La Fanciulla del West is Puccini’s love letter to an America that had acclaimed him joyously on his triumphant visit of 1907 to attend the Met premieres of Manon Lescaut and Madama Butterfly.
Year: 2010
Karlsruhe Tosca: Guns ‘n’ Jesus
Badisches Staastheater’s production of Tosca starts off with a bang.
Il Postino: You’ve got mail
http://likelyimpossibilities.blogspot.com/2010/12/il-postino-youve-got-mail.html
Paris: ‘Maler’ or ‘Malheur’?
No one could accuse the Paris Opera of pinching pennies (or Euro cents) in their lavishly expansive (and expensive) staging of Hindemith’s Mathis der Maler.
Wagner Tannh‰user: Royal Opera House, London
The Royal Opera House itself is the star of this new production of Richard Wagner Tannh‰user. An intriguing twist on an opera that pits orgiastic excess against purity, pleasure against morality.
Met’s stirring ‘Don Carlo’ a production that should last the next 30 years
http://blog.cnycafemomus.com/2010/12/13/dec-11-met-opera-simulcast-don-carlo.aspx
Johann Adolph Hasse: Antonio e Cleopatra
Johann Adolph Hasse (1699-1783) was arguably the most successful opera composer of the 18th century. Together with his favourite librettist, Pietro Metastasio, Hasse defined the genre of opera seria for an entire generation.
Don Giovanni: Love in a boring climate
http://likelyimpossibilities.blogspot.com/2010/12/don-giovanni.html
La BohËme, New York
Perhaps the most unexpected occurrence of the evening was the malfunction of the Act I-Act II set change.