Soho meets Sybil Soho meets Sybil

On Friday, MCal Performances—the performing arts organization based at University of California, Berkeley—presented the US premiere of South African multi-disciplinary artist William Kentridge’s Sybil, with music composed and conceived by Nhlanhla Mahlangu and Kyle Shepherd.

Brute force Brute force

Alban Berg’s compact yet potent oeuvre has long played an outsized role in shaping my understanding of music’s aesthetic evolution.

The naked truth The naked truth

Highlights of the Metropolitan Opera’s 2019-2020 season, according the always intriguing Met Future Wiki.

The chopping block? The chopping block?

After five flops in a row, Mr. McVicar continues to win new assignments from the Met.

Half a million marks Half a million marks

Unlike my friend Greg Freed, who entertainingly wrote of his ambivalence about seeing Il trovatore in a movie theater this season, I have embraced the Met Live in HD transmissions as a part of the modern operagoing experience.

Cherchez la femme (fatale) Cherchez la femme (fatale)

Lilith. Pandora. Circe. Salome. “La Belle Dame sans Merci.” Carmen. Brigid O’Shaughnessy: the eternal “femme fatale” still fascinates us.