Extravagant minimalism Extravagant minimalism

Ahead of his new production of Die Frau ohne Schatten, Barrie Kosky chats with Kevin Ng in Aix about pretty much everything — except the details of his new Frau.

I could escape this feeling with my China girl I could escape this feeling with my China girl

Tired of Turandot? “The Dancing Goddess” at the China Institute Gallery gives us a glimpse at a real Peking Opera queen.

Any recording of <em>Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny</em> is so overrated Any recording of <em>Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny</em> is so overrated

It’s always surprised me how so many performances of the major Brecht/Weill collaborations seem to have zero clue of how to handle either Weill’s music.

Mezzo in the dark Mezzo in the dark

It is a physical pleasure to hear Kate Lindsey at close quarters.

Women on the verge of a nervous breakup Women on the verge of a nervous breakup

Not in my wildest dreams could I have come up with anything more homosexual than the sight of Almodóvar muse Rossy de Palma in a stage-length wedding gown onstage Madrid’s Teatro Real.

Singin’ through the sunshine Singin’ through the sunshine

Julia Bullock seems to fission herself multiple times over during the course of her newest, widely ranging recital program.

Quat’sousical the musical Quat’sousical the musical

With unrest and looting nearby as France learned collectively that minority lives should matter, Marseille-adjacent Aix-en-Provence could be forgiven for the heavy-handedness of launching its 75th anniversary summer Festival with a new French translation of the ultimate carnival of social tension, The Threepenny Opera.

Shark in a tent Shark in a tent

The great Dalai Lama once said, “whenever there is a challenge, there is also an opportunity to face it, to demonstrate and develop our will and determination.”

Fancy pants Fancy pants

A recent discussion here about Gianna Rolandi prompts Trove Thursday to present the American soprano in a rare trouser role in an even rarer opera, Cimarosa’s Gli Orazi e I Curiazi paired with Anna Caterina Antonacci.

Magic Freyer Magic Freyer

I still remember, and some of it quite vividly, what it was like to experience Achim Freyer‘s intense and groundbreaking Ring production all these years later.

When off-off was on to something When off-off was on to something

Promenade is a powder keg but the powder may not be as explosive as it hints.

Pardon my dust Pardon my dust

David Lang’s Prisoner of the State, which was premiered on Thursday night by the New York Philharmonic, places the issue of mass incarceration front and center, foregrounding the violence of the prison system, both physical and psychological.

Everybody loves to break a bough Everybody loves to break a bough

We owe director John Doyle and Classic Stage Company a debt of gratitude for bringing Blitzstein’s The Cradle Will Rock—warts and all—to the stage.

Glamour, reconceptualized Glamour, reconceptualized

Opera Philadelphia’s O18 Festival continues through the weekend, but Friday represented a finale of sorts with the last two premieres.

Four conversations are three too many Four conversations are three too many

Which diva gets to sing “I hope you die!  I hope you die soon!  I’ll be waiting for you to die!”

A free soul A free soul

To be honest, I have never seen anything quite like Matthias Goerne in recital. He seemed so wonderfully free.

Getting to know jews, getting to know all about jews Getting to know jews, getting to know all about jews

The creation of Kurt Weill’s The Eternal Road and its lately remodeled avatar, The Road of Promise, boiled down and premiered at Carnegie Hall Wednesday night by the Collegiate Chorale and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, was an intricate process, far more interesting than the work itself.

Breaking Baden Breaking Baden

Baden-Baden 1927 is the title Gotham Chamber Opera has given to its evening of four brief operas that premiered together at a festival in, yes, Baden-Baden on July 17, 1927.

Beyond the pale

“Hey the line forms, on the right dear / Now that Macheath’s back in town / You’d better lock your doors, and call the law / Because Macheath’s back in town.” So concludes Marc Blitzstein’s famous English translation of the song that opens Die Dreigroschenoper.

The last days of disco

The Met’s 1979 telecast of Mahagonny exposed one of the lesser-known factors contributing to the demise of disco:  the global supply of eye shadow, rouge and lip gloss was exhausted for the next decade by a cast featuring Klara Barlow, Louise Wohlafka, Nedda Casei, Gwynn Cornell, Joann Grillo and Isola Jones—and stilettos, garter belts and…

The bad and the beautiful

Packaged with a peek-a-boo cover exposing only Bryn Terfel’s lovely left eye (the effect of turning the page to reveal the Welsh bass-baritone’s head in its entirety brings to mind this Encyclopedia Dramatica entry) and an oddly hip-hop-flavored gray-on-black treatment of the album’s title, Terfel’s Bad Boys seems designed for those who like their divos…

Cabaret is a life

I was still warming frigid fingers Friday night, when before me unfolded something like a history of the world viewed from a small café: an enchanted journey from the gaslights of Berlin to the crowded alleys of Buenos Aires.