The beautiful doom is empty The beautiful doom is empty

The Met is on it with something something woker than woke: a noirish psychodrama of a frigid hysteric who seeks redemption via Freudian analysis!

Back in black Back in black

He returned. He sang. He didn’t get hanged. 

The fantastics The fantastics

“Berlioz Takes a Trip” proclaimed the free psychedelic buttons available at Carnegie Hall Monday referring to Symphonie Fantastique,the evening’s surefire crowd-pleaser.

Vicious hack defiles corpse Vicious hack defiles corpse

Venomous fishwife Norman Lebrecht has gleefully seized upon the death of beloved diva Montserrat Caballé to use her scarcely-cold cadaver as a club to attack (who else) Peter Gelb.

The unusual suspects The unusual suspects

Mad Scenes and Exit Arias:  The Death of the New York City Opera and the Future of Opera in America provides ample fodder for the legions of amateur opera sleuths seeking to confirm their theory of “Who Killed City Opera?”

Meine Liebe ist croon Meine Liebe ist croon

As opera’s reigning tenor-superstar, Jonas Kaufmann can pretty much do whatever he wants and a sizable adoring public will lap it up.

American beauty American beauty

It’s surprising to read that, as of this writing, La fanciulla del west has only had 105 performances at the Metropolitan Opera.

Hop on pops Hop on pops

Carnegie Hall’s season opener last night fetched the usual glitterati.

Golden ‘Girls’ season finale Golden ‘Girls’ season finale

The conclusion of our Fanciulla del West video overview in three parts looks at a trio of performances from the 2010s.

Minnie happy returns Minnie happy returns

Puccini’s Girl closes out the 20th century and gallops into the 21st.

I think we’ve got her number I think we’ve got her number

“Are we Team Guelf or Team Ghibelline?”

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.

Go away from my window Go away from my window

Hunger was the note of the night, a sentiment shared between the audience and Proving Up, a lean and hungry one-act telling a story of drought and desperation on the post-Civil War Western frontier.

Mortal raises veil from before goddess’s face Mortal raises veil from before goddess’s face

Anna Netrebko is the greatest performing artist singing opera today. Nobody else comes close; she makes me love her in a way that verges on the erotic.

Take me out to the bull game Take me out to the bull game

I braved the alarming and majestically colorful wall-graffiti-art of Bushwick to attend Bullfight Boylesque, which runs to October 28.

Must the winter come so soon? Must the winter come so soon?

On Tuesday we got one of the Met’s inveterate classics, which meant yet another opportunity to gaze upon the old accessories: Donkey cart! Teal shawl! Fugly plaid slacks!

Shorn yesterday Shorn yesterday

For opening night 2018, the Met offered the creaky but appealing biblical epic Samson et Dalila, presumably as a vehicle for Elina Garanca and Roberto Alagna.

The art of the steel The art of the steel

This Sony Classical set of live performances covers a golden quarter century in the singing and staging of Wagner. Birgit Nilsson shared it with many other legends, and many of them appear on these discs.

“The silky-toned Miss Verrett makes the most of the situation” “The silky-toned Miss Verrett makes the most of the situation”

On this day in 1968 mezzo-soprano Shirley Verrett made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Carmen.

Very warm for mayonnaise Very warm for mayonnaise

The career of our beloved Renée Fleming deserves to continue… by whatever means necessary.

A stolen life A stolen life

“Trove Thursday” offers a broadcast from last year’s London world premiere of Nico Muhly’s Marnie.

Drama, Queen Drama, Queen

Lightning struck again here when, after a wait of 39 years, San Francisco Opera unveiled a new production of Donizetti’s Roberto Devereux.

Do you believe in Zajick? Do you believe in Zajick?

“Trove Thursday” gives a preview of Saint-Saëns’s Samson et Dalila with a broadcast featuring an unexpected temptress—Dolora Zajick—who will celebrate the 30th anniversary of her Met debut next month.

The man who would be nymph The man who would be nymph

Sometimes the fates conspire, preventing an artist from recording the role for which he is his generation’s touchstone.