Cavalcade of stars Cavalcade of stars

Back-to-back casts in the Metropolitan Opera’s revivals of Madama Butterfly and La traviata offer ample opportunity for soprano-gazing.

An afternoon at the opera An afternoon at the opera

Il trovatore may be famous for its melodramatic plot and unlikely mistaken identities, but surely even Verdi and Cammarano couldn’t have imagined the chaos of a performance featuring two Manricos and two Leonoras.

Got to get you into my strife Got to get you into my strife

Power struggles, prejudice, feuds and revenge abound in San Francisco at the moment.

No heather on the hill: ‘Lucia’ in LA No heather on the hill: ‘Lucia’ in LA

LA Opera sent out an email warning that the production “contains depictions of blood, violence, and drug use, as well as strobe lights and a gunshot effect in Act III.”

The Verdi thing The Verdi thing

On Thursday June 30th, San Francisco Opera closed their summer season with a one-night-only special concert celebrating Eun Sun Kim’s first season as the Caroline H. Hume Music Director, in an aptly named concert “Eun Sun Kim Conducts Verdi.”

What the cat dragged in What the cat dragged in

As you can imagine, oaths are sworn, curses are flung with avidity, and a mysterious shepherd sings a tune of foreboding from a distant mountain gorge just when you’d expect it.

Fathers’ day Fathers’ day

How do we celebrate a long career in opera, particularly one as illustrious as Plácido Domingo‘s? 

Meeting Rigoletto Meeting Rigoletto

I have a confession to make. I have been taking Rigoletto for granted.

Comeback thane Comeback thane

The characters get right down to work immediately with their foul deeds.

Mourning Wood Mourning Wood

Sometimes when you find the club that will have you as a member, you do not easily give up your spot.

Fifty shades of Domingo Fifty shades of Domingo

LA Opera opened their 30th season with a pairing of two of their most popular productions, both of which were initially staged by filmmakers not unfamiliar with the vagaries of our industry outpost here in Hollywoodland.

Diabolical variations Diabolical variations

Whenever I encounter Eric Owens, he’s plotting to conquer the universe.

Nose candy

The indisputable star of the new Naxos DVD of Franco Alfano’s Cyrano de Bergerac, filmed at the Palau de les Arts ‘Reina Sofia’ in Valencia and directed by Michal Znaniecki, is, as in all other stage, operatic and film adaptations of the Cyrano story, the enormous prosthetic nose worn by the title character. The nose…