Archive: opera
Bleak "House" at the Met
Thoughts on the Metropolitan Opera's "From the House of the Dead."
By Anne Midgette | November 20, 2009; 11:00 AM ET | Comments (9)
Monday notes
Norman Lebrecht leads a Web debate on the durability of contemporary composers; the Minnesota Opera revives "Casanova's Homecoming"; final notes on the NEA Opera Honors.
By Anne Midgette | November 16, 2009; 09:34 AM ET | Comments (5)
National Opera Week
The first National Opera Week begins today; some other free opera-related events this weekend.
By Anne Midgette | November 13, 2009; 06:30 AM ET | Comments (2)
Voices in the crowd
NPR's project about 50 great voices spurs thoughts of a top-ten list of greatest voices in opera.
By Anne Midgette | November 4, 2009; 12:22 PM ET | Comments (5)
Halloween planner
Music events in Washington on Halloween night: InCite, InSeries, and Elizabeth Joy Roe
By Anne Midgette | October 30, 2009; 12:10 PM ET | Comments (2)
News and notes
News roundup: the National Symphony announces four new players; composer Lera Auerbach loses her apartment to fire; Sondra Radvanovsky breaks a toe, and sprains an ankle, and tears a ligament for opening night.
By Anne Midgette | October 29, 2009; 06:36 AM ET | Comments (1)
Weekend roundup, opera version
Notes from the past weekend: the Winspear Opera House opens; Placido Domingo is Boccanegra in Berlin.
By Anne Midgette | October 26, 2009; 04:37 PM ET | Comments (0)
Ariadne in Washington
"Ariadne auf Naxos" opens in Washington this weekend: video previews of this Chris Alexander production and of a Robert Carsen production from Munich/Berlin. Post your own thoughts.
By Anne Midgette | October 23, 2009; 04:06 PM ET | Comments (5)
Coming out of Haydn
An unpublished symphony by Haydn gets a rare hearing from a community and student orchestra in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Plus: a preview of a few upcoming weekend events.
By Anne Midgette | October 23, 2009; 07:01 AM ET | Comments (1)
Go for baroque
Two different programs of French baroque opera are taking place tonight.
By Anne Midgette | October 19, 2009; 06:30 AM ET | Comments (1)
Costumes For a Song
A plug for the Washington National Opera's costume sale this weekend.
By Anne Midgette | October 16, 2009; 06:38 AM ET | Comments (1)
WNO's "Falstaff," part II
"Falstaff" review coverage, part II: what was your take?
By Anne Midgette | October 13, 2009; 06:30 AM ET | Comments (7)
In Performance: WNO's "Falstaff"
A link to my review of "Falstaff" at the Washington National Opera, which will run in Tuesday's paper.
By Anne Midgette | October 12, 2009; 11:55 AM ET | Comments (0)
Opera for Charm City
In the wake of the Baltimore Opera's demise, Baltimore continues to produce new opera companies at an amazing rate. It's open to question how many of them will stay afloat, but it's a nice testimony to people's love for opera.
By Anne Midgette | September 30, 2009; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (7)
The Myth of Park and Bark
My pet peeve: can we retire the new canard that old-style singers couldn't act?
By Anne Midgette | September 29, 2009; 10:00 AM ET | Comments (9)
Tosca and Regie
More thoughts on Luc Bondy's "Tosca," and so-called fidelity to the score.
By Anne Midgette | September 22, 2009; 04:48 PM ET | Comments (2)
Met "Tosca" Opens to Boos
Links to a review of the Metropolitan Opera's new "Tosca" in today's Washington Post, plus other takes from other critics. The Cliff's Notes version: nobody liked it.
By Anne Midgette | September 22, 2009; 05:41 AM ET | Comments (1)
Weekend Roundup, in brief
Events from the weekend: Philip Glass's latest opera premiered in Linz; the Philadelphia Orchestra's financial woes; the death of the composer Leon Kirchner.
