WORLD PREMIERE

It’s a big season at the Met for tenor Jonathan Tetelman—born in Chile, raised in New Jersey—and he’s taking every advantage of it. He’s come to town with a reputation as a Puccini specialist (not that there’s anything wrong with that). How does he feel about that? “Well, I basically built my voice on Puccini repertoire. I’ve taken it as a gift because he’s a great writer for my voice.” His debut at the Met in March was in LA RONDINE but he’s looking forward to showing off more of his dramatic ...

Back in December, I saw the chamber version of John Adams’s EL NINO—dubbed EL NINO: NATIVITY RECONSIDERED—at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Pared down to its essence, it was wonderful, starred two of the singers who made their debuts in the premiere at the Met, soprano Julia Bullock and bass-baritone Davone Tines plus countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, who were at their best. It was a somber evening in a dramatic setting—a far cry from the oratorio/opera’s over-the-top welcome to Lincoln...

It’s easy to understand why Neal Goren, founder and artistic director of Catapult Opera, was immediately taken with LA VILLE MORTE. (His program notes say, “Upon receiving the piano-vocal score, I found myself sighing in ecstasy…”) First, the name Nadia Boulanger is magic in 20th century music—in music history in general, for that matter—though not for her own compositions....