During its recently concluded season Lyric Opera of Chicago presented two
musical pieces based on the theme of “Faust.”
La Damnation de Faust in Modern Guise at Lyric Opera of Chicago
In S.F. Opera’s sumptuous ‘Faust,’ John Relyea dominates as Mephistopheles
http://www.mercurynews.com/music/ci_15246643
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
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.