Fresh princess
Diva of the moment Sondra Radvanovsky previews yet another great role: Puccini’s Turandot.
Recent Stories
Lost without your love
On this day in 2003 the Metropolitan Opera opened its season with a revival of La traviata featuring Renée Fleming.
How do you solve a problem like ‘Medea’?
Sondra Radvanovsky has an unconventional voice that is suited to unconventional characters and is best used in rangy, difficult music. The lack of lush beauty was no deficit in depicting Medea’s jealousy and vengeful rage.
Rachmaninoff three ways
A troika of operas by Rachmaninoff: Aleko , The Miserly Knight and Francesca da Rimini , courtesy of Odyssey Opera.
Love me or leaf me
Robert Carsen‘s legendary production of Eugene Onegin finally arrives in San Francisco.
In the midnight tower
On this day in 2011, the Metropolitan Opera opened its season with a new production of Anna Bolena.
Ex machina
On this day in 2010, the Metropolitan Opera opened it season with Das Rheingold, the first installment in the catastrophic Robert Lepage production of the Ring.
Medea
Live broadcast of the Metropolitan Opera’s opening night, featuring Sondra Radvanovsky in the title role.
A touch of class
For the season opener, Opera San José decided to explore the class conflict central to Le nozze di Figaro by transporting the opera to India, specifically during the British Raj.
Ceaselessly beautiful
With the phenomenal cast that stacked Paris Opera’s production of I Capuleti e i Montecchi , it was easy to overlook the quirks of Bellini’s opera and get lost in the pleasures of glorious bel canto singing.
Royal treatment
On this day in 1983 the Metropolitan Opera opened its season with a revival of Les Troyens, featuring the company debut of soprano Jessye Norman.
Sexually Druid
On this day in 2017 the Metropolitan Opera opened its season with a new production of Norma starring Sondra Radvanovsky.
A divided duty
Rodrigo is a ball-breaking role, but Lawrence Brownlee makes the demands sound easy—tossing in additional high notes and audaciously decorating cabalettas as if it were the easiest thing in the world.
Lohengrin
From the 2022 Bayreuth Festival conducted by Christian Thielemann.
Old wine in old bottles
On this day in 2012 the Metropolitan Opera opened its season with a “new” production of L’Elisir d’amore.
Sweet and low: Orlinski’s Orfeo
My impression was of a very fine singer performing a role that was slightly too large for him.
Nothing held back
On this day in 1985 the Metropolitan Opera opened its season with a gala revival of Tosca starring Montserrat Caballé and Luciano Pavarotti.
The rest is silence
Despite the diminishing returns of her vocal means, Edita Gruberova‘s last years of her career were if anything more successful than ever.
As ‘The Raven’ flies
Festival O is back, and the sense of joy and expectation was palpable among the audience and Opera Philadelphia staff, who chatted together as we awaited the start of The Raven.
Haute couture
On this day in 2008 designers Christian Lacroix, Karl Lagerfeld and John Galliano took turns draping frocks on Renée Fleming for a gala opening night at the Metropolitan Opera.
A fantastic four
These are my findings and opinions (and I welcome rebuttals)!
Fresh blood
On this day in 1972 the Metropolitan Opera opened its season with a new production of Carmen.
Edita Gruberova enters the 21st century
The worst criticism perhaps was the gleeful Schadenfreude noting Edita’s voice wasn’t as under her command as it used to be.
A different type of self-consciousness altogether
Emily D’Angelo, in a moment of subversion, sang the entire program wearing casual trousers, a vest, and chunky combat boots, her cropped hair slightly mussed, and wearing only light make-up.