Di qualità, di qualità! Di qualità, di qualità!

San Diego Opera presents a strongly directed and cast revival of Il barbiere di Siviglia. 

Lucky those people who are so anxious to believe Lucky those people who are so anxious to believe

A high-drama Vanessa by the Boston Symphony Orchestra offers something to believe in.

Storybored Storybored

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay was, somehow, a fun night at the opera—just not one that felt specifically operatic.

Shocker and awe Shocker and awe

In 2011, Sondra Radvanovsky‘s Tosca proved promising; fourteen years later, it was absolutely magnificent, a completely satisfying musical and dramatic embodiment of a challenging role by an artist at the peak of her powers.

On an evening in Roma On an evening in Roma

After an uneven gala performance of Tosca on Tuesday, I’m not sure what the Met means by “celebrating Puccini.”

Palette knives out Palette knives out

Lincoln Center is in full diva mode. Or at least that is what it seemed as I passed the line of posters outside Alice Tully Hall for the forthcoming Maria Callas biopic.

Character is destiny Character is destiny

La forza del destino concluded its run at the Metropolitan Opera with a significant cast change.

Destiny’s child Destiny’s child

While you may need to bring along your Dramamine, the Met’s new production of La forza del destino, does—eventually—spin fast enough to achieve escape velocity.

Love potion no. 8 1/2 Love potion no. 8 1/2

A perfect escape for a city laden with recent layoffs and job cuts coming into Holiday season

The clue whose meaning we avoid The clue whose meaning we avoid

We watch Peter Grimes being made into a deviant— a process that can take place through the mechanism of the law, but often happens outside of it through social processes.

Take the long way Rome Take the long way Rome

David McVicar’s 2017 production of Tosca returned to the Met on Tuesday night, with an able and watchable, if not transcendent cast.

Desert island diva Desert island diva

This sterling revival shows the Metropolitan to be surviving well and in good shape.

A certain theatrical precision A certain theatrical precision

Sondra Radvanovsky was a force of nature as Tosca on Thursday night at the Met.

Keeper of the flame Keeper of the flame

Elina Garanca’s glorious Marguerite transformed La Damnation de Faust into the Met’s first essential must-see of the year.

A Lesbian in distress A Lesbian in distress

Zelmira, a work of 1822, was the last of the eight operas Rossini composed for the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, then the largest opera house in Italy—perhaps in Europe.

Atonement Atonement

Sondra Radvanovsky changed my opinion of her through a single performance—I’ll never think of her the same way again; the power of her singing overwhelmed my previous impressions.

Quantum leap Quantum leap

Like Julius Caesar before her, Anna Netrebko can rightly proclaim “Veni vidi vici” about her decisive Roman victory at the Metropolitan Opera where she took on her first-ever Tosca.

Safe passage Safe passage

A Met HD cinema broadcast of Puccini’s Tosca on Saturday, 27 January, concluded the first run of a production marked by upheaval in the ten months between its announcement and its New Year’s Eve premiere.

E avanti a lui russava tutta Roma E avanti a lui russava tutta Roma

The Met got exactly what it asked for: a safely opulent, resolutely unchallenging Tosca that was far from shabby or little but couldn’t have been less shocking

Stop the wedding Stop the wedding

Opera Philadelphia ended its season with Le Nozze di Figaro, Friday, and it will play May 3, 5, and 7—a matinee. Figaro is considered by most to be one of the few perfect operas and although it’s perhaps too easily encountered in routine run-throughs, there are usually rewards in seeing it. 

Queen for a D Queen for a D

Friday’s season premiere at the Met of Donizetti’s opera about the doomed Scottish queen proved surprisingly satisfying and a genuine success for Sondra Radvanovsky.

Where have all the bubbles gone? Where have all the bubbles gone?

As a whole, the evening seemed forced and a bit dispiriting.

Spring will be a little late this year Spring will be a little late this year

La bohème  is such a popular romantic opera that hardly anyone ever notices that Mimì and Rodolfo undergo what in modern terms would be called speed dating.

Britten on the wind Britten on the wind

Ambiguity. That’s the theme of the operas of Benjamin Britten (ennobled as Baron Britten of Aldeburgh).