Kuda, woulda, shoulda Kuda, woulda, shoulda

A strong revival of Eugene Onegin at the Metropolitan Opera and a recital by Benjamin Bernheim offered the chance to hear “Kuda, kuda” twice in two days.

French revolution French revolution

Benjamin Bernheim opens up to Emma Hoffman about what really makes a French tenor ahead of his New York recital debut.

I wanna be the one to walk in the sun I wanna be the one to walk in the sun

Two recent Paminas feature in concerts at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall.

Hear, O Israel Hear, O Israel

As Messiah season begins, Christopher Corwin reports on two of Handel’s forays into the Old Testament.

New world coming New world coming

This week, Chris’s Cache highlights Bernarda Fink and Inga Kalna in an opera by Johann Gottlieb Naumann

Think of the children Think of the children

One of the highlights, if not the highlight, of No-Met-February was an all-Ravel evening presented by the Juilliard Orchestra.

And suddenly that name will never be the same And suddenly that name will never be the same

Christopher Corwin reviews Pablo Larraín‘s Maria

Garden party Garden party

Two of France’s leading Early Music ensembles recently visited New York City to perform music by some of the 17th century’s leading composers.

“Blame it on the summer knight” “Blame it on the summer knight”

On June 20, a rather breezy, pleasant cool summer evening, the soprano Gabriella Reyes, tenor René Barbera and baritone Will Liverman took over the Summerstage space with a wide-ranging, ambitious recital program with Dimitri Dover tickling the ivories.

Sacred raptures cheer my breast Sacred raptures cheer my breast

The English Concert’s annual Handel tour brings Solomon conducted by Harry Bicket to the US beginning Sunday March 5. In anticipation, Chris’s Cache offers Solomon plus four other oratorios by the master:  Belshazzar, Hercules, Saul and Jephtha, all via broadcasts for which I feel a personal connection.

Purcell takes the stage Purcell takes the stage

On Saturday at Alice Tully Hall, Julliard 415, the school’s top-flight period-instrument ensemble, was joined by students from the Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts and Juilliard Drama for a rare semi-staging of King Arthur.

Behold the happy pair Behold the happy pair

Beverly Sills and Renée Fleming perform 30 years apart the same work with the same orchestra in the same venue!

Back to baroque Back to baroque

The always elegant Véronique Gens has recently returned often to her earliest roots in the French baroque.

Suspended in time Suspended in time

You know in some of those old Jeanette MacDonald movies where she plays a prima donna and receives applause in a public setting? That’s just what happened when the three of us walked into that restaurant, one patron calling out “Brava!”

“Jonathan loved him as his own soul” “Jonathan loved him as his own soul”

Trove Thursday celebrates Pride with a Bible-based homoerotic sort-of opera not by the guy who wrote “Depuis le jour”: Charpentier’s David et Jonathas with Mark Padmore, Laurent Naouri and Jaël Azzaretti led by Emmanuelle Haïm.

Desperate housewife Desperate housewife

As New Yorkers swelter in the Fahrenheit 90s. Trove Thursday escapes to wintry Vienna 1920s for Richard Strauss’s Intermezzo (in English) sumptuously conducted by Julius Rudel and starring the incomparable Elisabeth Söderström as the delicious, exasperating wife of Alan Titus.

No sleep, no rest No sleep, no rest

Following last week’s Golden Cockerel, Trove Thursday offers another classic Russian opera not in Russian: Borodin’s Fürst Igor with Nelly Miricioiu, Marjana Lipovsek, Bodo Brinkmann, Evgeny Nesterenko, Robert Schunk and Sergei Koptchak conducted by Mark Ermler.

Love sex magic Love sex magic

By an astounding coincidence, on Monday night Handel’s third and fourth extant operas were being performed simultaneously across the street from each other at Lincoln Center.

Mithridates is dead Mithridates is dead

Trove Thursday marks Mozart’s 264th birthday on Sunday with the 14-year-old’s remarkable opera seria Mitridate, Re di Ponto .

More things sacred More things sacred

In recent weeks local and visiting groups performed refreshing rarities by Zelenka, Domenico Scarlatti and Telemann so engagingly that one didn’t miss the old standbys at all.

Bolder sister Bolder sister

Brigitte Fassbaender‘s sound is piquant and, I’d hazard to guess, instantly recognizable to anyone familiar with her work.

Welcome Bach Welcome Bach

An unusually provocative program by the Orchestra of St. Luke’s conducted by Bernard Labadie with soloists Lydia Teuscher and Benno Schachtner made my “return” Thursday evening an illuminating and rewarding experience at Zankel Hall.

Follow her lead Follow her lead

Barbara Hannigan‘s electrifying performance with the Juilliard Orchestra on Friday night proves that she is as much a force to be reckoned with on the podium as she is onstage.

Not the Messiah Not the Messiah

Four fine Handel-centric concerts from the Morgan Library to Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center proved a bracing antidote to pervasive Messiah-mania.