Pushkin’s poem Eugene Onegin is the first of the great line of Russian novels, passionately loved by all the literate of that most literary nation.
Category: Reviews
Brussels’ Definitive Death
ThÈ‚tre Royal de la Monnaie / De Munt started 2009 by serving up a real New Year’s treat for the Belgian capital’s opera enthusiasts: a near-perfect staging of Benjamin Britten’s Death in Venice.
Partenope in Ferrara
The Greek princes Arsace (alto) and Armindo (alto) are seeking handsome Queen Partenope (soprano), who has just founded the city of Naples, in marriage.
Amsterdam Hercules Dazzlingly In Love
I had never personally imagined mythical Hercules as a WWF Wrestler-cum-Caveman but damn if Dutch National Opera’s staging of Francesco Cavalli’s Ercole Amante didn’t almost persuade me it could be so.
Jessye Norman — A Portrait
A sticker on the cover of the Decca DVD Jessye Norman a portrait describes the contents as “An intimate new film portrait of the great soprano.”
Orfeo ed Euridice at the MET
I am an ardent fan of Stephanie Blythe, and if you revel in sheer sound, she will delight you, too.
Pfitzner’s Palestrina at Bavarian State Opera
Writer Jens F. Laurson reports from Munich, where a new staging of Hans Pfitzner’s Palestrina opened Jan. 19 at the National Theater. The rarely-performed 1917 three-act opera stars Christopher Ventris in the title role.
RenÈ Pape: Gods, Kings & Demons
The first solo operatic recital from the great German bass RenÈ Pape bears a title that serves as an homage to an esteemed predecessor, George London.
Die Zauberflˆte from Opernhaus Z¸rich
A traditional production of Mozart and Schikaneder’s singspiel Die Zauberflˆte can go for charm, fantasy, and enjoyable camp. It can also turn trite and cloying.