Da capo days of summer Da capo days of summer

San Francisco goes baroque with performances of Handel‘s AlcinaTolomeo, and Rinaldo.

No need to grin and bear it No need to grin and bear it

An exciting cast digs their claws into a heady production of La Calisto at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées.

Animal house Animal house

Ursula Sturgeon looks at the furry opera company HowlAria and discovers that maybe one man’s Callas recording collection is another man’s fursuit.

The Aix factor The Aix factor

This summer’s festival, taking place amid record high temperatures and in the wake of its artistic director, Pierre Audi, featured a disquietingly zeigeisty focus on sexual violence.

Breaking the box Breaking the box

Jacquelyn Stucker talks to Kevin Ng about repertoire, tearing down the Fach system, and what it takes to make music from baroque to George Benjamin her own.

Up an Octavia Up an Octavia

The operatic offerings of Boston Early Music FestivalKeiser‘s Octavia and Telemann‘s Pimpinone and Ino — are delectable discoveries

Now you Caesar, now you don’t Now you Caesar, now you don’t

Before stopping at Carnegie Hall this weekend, The English Concert returned to the Bay Area last week with a fiery performance of Giulio Cesare

Alcina Alcina

The opening night of a new production live from the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma.

Act III at last Act III at last

John Yohalem reports from the New York Dramatic Voices performance of Act III of Die Walküre

Castanet diva Castanet diva

Lisette Oropesa, a product of the Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Program, has not been seen much on the stage of the Met in recent seasons.

Thoughts on <em>Il trovatore</em>: the opera Thoughts on <em>Il trovatore</em>: the opera

When asked to express some “thoughts” here about Verdi’s Il trovatore, my immediate thought was “hmm… not a lot to think about there.”

Halle if ya hear me Halle if ya hear me

Bergamo hosts an annual Donizetti festival, Salzburg presents a Mozart-woche every January, and of course there is Bayreuth for Wagner. But Handel gets two festivals every spring, and this year I was finally able to attend one of them.

In Napoli where love is queen In Napoli where love is queen

Final opera of the season. Little-known opera. A revival. So, you can probably skip it, right?

“I just sing whatever I can get my throat around” “I just sing whatever I can get my throat around”

Rachel Willis-Sørensen might be the greatest American soprano right now who doesn’t sing much in America.

A three-hour tour A three-hour tour

We may all be armchair Handelians, but some of us are more used to it than others.

Crowe’s feat Crowe’s feat

I can still vividly remember the first time the music of George Frideric Handel made an impression on me.

Coronations and other occasions Coronations and other occasions

While Charles III’s coronation (with Harry but without Meghan and Fergie) commences in London on Saturday, the party started early last month at Carnegie Hall when the Orchestra of St. Luke’s joined by La Chappelle de Québec performed Handel’s gloriously celebratory Coronation Anthems which were composed for a 1727 crowning.

Open concept Open concept

In Boston Lyric Opera’s production of Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle, which closed on Sunday after a nearly sold-out run—there are no doors.

Guys who sing high (and others) Guys who sing high (and others)

A stack of noteworthy recent baroque vocal CDs on my desk has been staring at me for weeks, so I’m tackling them on Handel’s birthday before the Met roars back into action beginning this weekend.

Judith in disguise Judith in disguise

No one who followed Trove Thursday will be surprised that Diva November on Chris’s Cache today features Ann Hallenberg and Sandrine Piau.

Back to baroque Back to baroque

The always elegant Véronique Gens has recently returned often to her earliest roots in the French baroque.

The Multiverse of Morley The Multiverse of Morley

A Trove Thursday Mega-Post © featuring the wonderful American soprano Erin Morley in Orff’s Carmina Burana and Richard Strauss’s Brentano Lieder, plus extended live excerpts from Handel’s Orlando, Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail, and Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots.

Mainly in the plain Mainly in the plain

I wonder why many New Yorkers have been led to believe that the only Handel conductor in the world is Harry Bicket.

Seria effect Seria effect

While it must be admitted that Elza van den Heever doesn’t have an ideally warm and agile Handel voice, she evidenced fierce control over her instrument and skillfully built a powerful portrait of the courageous Rodelida fighting for her survival.