Alex Baker

Alex Baker lives in Washington, DC, where he enjoys attending a variety of classical music events. After college in New York he started attending the Met on a regular basis and blogging about his experiences at wellsung.blogspot.com. Current singers he would travel for include Christine Goerke and Karita Mattila, while historical favorites include Tatiana Troyanos and Astrid Varnay.

Other desert settees Other desert settees

Washington Concert Opera returned on November 24th for its first show of the 2024-2025 season with a production of Puccini’s Manon Lescaut, another (relative) rarity from the composer following last year’s season-closing presentation of La rondine.

on December 03, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Thane enthusiasm Thane enthusiasm

Washington National Opera’s second full-run offering of the season, a new production of Verdi’s perennially appealing Macbeth, premiered last Wednesday at the Kennedy Center.

on November 19, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Next to godliness Next to godliness

Washington National Opera rounded out its season opening weekend with a one-night-only performance entitled “Gods & Mortals: A Celebration of Wagner” the evening after the premiere of its new production of Fidelio.

on November 07, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Jailbird song Jailbird song

If Zambello’s season-ending Turandot last year represented some of the best of what WNO can offer in the standard rep, this Fidelio was a regression to the mean.

on October 29, 2024 at 10:00 AM
Don’t count out the Countess Don’t count out the Countess

In concert with Renée Fleming’s quietly authoritative stage presence, the performance offered frequent reminders of the special affinity between this singer and Strauss’s aristocratic women.

on October 23, 2024 at 9:00 AM
The red attachment of women The red attachment of women

Washington National Opera’s final production of the season, seen May 22, is also its high point: a new Turandot directed by Francesca Zambello, updated to the 20th century and featuring the world premiere of a completion of Puccini’s score by composer Christopher Tin and playwright and screenwriter Susan Soon He Stanton.

on May 28, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Flower maiden Flower maiden

Erin Morley closed Vocal Arts DC’s season on May 13th with a recital in the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater, partnered by pianist Gerald Martin Moore.

on May 20, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Yo soy Daniela Yo soy Daniela

Mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack appeared at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater this past Thursday with pianist Keun-A Lee in a thoughtful and distinctly personal recital program presented by Vocal Arts DC.

on April 22, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Bird brain Bird brain

Opera at the Kennedy Center has been in hibernation this winter.

on March 13, 2024 at 10:09 AM
Favola bella che ieri t’illuse, che oggi m’illude Favola bella che ieri t’illuse, che oggi m’illude

Washington Concert Opera’s season opened with a triumphant performance of Gioachino Rossini’s rarely heard Ermione Saturday night at George Washington University in D.C., led by Antony Walker and a stellar quartet of principals in Angela Meade, Lawrence Brownlee, David Portillo, and Ginger Costa-Jackson.

on December 05, 2023 at 9:00 AM
That which we call a Rosa That which we call a Rosa

Rosa Feola, hailed last year for her Gilda at the Met, brought a level of vocal refinement and elegance to Juliet that substantially elevated the night’s proceedings.

on November 07, 2023 at 9:00 AM
Soar, losers Soar, losers

Chopping up the action and dutifully showing each plot point may work in a film but in an opera, where every piece of marginal dialogue must be set to music, it feels like a chore.

on October 31, 2023 at 10:00 AM
Moody ‘Blue’ Moody ‘Blue’

Originally scheduled for a D.C. premiere in spring 2020 but thwarted by the pandemic, Washington National Opera was finally able to present composer Jeanine Tesori and librettist Tazewell Thompson’s Blue at the Kennedy Center last Saturday.

on March 16, 2023 at 11:47 AM
Last dance Last dance

If it is true that there are few respectable ways for people over 40 without small children to celebrate Halloween, a performance of Richard Strauss’ pioneering horror opera Elektra belongs on the short list.

on November 02, 2022 at 10:52 AM
Sweet prince Sweet prince

South African Jacques Imbrailo’s high-lying baritone did much to highlight the lyrical possibilities of the title role of Hamlet, originally conceived for a tenor.

on November 27, 2019 at 12:41 PM
Tree for the show Tree for the show

The late-mid 1730s were transitional years for Handel, to put it nicely.

on July 24, 2017 at 1:29 PM
Keeping the faith Keeping the faith

Going into Washington National Opera’s final presentation of the season, Madama Butterfly, I feared that I might be geisha’d out.

on May 08, 2017 at 9:00 AM
You must meet my wife You must meet my wife

The rewards of Leonore lie almost as much in the ensembles as the solo contributions.

on March 13, 2017 at 4:48 PM
Ring cycle Ring cycle

Washington National Opera continued a focus on recent works this season with Terence Blanchard and Michael Cristofer’s 2013 opera Champion on the life of boxer Emile Griffith.

on March 08, 2017 at 12:11 PM
‘Dead Man,’ stumbling ‘Dead Man,’ stumbling

The opera is relentlessly obvious, a work that repeatedly turns to tired tropes and canned characters to fill up its nearly three hour run time.

on February 28, 2017 at 9:00 AM
On topic On topic

Washington National Opera’s American Opera Initiative, now in its 5th year, keeps the opera flame alight at the Kennedy Center during the long winter stretch between mainstage WNO productions.

on January 25, 2017 at 10:40 AM
All about my mother All about my mother

Operatic history can be cruel where multiple works with the same subject are concerned

on November 27, 2016 at 8:33 AM
After the fall After the fall

Washington National Opera offered a shellshocked D.C. some much-needed diversion Saturday night, with a new production of La Fille du Regiment.

on November 13, 2016 at 2:07 PM
Higher and higher Higher and higher

The good news is that the first concert was devoted to the exceptional artistry of Lawrence Brownlee.

on October 24, 2016 at 10:54 AM