By Anne Midgette | September 21, 2009; 10:00 AM ET | Comments (2)
Resistance is Futile
In honor of Saturday night's season opener at Washington National Opera, a look at four tenors (including Lawrence Brownlee, who will do it at WNO) taking on Almaviva's fiendishly difficult final aria from "Il barbiere di Siviglia." Your thoughts?
By Anne Midgette | September 11, 2009; 06:30 AM ET | Comments (0)
Amazing Grace
Grace Bumbry is one of the Kennedy Center honorees for 2009.
By Anne Midgette | September 9, 2009; 10:46 AM ET | Comments (4)
In Performance: Tweet Melodies at ROH
A (belated) link to Karla Adam's review of the Twitter opera at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden.
By Anne Midgette | September 9, 2009; 05:22 AM ET | Comments (0)
Shanghai I Shall Adore
A fascinating-sounding Chinese co-production of Handel's "Semele" opens tonight in Brussels before going on to be the first-ever Baroque opera performed in China.
By Anne Midgette | September 8, 2009; 07:28 AM ET | Comments (0)
An Opera Primer, Continued
More on first-time opera-goers: the recent discussion about opera newbies and recommendations brings up a sociologist's paper from this spring about how people actually fall in love with opera.
By Anne Midgette | September 4, 2009; 10:30 AM ET | Comments (12)
An Opera Primer
What would your advice be to someone who wants to start out learning about opera?
By Anne Midgette | September 1, 2009; 06:30 AM ET | Comments (24)
Sternumstrahlet
Hildegard Behrens has died.
By Anne Midgette | August 19, 2009; 05:38 AM ET | Comments (0)
Opera as Drivel
"The Letter" raised the question from a friend about how important the content, or libretto, of an opera is to the finished product. (Hint: It's the music.)
By Anne Midgette | August 13, 2009; 06:36 AM ET | Comments (30)
DC News/Olds
Heinz Fricke pulls out of "Ariadne" and "Götterdämmerung" at the Washington National Opera this fall; the Sonic Circuits Festival (September) announces its program, showing another side of contemporary music in Washington.
By Anne Midgette | August 12, 2009; 06:30 AM ET | Comments (2)
The Russians Are Coming
Russian singers sweep Domingo's Operalia competition this past weekend; a Russian was also this year's Cardiff Singer of the World. These competitions don't always mean much, but I do remain partial to elements of the traditional Russian style.
By Anne Midgette | August 7, 2009; 06:30 AM ET | Comments (1)
Estival Festivals: V. Salzburg
The Salzburg Festival opened last weekend; today, it offers a live broadcast (via the Web) of its new "Cosi fan tutte," which will remain up for 7 more days.
By Anne Midgette | July 30, 2009; 12:10 PM ET | Comments (0)
Bay(reuth)watch
The Bayreuth Festival manages to open on schedule with an old "Tristan" and a new children's version of "Flying Dutchman." See it live on the Internet -- for a price -- on August 9.
By Anne Midgette | July 28, 2009; 06:30 AM ET | Comments (1)
Estival Festivals: IV. Santa Fe
Links to my review of the Santa Fe opera and Mark J. Estren's review of Monteverdi's "Ritorno d'Ulisse" at Wolf Trap. Plus a question: what makes people jettison their usual standards of drama when it comes to opera?
By Anne Midgette | July 27, 2009; 06:32 AM ET | Comments (7)
Marvelous Marta
A salute to the wonderful Marta Eggerth (with YouTube video of her at the young age of 80).
By Anne Midgette | July 23, 2009; 06:30 AM ET | Comments (0)
Estival Festivals: III. Baden-Baden
Anna Netrebko and Tchaikovsky's "Iolanthe" in Baden-Baden draw warm praise from one German critic.
By Anne Midgette | July 20, 2009; 06:49 AM ET | Comments (0)
Che Sera, Serail
On the anniversary of the world premiere of Mozart's "Abduction from the Seraglio," a recording of Edda Moser shows how it should be sung.
