Étoile Étoile

Olga Peretyatko has officially left the chorus.

The coast of Bohemia The coast of Bohemia

What would you do if I asked you to take a old, faded version of Puccini’s score for La Bohème and fill in the unreadable parts with a mélange of disco, kabarett, and Alban Berg?

Snow business Snow business

Every year I say I’m not going to another La Bohème because I’ve seen this too many times.

Flame war Flame war

The role debut of a world-class singer is always a time of great anticipation, hopefully to be followed by celebration, if not unbridled jubilation.

A page right out of history A page right out of history

“This is obviously a difficult situation. But who knows Hans New Rock, knows his cool and objective aesthetic decision.”

Top of the heap Top of the heap

You will be happy to hear that Michael Fabiano was the unrivaled star of the Richard Tucker Foundation Gala tonight.

Hysterical blondeness Hysterical blondeness

Wednesday brought the Met’s “real” season opener, an indelible, indispensable night at the opera: a starry revival of Verdi’s Macbeth crowned by Anna Netrebko’s demented Lady.

Three nights in Paris Three nights in Paris

“Oh to be young and going to Paris for the first time,” exclaimed an elderly gentleman who donned his best sweatervest for a concert at the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival this past August.

Rule number 11 Rule number 11

Cher public, you may remember that about 18 years ago a parterre writer called Dr. Repertoire came up with a handy list of rules for stage directors.

On wings of Sondra On wings of Sondra

Sondra Radvanovsky lent her luminous voice to Chamberfest for what was an unexpectedly unique recital.

Calpesta il mio cadavere! Calpesta il mio cadavere!

This week, Our Own Jungfer Marianne Leizmetzerin turns her vigilant ears to the recent past to take in a performance of Il trovatore featuring Anna Netrebko and Plácido Domingo.

The Night They Raided Rimsky’s The Night They Raided Rimsky’s

Opera-lovers who attend too much modern opera may find that it feels like duty.

New faces of 2014 New faces of 2014

Once upon a time, a man and a woman met. He could sing, she could sing. They fell in love, got married, and became a power couple to rival Billary.

The beautiful rooms are empty The beautiful rooms are empty

It appears that Mariame Clément’s conception of Don Pasquale is that the opera should be retitled Malatesta.

Red queen Red queen

Joyce DiDonato is taking her Mary Stuart on the road, so to speak.

The Met: What is to be done? The Met: What is to be done?

Coming as Peter Gelb did from the music industry, opera lovers hoped that he would display a more distinctive knack for casting and an improved talent pipeline than Joe Volpe offered during the waning years of his tenure.

No business like snow business No business like snow business

Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin is his masterwork and its themes of social convention and unrequited longing surely struck a deep chord in a composer who, in late 19th century Russia, was gay and had to conduct himself carefully.

A dream walking A dream walking

The hostile reaction to the Mary Zimmerman production of La sonnambula was well documented after the premiere in 2009.

New faces New faces

Mr. Ian Rosenblatt is a London solicitor and patron of charitable causes in Britain primarily focused on classical music.

Making it that way again Making it that way again

Twenty years ago, a sad and lonely gay man sat down with a pair of scissors and a glue stick and said, “I think I’ll make a magazine.”

Fan service Fan service

It’s hard to come up with any sensible reason to dislike Joyce DiDonato.

Tonight or Neva Tonight or Neva

Last night, the Met opened the 2013-14 season with a handsome, fairly conservative new production of Eugene Onegin by Deborah Warner that replaces the handsome, fairly conservative one by Robert Carsen. (The trend is clear.)

Piotr, principally Piotr, principally

Vanity project or not, these albums present a sensitive and talented artist showing off two little-seen sides of himself.

Lady be good Lady be good

Anna Netrebko‘ s new CD of Verdi arias seems to be a bold, defiant, “in your face” statement about the direction she is taking with her career.