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Tag Archives: Opera
The Netrebko Question
The Russian soprano Anna Netrebko is opera’s biggest star. But her career is in disarray because of her ties to Putin, and arts companies around the world are divided on whether to welcome her back.
Odesa Opera House Reopens Amid Putin’s War
War is not far away, but a city that has always lived for the moment proclaims that culture will help Ukraine prevail.
Ukrainian Diva Replacing Netrebko at the Met Wears Her Country’s Flag
The soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska, replacing the Russian superstar Anna Netrebko at the Met in “Turandot,” wrapped herself in a Ukrainian flag for her curtain call.
Dropping Anna Netrebko, the Met Turns to a Ukrainian Diva
The Ukrainian soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska, replacing one of Russia’s biggest stars in “Turandot,” is using her platform to defend her country.
Singing, and Signing, Beethoven’s ‘Fidelio’ in Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Philharmonic and Deaf West Theater are working on an innovative production conceived for both hearing and deaf operagoers.
One Opera, Three Acts, Three Different Stagings
In Stuttgart, Wagner’s “Die Walküre” is being divided among a trio of creative teams with divergent visions.
For This Opera Director, a Lot Is Riding on a ‘Handmaid’s Tale’
For her English National Opera debut, the company’s new artistic leader, Annilese Miskimmon, has chosen a work she hopes can bring in a new audience.
Lise Davidsen and Nina Stemme Star in ‘Elektra’ at the Met
At the Metropolitan Opera, Nina Stemme and Lise Davidsen are a blazing pair as sisters in a revival of Strauss’s work.
Scott Joplin’s Ragtime Is Ambrosia. Here’s Why It Matters.
Notes on a great American composer.
Review: ‘The Hours’ Will Bring Renée Fleming Back to the Met
Kevin Puts’s new opera had its premiere in a Philadelphia Orchestra concert presentation before coming to New York this fall.
Metropolitan Opera’s Concert Honors Ukraine
A concert to benefit relief efforts featured a young Ukrainian singer, Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” and the Met’s prima donna of the moment.
On a Stage 5,000 Miles Away, He Sings for His Family in Ukraine
At the Metropolitan Opera, the bass-baritone Vladyslav Buialskyi has become a symbol of his country’s struggles.
‘Wozzeck,’ the 20th Century’s Most Influential Opera, Turns 100
Alban Berg’s brutal classic, a tale of a lowly soldier’s degradation and death, continues to inspire artists.
Review: Leonard Bernstein’s ‘A Quiet Place’ at the Paris Opera
In Paris, a new production of “A Quiet Place” makes a strong case for a work that has long struggled to join the repertory.
Cities and States Are Easing Covid Rules. Should the Arts Follow?
Cultural institutions face tough decisions: Is it safe to drop mask and vaccine requirements, and would doing so be more likely to lure audiences back or keep them away?
Too Close to Putin? Institutions Vet Artists, Uncomfortably.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led arts organizations to reconsider who performs, forcing them to confront questions about free speech and policing political views.
He Break Dances. He Pole Dances. He Sings Like an Angel.
The Polish countertenor Jakub Jozef Orlinski has the credits you’d expect for a fast-rising classical music star, and some others you might not.
Anna Netrebko, Diva With Putin Ties, Is Out at the Metropolitan Opera
The Met said she would not appear for two seasons, and possibly more, after declining to comply with its demand that she repudiate her public support for Putin.
Valery Gergiev and Anna Netrebko’s Putin Ties Threaten Their Careers
The Russian conductor Valery Gergiev and the diva Anna Netrebko have lost engagements because of their ties to Putin, as geopolitics and music collide once again.
5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Wagner
Rian Johnson, Patti Smith, Alex Ross and others offer favorite highlights of a composer best known for his sprawling length.
Review: ‘Don Carlos’ Finally Brings French Verdi to the Met
Yannick Nézet-Séguin led the sprawling masterpiece, which is being presented by the company for the first time in its original language.
Metropolitan Opera Says It Will Cut Ties With Pro-Putin Artists
The decision comes as arts institutions seek to distance themselves from some Russian performers amid the invasion of Ukraine.
‘Don Carlo’ or ‘Don Carlos’? Verdi Comes to the Met in French
On Monday, the company performs the much-revised masterpiece for the first time in its original language.
It’s the Highest-Profile Challenge of an Earnest Tenor’s Career
Matthew Polenzani, a Met Opera stalwart known more for sweetness than swagger, stars in a new production of Verdi’s “Don Carlos.”
The Met Opera’s New Season: What We Want to See
After a long streak without canceled performances that continued through the Omicron surge, the company announced ambitious plans for 2022-23.
