A passing mood A passing mood

Mascagni‘s Zanetto, a slight, Renaissance scene, gets a new recording from the Berlin Opera Group. 

She’s no basic britch She’s no basic britch

Samantha Hankey’s Composer is the standout in the Wiener Staatsoper’s episodically sublime Ariadne auf Naxos revival.

Married to their jobs Married to their jobs

Ahead of their opening in Don Carlo in Dallas tonight, Christopher Corwin chats with Nicole Car and Étienne Dupuis — and offers a special edition of Chris’s Cache!

Tra voi belle Tra voi belle

Following the announcement that she’ll make her Met debut next season, Grand Tier Grab Bag brings Italian soprano Erika Grimaldi to your attention with a duet from Manon Lescaut.

Onegin, off again Onegin, off again

The Ralph Fiennes production of Eugene Onegin at the Paris Opera is just…fine.

Agent orange Agent orange

That Trump opera at the Staatsoper Hamburg is lazy activism at its finest, we fear.

Diva down Diva down

An excellent Věc Makropulos at Opéra de Lille makes the case for the vitality and necessity of France’s regional companies.

The 1946 <em>La traviata</em> is so overrated The 1946 <em>La traviata</em> is so overrated

For all his undeniable precision and discipline, I still find Toscanini’s tempi rushed and unyielding and his lack of rubato a chilly turnoff.

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

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

Some unholy wars Some unholy wars

Caitlin Vincent‘s new book Opera Wars paints a persuasive picture of the problems facing opera today, though her solutions leave something to be desired.

Was keinem in Worten ich künde Was keinem in Worten ich künde

In Modena, Teodor Currentzis‘s Ring ohne Worte foregoes words but not gimmickry.

The 1957 <em>Anna Bolena</em> is so overrated The 1957 <em>Anna Bolena</em> is so overrated

While the three leads do sing the material well, there has been a glut of recordings since then which are more complete and at least as well sung.

Mother is mothering Mother is mothering

Marina Rebeka comes tantalizingly close to triumph in Cherubini’s Médée at Théâtre des Champs Elysées.

Life of the Mardi Life of the Mardi

La Monnaie’s flamboyantly busy new production of Benvenuto Cellini reads more burlesque than Berlioz.

Living the part Living the part

Diana Soviero chats with Roger Pines about six decades of performing, four decades of teaching, and how she’s handing the tradition off to the next generation.

No shrinking Violanta No shrinking Violanta

A chic production of Violanta at the Deutshce Oper Berlin continues the Korngold craze on the other side of the Atlantic.

The 2023 <em>Turandot</em> is so overrated The 2023 <em>Turandot</em> is so overrated

The recent highly hyped studio recording of Puccini’s Turandot left me greatly disappointed.

“I don’t play a wilting flower very well” “I don’t play a wilting flower very well”

Jennifer Holloway, star of Salome at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, talks with Christina Colanduoni about re-launching her career as a soprano and how her Salome is “just trying not to disappear under everybody else’s rule.”

Past is prologue Past is prologue

Simon Boccanegra has never felt as foreboding or prophetic as it did at a recent performance at La Fenice.

A lady of coarse and vulgar inclinations A lady of coarse and vulgar inclinations

A stark, sweltering performance of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk shocks the Komische Oper Berlin.

Nature boy Nature boy

With Siegfried, the directorial vision of the Paris Opera‘s Ring cycle finally takes root.

Methinks the lady doth protestant too much Methinks the lady doth protestant too much

Old pros Gregory Kunde and Pier Luigi Pizzi anchor a new staging of Stiffelio co-produced by three theaters in Emilia-Romagna.

The snows that lie on the mountains of Judaea The snows that lie on the mountains of Judaea

Salome sweeps in like a storm at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Faith in their hands shall snap in two Faith in their hands shall snap in two

Franz Welser-Möst leads a rigorous, if emotionally staid, performance of Verdi‘s Requiem at Carnegie Hall.