Amsterdam’s Invisible, Risible Kitezh

A breath-taking stage picture at curtain rise of Netherlands Opera’s The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevronia indeed made us involuntarily gasp as one.

The Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition: Showcase Concert

Inaugurated in 1995, the Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition is a triennial competition, held in the National Concert Hall in Dublin, which takes place over a week in January.

Berlioz’s RomÈo et Juliette — Opera with few words

Mark Elder and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment brought Berlioz’s RomÈo et Juliette to the Royal Festrival Hall.

La Traviata, NYCO

In his memoirs, Five Thousand Nights at the Opera, Sir Rudolph Bing, general manager of the Met from 1950 to 1972, discusses the Met’s move from 39th street to its current home at Lincoln Center.

Erwin Schrott’s Don Giovanni, ROH

Erwin Schrott triumphed as Don Giovanni in the Mozart/da Ponte series at the Royal Opera House, overcoming the limitations of the staging.

Don Pasquale at the ThÈ‚tre des Champs ElysÈes

Critics. Can you get along without us? It is possible to reflect on this when the production of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale is shown on television tonight.

The Charterhouse of Parma in Marseille

Henri Sauguet is not entirely unknown in opera circles — divas Regine Crespin, Felicity Lott, Nathalie Dessay and Leontyne Price have included his arias in their solo albums. Plus there is a recording of his 1954 opera-comique Les Caprices de Marianne.

Verdi’s Aida at Lyric Opera, Chicago

In its current revival of Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida Lyric Opera of Chicago approaches the challenges of the ambitious score with a cast well suited to the music and to the drama.

The Barber of Seville, Metropolitan Opera

It was a performance of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville in the late 90’s that marked my first visit to the Met.

Le nozze di Figaro, Royal Opera

David McVicar’s production of The Marriage of Figaro, previously staged in 2006 (twice),