard Strauss rarity.
March 08, 2007: Stand And Sing. There’s a reason so many operas are named after their protagonists-you need a great performer to play a great person.
November 30, 2006: Stylish, Handsome Barbiere. Bartlett Sher’s new staging of Rossini’s Barbiere di Siviglia (seen November 10)Â does share a few traits with Anthony Minghella’s season-opening Madama Butterfly.
October 16, 2006: Casting For Revivals. The first weeks of the Metropolitan Opera’s season suggest that the real challenge facing new General Manager Peter Gelb is not so much glossy new productions but rather interesting and appropriate casting of revivals.
October 05, 2006: Model Of Taste. Anthony Minghella’s Madama Butterfly wows at The Met
September 21, 2006: Semele, Superstar.
July 27, 2006: Summing More than Soaring. Julie Taymor surmounts The Wall with Grendel
March 09, 2006: Arrivederci. Verdi gets trounced and May 20 is too long to wait for Volpe’s departure
February 16, 2006: Deserving Diva. Angela Gheorghiu makes for a perfect La traviata
January 26, 2006: Puccini’s Alpha and Omega. A voluptuous spinto soprano guides from first to last.
December 22, 2005: A Metropolitan Tragedy. Mediocre libretto, meandering score undermine Dreiser’s potent tale
October 27, 2005: Not One, But Two Surprises. Mines of Sulphur offers suspense; Olga Borodina sang heroically
October 13, 2005: Pleasant Surprises Always Welcome. Violeta Urmana, Diana Damrau bring warm stage presence to the Met
July 28, 2005: Ponderous Musical Performances. Lincoln Center’s summer festival offers “thought opera†without intervals
January 01, 2005: Coming Attractions.
December 16, 2004: Brilliant, Starlit Night. Metropolitan Opera’s Rodelinda grants Handel his due
October 14, 2004: Mozart’s Cagey Love Ditty. Julie Taymor’s Flute sparkles; a commercialized Ring panders
October 07, 2004: Singing So Good It’s Fun. Otello and Platée open the season on engagingly vibrant notes
June 10, 2004: Heaven and Hell. Wagner in English provokes and disturbs
April 29, 2004: Success or Triumph? Opera Orchestra of New York revives melodramatic La Gioconda
April 01, 2004: City Opera Revives O’Neill Adaptation. Mediocre Mourning features divas’ intense roles in the most dysfunctional of families
March 25, 2004: Bad Behavior Sung So Well. Innovative productions of classic operas brave some risks at the Met
February 19, 2004: New Girl in Town. The Met revives a much-appreciated tradition of bel canto pureness
January 08, 2004: Coupling, To Modest Effect. At the Met, boy meets girl, duets ensue Issues
November 27, 2003: Warmed Over Production.
September 26, 2003: Barefoot and Pregnant. Women’s issues at New York City Opera
August 01, 2003: Moscow on the Hudson. Summertime, and the opera is Russian
July 18, 2003: Commie Dearest. Politically incorrect Semyon Kotko offers glorious music
May 30, 2003: Public Display. Butterfly takes flight in San Diego
May 09, 2003: From a Distance. Irony overload chills The Rake’s Progress
March 21, 2003: Sex and Religion. Lincoln Center flirts with the sacred and profane
March 14, 2003: Present Perfect. Opera composer Mark Adamo copes with success
March 07, 2003: The Lady is a Broad. Cabaret diva knows when to play it straight
February 14, 2003: From Carthage to Shangri-La. Met lavishes starry cast on Berlioz epic Les Troyens
February 07, 2003: Love in the Aria. Tenor Casanova charms in Verdi rarities
January 24, 2003: Self Starters.
November 15, 2002: Solo Flight. Opera star David Daniels spreads his wings for recital at Carnegie Hall
October 18, 2002: Three Tenors. Scene-stealing men at Metropolitan and New York City Opera
October 04, 2002: Dead End.
July 10, 2002: Star Treatment.
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