Mozart was reputedly more attached to this musical drama of hubris and honour set during the Trojan War than to any other of his stage works.
Category: Reviews
Anne Schwanewilms in Recital at Wigmore Hall
This recital was the last in a series of five put together by Roger Vignoles
to celebrate the lieder of Richard Strauss — a series which, comprising
85 of Strauss’ songs, has highlighted the composer’s role as heir
to the nineteenth-century German lieder masters and reminded us of the
ravishing beauty and varied emotional range of these unjustly neglected
songs.
Night Music Magic ‘n’ More in St. Louis
With Opera Theatre of St. Louis’ stunning A Little Night
Music, at long last we have been treated to a multi-faceted production
that not only equals, but in many ways surpasses the dazzling original.
Der Ring des Nibelungen in Los Angeles
$32,000,000, and it would have been a bargain at $50,000,000. Los Angeles Opera went for broke, and it paid off with a Ring that has raised the worldwide Ring bar to a dizzying height.
Orpheus & Euridice at Long Beach Opera
Early Greek writings say that Orpheus was the son of the muse Calliope and either Apollo, the god of prophecy and music or Oeagrus, the river god.
Revivals Sparkle in the City of Lights
Paris OpÈra recently served up two past productions in vibrant performances that were fresh-as-new.
Valencia Ring: Gˆtterd‰mmerung
Recorded in May and June 2008, this new Unitel Classica Blu-Ray disc of Gˆtterd‰mmerung is the final opera in the staging of Richard Wagner’s Ring der Nibelungen staged at the Palau de les Arts “Reina Sofia”, Valencia, by La Fura dels Baus, Valencia, conducted by Zubin Mehta, and directed by Carlus Padrissa.
Verdi’s Falstaff at The Metropolitan Opera, 1992
A Franco Zeffirelli production for The Metropolitan Opera typically prompts the use of adjectives such as “grandiose,” or “gorgeous” on the positive end or “gaudy” and “gratuitous” on the negative.
Musically Astute Armida, Garsington
Garsington has become a distinctive part of the English summer opera season.
Le Grand Macabre, Avery Fisher Hall, NY
Gyˆrgy Ligeti (1923-2006) was a naughty boy, and he reveled in it.