Strauss test
San Francisco Opera music director Eun Sun Kim tantalizes with her readings of Strauss.
San Francisco Opera
Let it begin here
San Francisco Opera’s revolution-set The Marriage of Figaro may not always strike the right balance, but it certainly speaks to the moment.
Smooth operators
A husband-wife duo add star power to San Francisco Opera‘s stylish revival of Manon.
Mary, Mary, quite contrary
Thea Musgrave’s Mary, Queen of Scots could learn to lighten up.
Man of the masses
Amartuvshin Enkhbat is superb in Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra in San Francisco — even if the drama offstage is more persuasive than this new production.
The kids are alright
Though, really, the young artists of the Merola Opera Program were more than alright in their annual showcase.
Da capo days of summer
San Francisco goes baroque with performances of Handel‘s Alcina, Tolomeo, and Rinaldo.
Life’s a Blitch
Shakespeare Opera Theatre presented two American operas exploring themes of hypocrisy and deception — in a church!
Hit me with your best shot
Dmitri Tcherniakov‘s production of Der Freischütz in Munich may fire a few blanks, but the musicians are all on target.
Ma queer immortelle
San Francisco Opera hosts an exuberant tribute to queerness past and present.
Rubber soul
Video Artists International brings us back to a time when opera was carried over the airwaves by great voices—and a tire company.
Anna Caterina Antonacci should have made it to the Met
The one who got away was Anna Caterina Antonacci, a thrilling performer.
By Last Castrato
68 comments
Sister, sister, oh so fair
Conductor Eun Sun Kim and soprano Elza van der Heever play to their strengths in a piercing revival of Elektra at San Francisco Opera.
Rosina in bloom
Maria Kataeva makes a promising US debut in an otherwise uneven revival of Il Barbiere di Siviglia in San Francisco.
A favorite Verdi performance from Astyanax
The air held a real charge that night in SF’s War Memorial Opera House.
By Astyanax
88 comments
A favorite Verdi performance from Tildy Diva
A well-known Met Aïda with a starry cast from 1967 is TildyDiva’s Favorite Verdi Performance
By Tildy Diva
36 comments
Hustle your bustle
Opera San José‘s La Traviata has all the buzz and energy of a world premiere.
Music to heal the hurt
Ten years since the death of countertenor Brian Asawa, Charles Stanton remembers his friend and corrects the record on his untimely passing.
By Charles Stanton
11 comments
Bach to Bach
An invigorating double bill at the San Francisco Symphony challenges how Bach “should” be performed.
Anime sante degli avi
Madama Butterfly confronts anime, virtual reality, and weeaboos in Matthew Ozawa‘s bold production at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Road shows
Brendan Latimer hitches a ride with members of the “site-responsive opera” movement who are taking their shows out of the opera house — and out of the box.
Death becomes her and him
El último sueño de Frida y Diego at the Lyric Opera of Chicago is a visual and sonic wonder, but a weak libretto dampens its effect.
By spirit alone
A sublime Reginald Mobley and the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra are a balm for troubled times in a program of baroque selections and spirituals.
Così così
Despite some fine performances, Così fan tutte at the Livermore Valley Opera doesn’t quite click into place.
I’ll take the fall
The days are getting shorter, but you can keep the prattle going this fall’s Talk of the Town! You will, you can, you must join in the discussion about: Great mezzo soprano performances (October),
Gained in translation (November), Teleport me back to… (December).