Review: Beethoven Returns for the Age of Black Lives Matter
Heartbeat Opera’s powerful take on “Fidelio,” as an indictment of mass incarceration, has been revived and revised for a post-2020 world.
A Shape-Shifting Opera Singer, With a Debut to Match
Marlis Petersen, one of the greatest acting talents in opera, prepares for Janacek’s “The Makropulos Case” in Berlin.
Reawakening the Antichrist (and Other Lost Opera Gems)
It can be challenging to revive forgotten works like “Antikrist.” But the absence of entrenched traditions can be liberating.
A Day of Divas
Two star sopranos, Renée Fleming and Sonya Yoncheva, held court in two of New York’s grandest venues on Sunday.
Taylor Mac Enfolds Everyone in “The Hang,” an Operatic Opportunity for Communion.
This opera, by Mac and Matt Ray, is as much a celebration of theater itself as it is an example of the communion humans crave but have been deprived of.
One Opera Opening Would Make Any Composer Happy. He Has Two.
Ricky Ian Gordon’s “Intimate Apparel” and “The Garden of the Finzi-Continis” are premiering in New York almost simultaneously.
Love, Trust and Heartbreak on Two Stages
The musical “Hadestown” and the opera “Eurydice” aim to offer new twists on a Greek myth. But when it comes to their heroine, they only go so far.
4 Operas in 48 Hours: A Critic’s Marathon at the Met
Amid the virus surge, the company is performing “Rigoletto,” “Le Nozze di Figaro,” “Tosca” and “La Bohème” in close succession.
‘Rigoletto’ at the Met Unites a Father and Daughter. Again.
Quinn Kelsey and Rosa Feola have earned raves playing a jester and his child in a new production of Verdi’s opera.
5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Mezzo-Sopranos
Listen to the warm, rich sound of Marilyn Horne, Janet Baker, Grace Bumbry and more.
12 Things Our Critics Are Looking Forward to in 2022
‘Better Call Saul’ returns, Cecily Strong stars in a one-woman show, and Faith Ringgold gets an overdue retrospective.
5 Classical Music Albums to Hear Right Now
Music by Liza Lim and Pamela Z, albums of Vivaldi and Walter Piston and work from a classic conductor are some recent recording highlights.
The Met Opera Spirits ‘Rigoletto’ to ‘Babylon Berlin’
As the Omicron variant looms, Bartlett Sher’s production of Verdi’s classic is set to open on New Year’s Eve.
Met Opera Finds a New Generation of Fans
Drawn by cheaper tickets and a sense of glamour, New Yorkers in their 20s and 30s are making their way to the Met this season, many of them for the first time.
Arts Groups Bet Big on Holiday Programming. Will Children Come?
Children 5 and over must now have proof of vaccination to see shows and visit museums. As Covid-19 surges, arts organizations are trying to welcome their youngest audience members safely.
Broadway Is Canceling Shows Due to Positive Covid Tests
Broadway, where cancellations were once vanishingly rare, has seen a raft of them as positive coronavirus tests among cast and crew members have upended productions.
Met Opera to Mandate Booster Shots for Staff and Audiences
It is the first major performing arts institution to require boosters, as concern mounts over rising coronavirus cases and the spread of the Omicron variant. The rule will take effect Jan. 17.
The 25 Best Classical Music Tracks of 2021
Classics by Bach, Mozart and Brahms and new works by Andy Akiho, Angélica Negrón and Tyshawn Sorey were among our favorite recordings this year.
Rolando Villazón Returns to the Met Opera in Mozart’s “Magic Flute”
Rolando Villazón, a onetime star plagued by vocal issues, is returning to the house after eight years for “The Magic Flute.”
‘The Snowy Day,’ a Children’s Classic, Becomes an Opera
Based on the popular 1962 children’s book, the show aims to celebrate Blackness and attract new audiences to the art form.
Best Classical Music of 2021
The Metropolitan Opera returned with its first work by a Black composer, the repertory slowly got richer, and other highlights of the year.
At 80, Robert Wilson Holds On to a Singular Vision for the Stage
Slowed but not stopped by the pandemic, Wilson has had a busy fall that continues with his production of “Turandot” at the Paris Opera.
Covid Restrictions Are Back at Some of Europe’s Theaters
Strict controls on playhouses and music venues are returning as the continent deals with a new coronavirus wave.
‘I Savor Everything’: A Soprano’s Star Turn at the Met Opera
Erin Morley, a fixture at the Met for over a decade, is now singing the title role in “Eurydice.”