They do the sand dance, don’t you know? They do the sand dance, don’t you know?

Akhnaten has lost none of its power or glitz at the Los Angeles Opera.

Follow your bliss Follow your bliss

In recital for the Los Angeles Opera, tenor Ben Bliss makes the case for the next stage of his career.

Paris is always a good idea Paris is always a good idea

Though perhaps showing its age, a storied production of La bohème nonetheless makes a welcome return to the Los Angeles Opera

It all began tonight It all began tonight

West Side Story opened LA Opera’s 40th anniversary season with fury and flair

Blue Saturday Blue Saturday

A grand concert from Angel Blue has Patrick Mack wondering, “where’s her crossover album?”

<em>The Women</em> are like that <em>The Women</em> are like that

A stylish and funny Così fan tutte at LA Opera is a pretty glam affair, according to Patrick Mack.

My Verona My Verona

It surprises even me how some operas have eluded me in live performance even after lo, these many years. One of them is Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette.

Star of the shoji screen Star of the shoji screen

My vision may have been slightly blurry at the end.

The eras tour The eras tour

She can’t put her foot on the gas the way she used to but there’s still plenty of fuel in that tank. 

Four frightened people Four frightened people

As an opera fanatic who was baptized by the blood of Leontyne Price, the Messa da Requiem by Giuseppe Verdi appeared on my radar fairly soon after I started delving into the operatic canon.

Dinosaur surviving the crunch Dinosaur surviving the crunch

I have a confession and you may need to sit down for it: Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita was one of the gateway drugs to my eventual opera fandom.

Champagne tastes Champagne tastes

Oh, La traviata, how do I love thee? Let me count the recordings.

Crowe’s feat Crowe’s feat

I can still vividly remember the first time the music of George Frideric Handel made an impression on me.

Flores para los muertos Flores para los muertos

Despite this being the first full-length opera for Gabriela Lena Frank, there’s no lack of experience across the creative team which, along with favorable reviews for the production, contributed to high levels of anticipation.

They’re projecting They’re projecting

I love it, truly, just not that much.

Candid theatricality Candid theatricality

Out of sheer morbid curiosity last evening I pulled up the “orders” page of my Amazon account and searched Otello to discover that over the past 11 years. I’ve ordered 15 items with that title (one as recently as last night!)

Better off dead Better off dead

I have a horrible confession. I’ve always judged the quality of an opera largely on the number of dead characters at the finale.

Witchy women Witchy women

You’d think after nearly 40 years of opera going I’d have seen almost everything.. .twice. Yet I found myself at LA Opera Tuesday night for a special presentation of George Frideric Handel’s Alcina which was my first live experience with one of his operas.

Do you believe in magic? Do you believe in magic?

Remember that time you went to the opera and the whole evening was like magic? Saturday night at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion probably ranks among my greatest nights in the theater and I’m finding the superlatives in my thesaurus inadequate to the task.

Uncloistered Uncloistered

Let’s all cast our minds back to March of 2020. Or, better, let’s not.

Crossroads Crossroads

When LA Opera finally decided to put a toe in the water and mount its first production since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was Igor Stravinsky‘s opera/oratorio Oedipus Rex.

Jawdropper Jawdropper

Robert Wilson is many things: a visionary (certainly); an iconoclast, artist, director, and designer of sets, lighting, costumes, movement (and furniture). Yet his work is never boring (well, at least not intentionally).

Look what happened to “Mabel” Look what happened to “Mabel”

Time heals almost everything, as Jerry Herman’s best score is stylishly resurrected.

Ray of ‘Light’ Ray of ‘Light’

An opera company presenting a Broadway musical that centers around a woman of a certain age travelling to Italy with her young daughter might seem more a vehicle for a great diva of a certain age.