Lady willpower Lady willpower

Hie thee hither to the Lyric Opera House!

on October 05, 2021 at 2:48 PM
Unashamedly dark Unashamedly dark

It was a meaty program. But both singers had the chops for it.

on January 25, 2021 at 11:00 AM
The three faces of Sondra The three faces of Sondra

It was a gloomy, chilly, rainy day in Chicago on Sunday afternoon, a perfect reflection of the sad and gloomy fates of the title characters in Lyric Opera of Chicago’s presentation of The Three Queens.

on December 03, 2019 at 9:00 AM
Ring around the Loop Ring around the Loop

Sondra Radvanovsky in a “Three Queens” concert and The Queen of Spades, plus three cycles of the Ring (senza Sondra) highlight Lyric Opera of Chicago’s 2019-2020 season. 

on January 24, 2019 at 2:19 PM
Atonement Atonement

Sondra Radvanovsky changed my opinion of her through a single performance—I’ll never think of her the same way again; the power of her singing overwhelmed my previous impressions.

on October 27, 2018 at 12:37 PM
Better call Gaul Better call Gaul

Bellini’s Norma Monday evening didn’t at all improve on the production it was replacing.

on September 26, 2017 at 12:51 PM
Paranorma activity Paranorma activity

“Due to Anna Netrebko’s recent decision not to add the title role in Bellini’s Norma to her repertory…”

on May 03, 2016 at 10:08 AM
Screen queen Screen queen

This season’s Met Donizetti Tudor Trilogy concluded with Roberto Devereux, given its penultimate performance by HD transmission Saturday, April 16. It is good to see these works finally given here; they are too important, too crucial a part of the operatic repertory to have been ignored for as long as they have. 

on April 25, 2016 at 11:00 AM
Queen for a D Queen for a D

Friday’s season premiere at the Met of Donizetti’s opera about the doomed Scottish queen proved surprisingly satisfying and a genuine success for Sondra Radvanovsky.

on February 01, 2016 at 10:00 AM
Man of steel Man of steel

“This throwback to the golden age of opera—superhuman singing greeted with frenzied ovations—was a function of a perfect storm of excitement.”

on September 30, 2015 at 2:38 PM
Don’t axe me why Don’t axe me why

The Metropolitan Opera’s much vaunted so-called “Tudor Ring” of three royal operas by Donizetti got off to a bumpy start Saturday afternoon with a revival of Anna Bolena that stubbornly refused to cohere either musically or dramatically.

on September 28, 2015 at 2:20 PM
Let’s make it regal Let’s make it regal

Having heard a bit of the opening night broadcast and read some decidedly mixed reviews, I was totally unprepared for the remarkable performance of Donizetti’s Anna Bolena that I attended on December 15 at Chicago Lyric Opera.

on December 17, 2014 at 10:51 AM
Running, jumping, or burning Gaul Running, jumping, or burning Gaul

Far be it from me to join the Schadenfreudian chorus of “Bye, Bye, Berti!” you may have been hearing in certain quarters, but the first thing I am duty-bound to report about San Francisco Opera’s Norma (of which three performances remain) is that they’ve hit the jackpot, coverwise.

on September 21, 2014 at 2:57 AM
On wings of Sondra On wings of Sondra

Sondra Radvanovsky lent her luminous voice to Chamberfest for what was an unexpectedly unique recital.

on August 03, 2014 at 1:40 AM
On with the motley On with the motley

In Issue #40 of parterre box, the queer opera zine, Our Own JJ nabs lengthy interviews with critic John Ardoin and tenor Richard Leech.

on February 06, 2014 at 2:00 AM
Balk like an Egyptian Balk like an Egyptian

Sondra Radvanovsky will make her Met role debut as the title character in Verdi’s Aida on February 28…

on February 27, 2012 at 3:42 PM