“Blame it on the summer knight” “Blame it on the summer knight”

On June 20, a rather breezy, pleasant cool summer evening, the soprano Gabriella Reyes, tenor René Barbera and baritone Will Liverman took over the Summerstage space with a wide-ranging, ambitious recital program with Dimitri Dover tickling the ivories.

on June 22, 2023 at 4:47 PM
Die Frist ist Glum Die Frist ist Glum

This Holländer offers neither a clear narrative vision for the work nor a sense of turbocharged drama; it simply sits on the Met’s cavernous stage as a dull gray mass.

on May 31, 2023 at 10:00 AM
Distinctly human Distinctly human

In the five short years that I’ve been in New York, I have seen that crusty old Franco Zeffirelli production of La bohème more times than I can count on one hand. And there are certainly times when that peeling mise-en-scène really shows its age.

on May 30, 2023 at 11:45 AM
Crazy extremes Crazy extremes

Simon McBurney’s Die Zauberflöte, the second new production of the Met’s May Mozart Miracle, opened on Friday to rousing near-unanimous cheers.

on May 24, 2023 at 8:00 AM
Nervous system theater Nervous system theater

Like a sommelier of male entitlement, Peter Mattei paired with precision moves from a wide-ranging vocabulary of gesture.

on May 08, 2023 at 9:00 AM
A hole new world A hole new world

Here’s an update for those keeping up with the Lohengrin casting sweepstakes at the Met.

on March 29, 2023 at 12:00 PM
Diva moment Diva moment

Angela Meade, reportedly flown in at the very last minute to take on the role of Norma, absolutely triumphed, pulling out all the stops to deliver a commanding performance that should, indeed, go down in history.

on March 19, 2023 at 9:50 AM
Radically giddy Radically giddy

Verdi’s Falstaff is a brilliantly written opera: funny, with a complex ability to operate across minutely shifting registers of farce and lyricism. It needs, ideally, a production and cast capable of executing both comedy and drama, irony and sincerity—often concurrently. In its current Met revival, happily, Falstaff has everything it needs.

on March 14, 2023 at 4:32 PM
Touched by a fallen Angel Touched by a fallen Angel

Angel Blue‘s refulgent, lush soprano blooms as Violetta’s vocal lines broaden and soar.

on March 10, 2023 at 1:34 PM
Zero gravitas Zero gravitas

On the train ride home I was thinking that I don’t want to see or hear Norma ever again.

on March 01, 2023 at 11:09 AM
A whiter shade of grail A whiter shade of grail

It seems that François Girard has been watching a little too much Star Wars lately. His new production of Lohengrin, which opened at the Metropolitan Opera Sunday afternoon, reduced Wagner’s opera to a knockoff space opera, full of hackneyed sci-fi tropes and B-rated futurist apologue.

on February 27, 2023 at 7:55 AM
The Metropolitan Opera’s 2023-2024 season announcment The Metropolitan Opera’s 2023-2024 season announcment

Six contemporary operas, including four Metropolitan premieres, headline the company’s upcoming season, which was announced today at noon.

on February 22, 2023 at 12:00 PM
Pragmatism and ideology Pragmatism and ideology

It doesn’t get more classic than John Dexter‘s Dialogues des Carmélites.

on January 17, 2023 at 9:50 AM
Rebranding the Met Rebranding the Met

A quick survey of the Met website shows wide swaths of available seats for the upcoming performances of La traviata and L’elisir d’amore.  Only new works like The Hours and Fire Shut Up in My Bones have been achieving sold-out houses.

on January 11, 2023 at 11:32 AM
Poison of interest Poison of interest

Following new productions of Tosca in 2017, Adriana Lecouvreur in 2018, and the Anna Netrebko-led Puccini orgy of 2019, New Year’s Eve at the Met has come to signify that verismo, as this school tends to be known, is still kicking.

on January 02, 2023 at 9:00 AM
Rachvelishvili recedes! Rachvelishvili recedes!

Mezzo Anita Rachvelishvili has canceled all her remaining Met performances of Aida due to illness.

on December 17, 2022 at 1:56 PM
Alone in the world Alone in the world

Step aside, Texas: “Everything is bigger at Aida” is the motto of the Met’s second attempt at retiring Sonja Frisell’s colossal production.

on December 03, 2022 at 9:28 PM
We’ll always have Paris (or maybe not) We’ll always have Paris (or maybe not)

The revival of Don Carlo(s) which opened on November 3 restored the translated Italian text and the cut 1882 four-act revision not seen at the Met since Rudolf Bing’s last season in 1972.

on November 05, 2022 at 9:00 AM
Don’t mask, don’t tell Don’t mask, don’t tell

The Metropolitan Opera and other classical music venue are dropping their mask requirements for audience members.

on October 17, 2022 at 2:14 PM
Take the long way Rome Take the long way Rome

David McVicar’s 2017 production of Tosca returned to the Met on Tuesday night, with an able and watchable, if not transcendent cast.

on October 06, 2022 at 8:20 PM
Ocean, thou mighty monster Ocean, thou mighty monster

Michael Spyres’s nobly moving Idomeneo wasn’t just a bravura triumph: singing strongly throughout, he brought more colors to his portrayal of the tortured king than I had experienced from others in the Ponnelle production.

on October 01, 2022 at 9:14 AM
So damn bored So damn bored

It’s nasty world, Shostakovich seems to say, where life alternates between boring and terrifying.

on September 30, 2022 at 1:38 PM
How do you solve a problem like ‘Medea’? How do you solve a problem like ‘Medea’?

Sondra Radvanovsky has an unconventional voice that is suited to unconventional characters and is best used in rangy, difficult music.  The lack of lush beauty was no deficit in depicting Medea’s jealousy and vengeful rage.

on September 28, 2022 at 3:50 PM
Romeo and Gilda Romeo and Gilda

The winners of the evening were the composer Riccardo Zandonai and Teatro Grattacielo which pulled off a near-impossible feat with success.

on June 10, 2022 at 2:13 PM