In S.F. Opera’s sumptuous ‘Faust,’ John Relyea dominates as Mephistopheles

http://www.mercurynews.com/music/ci_15246643

Jurgita Adamonytė: An Interview

‘Focussed and pure of tone’, ‘beautifully steady’,
‘pure clarity and note perfection’ — just some of the
accolades bestowed on the Lithuanian mezzo soprano Jurgita Adamonytė for
her recent performances of Mozart.

First Opera in 3D — Carmen, Royal Opera House

Everyone knows the tunes from Bizet’s Carmen even if they don’t know it’s an opera. Now the Royal Opera House, London, is making the world’s best known opera into the world’s first 3D opera film.

Tchaikowsky Trilogy in Lyon

In Europe only a few theater stage directors are operatically more famous than Peter Stein (pronounced Pay-tear), to mention Sir Peter Hall, Patrice Chereau and Giorgio Strehler as examples.

Tosca, ENO

Seeing Tosca at the Coliseum brings back happy memories, as it was a
performance of Tosca (in a revival of the Keith Warner production in the 1990s) which occasioned my very first trip to the ENO. That also happens to have been
the first time I ever saw Tosca.

Capriccio/Tosca, Grange Park, Hampshire; Armida, Garsington Opera, Oxfordshire

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/a737986a-7180-11df-8eec-00144feabdc0.html

Bostridge and Pappano at Wigmore Hall

Bringing their recent recording of Schubert’s late songs to the concert stage, Ian Bostridge and Antonio Pappano swept through a sequence which ranged from bitter-sweet regret to angry self-reproach, from hesitant hope to turbulent despair, in this the second of two performances at the Wigmore Hall.

Lulu, New York

Alban Berg died in 1935, but his music was generations ahead of his time
– as one could not help but conclude during the recent revival of
Lulu at the Met whenever the vibraphone played “doorbell”
music, reminding us of the intrusion of cell phones into theaters.

RenÈe Fleming — opera, pop and snobbery (and music samples)

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2010/06/opera-singer-renee-fleming-goes-pop.html

Aris Argiris debuts as Escamillo in the Royal Opera House’s Carmen

Aris Argiris makes his debut at Covent Garden as Escamillo in Bizet’s Carmen. But this is unusually high-profile because it’s a first, being filmed in 3D.