LA OPERA

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....

I wouldn’t say that Andrew Ousley’s TIERGARTEN cabaret draws parallels between Weimar Germany—from World War I, leading up to the Nazification of the country and finally World War II—and the current political climate in the US. But you could. After all, who doesn’t love a little escapist fiddling while Rome (and other entities)—burns, here performed as part of the Carnegie Hall festival “Fall of the Weimar Republic: Dancing on the Precipice”?...

Opera Saratoga has announced a high stakes 2024 season! The summer festival features three sure bets - three new productions at Universal Preservation Hall running from June 27 to July 7....

Teatro alla Scala, one of the most prestigious opera houses globally, has officially appointed Fortunato Ortombina as its new director. The announcement was made on Tuesday by Milan's Mayor Giuseppe Sala following the approval by the opera house’s board of directors. Ortombina will begin his tenure in September at the Milan-based Teatro alla Scala....

If you cross the traditional EUGENE ONEGIN by Tchaikovsky (great even when overfilled with drama and, yes, music music music, with Konstantin Shilovsky’s co-libretto) with a touch of Ken Russell’s 1971 “The Music Lovers” (the overwrought bio-pic of Tchaikovsky with Richard Chamberlin and Glenda Jackson as his patron and wife that took the composer out of the closet for anyone who didn’t know he was there), and you might have an idea of what Heartbeat Opera’s version of the opera-cum-composer’s t...

The first night of the Met’s revival of Puccini’s LA RONDINE (THE SWALLOW) was filled with surprises of one sort or another, under the baton of that smart conductor, Speranza Scappucci. She knows her way around Puccini and deserves to be heard more frequently at the house. The production had glamour through Art Deco-ish scenic design by Ezio Frigerio, with lighting by Duana Schuler and costumes by Franca Squarciapino....