Puccini’s Familiar Tale, but Peering Into the Dark Future

By Jeremy Eichler [NY Times, 11 October 2005]
An adventurous fall is under way at the New York City Opera, with new productions of seldom-heard works like Paul Dukas’s “Ariane et Barbe-bleue” and, later this month, Richard Rodney Bennett’s “Mines of Sulphur.” But as is the case with the major classical record labels, risk-taking is typically balanced by a steady stream of dependable staples. In that spirit, “Tosca” returned on Sunday afternoon, with John DeMain conducting and Carla Thelen Hanson making her company debut in the title role.