By Anne Midgette | July 16, 2009; 06:30 AM ET | Comments (2)
In Performance: Beyond the Fringe
Belated link to yesterday's review of opera at the Capital Fringe Festival. It turns out both these pieces are products of the MM program in stage composition at Catholic University.
By Anne Midgette | July 15, 2009; 07:30 AM ET | Comments (0)
Estival Festivals: II. Views from the U.K.
Coverage of current festivals in the U.K.
By Anne Midgette | July 14, 2009; 06:30 AM ET | Comments (0)
Estival Festivals: News Break
Bayreuth's technical staff threatens to strike, negotiates today with the festival administration; and Lorin Maazel announces the Castleton Festival's dates for 2010.
By Anne Midgette | July 13, 2009; 01:00 PM ET | Comments (0)
Hi Infidelity
Soundcheck, on WNYC radio, invites me to talk about infidelity in opera. Onstage, of course.
By Anne Midgette | July 10, 2009; 01:03 PM ET | Comments (4)
Estival Festivals: I. The Munich Opera Festival
Summer Festivals: the Munich Opera Festival under Kent Nagano, and links to reviews of its new "Lohengrin" with Jonas Kaufmann.
By Anne Midgette | July 10, 2009; 06:44 AM ET | Comments (3)
Weekend Opera Briefs
Links to reviews (including mine) of "Turn of the Screw" at Lorin Maazel's new Castleton Festival. Plus: Joyce DiDonato really does break a leg on opening night.
By Anne Midgette | July 6, 2009; 08:35 AM ET | Comments (1)
Opera Returns to Baltimore
Giorgio Lalov finally announces the maiden season of his Baltimore Opera Theater with two performances; in July, Baltimore's Artscape festival offers some other local opera fare.
By Anne Midgette | July 1, 2009; 10:30 AM ET | Comments (0)
In Performance: Wolf Trap Opera opens, NOI concludes
A link to today's review of "Così fan tutte" at Wolf Trap Opera; Joan Reinthaler reviews the final concert of the National Orchstral Institute (NOI).
By Anne Midgette | June 29, 2009; 10:44 AM ET | Comments (3)
To Dai For: More on the Chinese Tenor
Some of the back story on today's Washington Post story on Dai Yuqiang, the tenor who was to become the next Pavarotti, and didn't.
By Anne Midgette | June 28, 2009; 12:20 PM ET | Comments (0)
DC's Opera for the Young
The Washington National Opera holds its annual summer institute for teenaged opera hopefuls.
By Anne Midgette | June 23, 2009; 06:30 AM ET | Comments (3)
Of Ghosts and Men
A new, scaled-down version of John Corigliano's opera "The Ghosts of Versailles" opens tonight in St. Louis. Why has this work, remembered as successful, had so few subsequent performances?
By Anne Midgette | June 17, 2009; 06:30 AM ET | Comments (18)
Young Audiences: Obscure Object of Desire
I don't think classical music needs to reach out to a new young audience. I think classical music needs to reach out to a new audience, period.
By Anne Midgette | June 4, 2009; 06:30 AM ET | Comments (32)
Opera and the Young, Redux
Yet another contest designed to reach young audiences (good luck with that) manages to capture at least one fresh young outlook - in my opinion.
By Anne Midgette | June 3, 2009; 07:41 AM ET | Comments (1)
Opera: Young at Art
Why Rupert Christensen is wrong: opera is made for teenagers. As long as it doesn't talk down to them.
By Anne Midgette | May 28, 2009; 06:30 AM ET | Comments (16)
The End of Turandot
Franco Alfano: is the composer who finished Puccini's "Turandot" underappreciated, or justly forgotten?
By Anne Midgette | May 22, 2009; 03:04 PM ET | Comments (1)
#operaplot Delivers to DC Teacher
The #operaplot contest on Twitter has a surprise happy ending for a Washington, DC music teacher.
By Anne Midgette | May 20, 2009; 08:05 AM ET | Comments (0)
Questions of Endowment
For the record: the New York City Opera's press spokesman wrote to Musical America to correct the Bloomberg News story about the company's ongoing woes previously cited on this blog. Pascal Nadon took issue with "a Bloomberg commentary by Zinta...
By Anne Midgette | May 4, 2009; 05:21 PM ET | Comments (0)
Countdown to Siegfried: 1, Liftoff
"Siegfried" opens tonight at the Washington National Opera: post your reviews here.
By Anne Midgette | May 2, 2009; 12:00 PM ET | Comments (4)
Blythe Spirits: Washington Weekend in Voice
Upcoming weekend concerts in Washington: Stephanie Blythe, Placido Domingo, et al.
By Anne Midgette | May 1, 2009; 02:06 PM ET | Comments (0)
For the Record: Met Opera Broadcasts On-Line
Previewing the Met Player (free this weekend); some thoughts on Heifetz.
By Anne Midgette | May 1, 2009; 01:25 PM ET | Comments (5)
Countdown to Siegfried: 2...
Thoughts from four stage directors on Wagner's "Siegfried." Achim Freyer: "Siegfried" is the most difficult. It is also the most beloved."
By Anne Midgette | May 1, 2009; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (1)
Countdown to Siegfried: 3...
Four stage directors air their views on the length of Wagner's "Ring."
By Anne Midgette | April 30, 2009; 06:35 AM ET | Comments (6)
Baltimore, redux
Baltimore gets Turandot for a night; the BSO musicians donate to the orchestra.
By Anne Midgette | April 29, 2009; 11:22 AM ET | Comments (0)
Opera Notes: New Opera for Baltimore?
Since the demise of the Baltimore Opera, other companies have been springing up to fill the gap. Now, Giorgio Lalov, who has for 20+ years run the touring outfit Teatro Lirico d'Europa, is attempting to create a permanent home for cut-rate opera in Baltimore.
By Anne Midgette | April 28, 2009; 06:30 AM ET | Comments (3)
Opera News
Lewis Spratlan's 30-year-old, Pulitzer-Prize-winning opera will finally get its world premiere in 2010; Bloomberg News skewers New York City Opera; the Royal Opera House announces its 2009-10 season.
By Anne Midgette | April 22, 2009; 11:30 AM ET | Comments (3)
Opera Direction, Revisited
On Sunday, I wrote a piece about four different directors’ views of the Ring. That piece represents the merest tip of the iceberg of four notably stimulating conversations, and I plan to continue to reveal a bit more of the iceberg on this blog in the days ahead.
By Anne Midgette | April 22, 2009; 06:30 AM ET | Comments (3)
Film: "The Audition"
The Metropolitan Opera's film "The Audition," showing in theaters on Sunday, will make you love the young singers, but doesn't reveal as much as it could.
By Anne Midgette | April 18, 2009; 11:20 AM ET | Comments (3)
Opera: Lack of Direction?
One of the great barriers between opera stage directors and audience is simple fear: audiences don't know why the director is doing such strange things to the piece, The simplest way to approach this topic is to look at what opera directors actually do and ask them why they do it.
By Anne Midgette | April 17, 2009; 06:30 AM ET | Comments (17)
"Grimes" Has People Exercised
"Peter Grimes" is one of the best things I've seen at the Washington National Opera. But I'm curious about the fact that some people still really hate this opera.
By Anne Midgette | April 3, 2009; 06:04 AM ET | Comments (24)
News, Notes, and the NYCO
The New York City announced its 2009-10 season last night. The real news is that the company has a season to announce.
By Anne Midgette | April 2, 2009; 05:10 AM ET | Comments (2)
Opera (Debate) and Drama: Lebrecht, Wagner and Me
Last week, I went on the radio to argue about Wagner with Norman Lebrecht. Do you think that a composer's personality and non-musical beliefs are always a factor in the way we apprehend his art?
By Anne Midgette | March 30, 2009; 09:20 PM ET | Comments (21)
The Plot Twitters
This past weekend's internet fad: opera goes viral.
By Anne Midgette | March 30, 2009; 03:00 PM ET | Comments (6)
