Singingscholar

LATEST ARTICLES ( 293 )

• Godiam, Godiam: Richard Tucker Gala 2012

  No small part of the Richard Tucker Gala's charm lies in its oddities and incongruities. An endearingly informal introduction embraces the audience as an... Read more

  Posted on 12 November 2012 CULTURE, THEATRE & OPERA

• Per Sistema Infedeli, Per Genio Capricciosi: Le Nozze Di Figaro

  

  It turns out that a sublime "Contessa, perdono" covers a multitude of sins. But the slipshod slapstick dominating this revival of Le Nozze at the Met has much t... Read more

  Posted on 10 November 2012 CULTURE, THEATRE & OPERA

• When the Night Wind Howls: Opera's Wraiths and Revenants

  Having been raised on Grimm's fairy tales, I find that wishing "happy Hallowe'en" feels like tempting whatever might be listening to come down the chimney and... Read more

  Posted on 31 October 2012 CULTURE, THEATRE & OPERA

• Bene! Bravi! Benedetti! Olivo e Pasquale at Amore Opera

  

  Amore Opera's cousins What's the best way to spend your last hours out and about before an advancing hurricane shuts down the NYC transit system? Attending a... Read more

  Posted on 29 October 2012 CULTURE, THEATRE & OPERA

• Casa Buona: Don Pasquale at Amore Opera

  

  Donizetti's Don Pasquale is, like its protagonists, impish but goodhearted. Paired with the composer's lesser-known Olivo and Pasquale, the effervescent comedy... Read more

  Posted on 27 October 2012 CULTURE, THEATRE & OPERA

• Something Rich and Strange: Adès' Tempest at the Met

  

  Opening of the Tempest Photo (c) Met Opera/Ken Howard In the mythical, mystical world of Thomas Adès' Tempest, there are rich aural experiences associated with... Read more

  Posted on 24 October 2012 CULTURE, THEATRE & OPERA

• Happy 100th! Celebrating Solti with the World Orchestra for Peace

  

  Friday night at Carnegie Hall featured an all-star lineup in the imposingly named Solti Centennial Celebration, with commentary by Lady Valerie Solti, a note... Read more

  Posted on 20 October 2012 CULTURE, THEATRE & OPERA

• Wagner and Strauss with the Met Orchestra: Sausendes, Brausendes Rad Der Zeit

  

  Der Saengerkreis, Moritz von Schwind (c. 1845-55)The Met Orchestra's generous matinee concert at Carnegie Hall could have been (cheekily) subtitled "A Shor... Read more

  Posted on 15 October 2012 CULTURE, THEATRE & OPERA

• Il Trovatore: Dolci S'udiro e Flebili Gli Accordi

  

  Thursday night's Trovatore revival found the Met's forces in reassuringly fine form: under Daniele Callegari, the orchestra played with passion and precision,... Read more

  Posted on 05 October 2012 CULTURE, THEATRE & OPERA

• Orientale: Orientalism Goes Meta with Monteverdi

  

  Gotham Chamber Opera's advertisement of "an evening of music at the intersection of East and West" had me concerned as well as intrigued. Who would be... Read more

  Posted on 02 October 2012 CULTURE, THEATRE & OPERA

• È Bordo, Non Elisir

  Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore is a charming opera: it is coherently and elegantly constructed; it is witty and winsome; its comedic scenarios are laced with a... Read more

  Posted on 26 September 2012 CULTURE, THEATRE & OPERA

• And What Sort of Story Shall We Hear? Einstein on the Beach

  

  "There are no extra notes in the music; there are no notes that don't belong. There are only the notes that I need." --Philip Glass (Writings on... Read more

  Posted on 15 September 2012 CULTURE, THEATRE & OPERA

• Ah Che Piatto Saporito! Eating Near Lincoln Center

  

  Trifle in a big bowl! The happy diners of Albert Herring I’ve been asked often enough for recommendations of dining establishments to visit before or after an... Read more

  Posted on 31 August 2012 CULTURE, THEATRE & OPERA

• La Divina Discounted, and Other News

  I have a collection of late summer miscellany for you, Gentle Readers! The first piece of news you may already know, but it's good enough that I feel justified... Read more

  Posted on 23 August 2012 CULTURE, THEATRE & OPERA

• From Bach to Broken Branches at Mostly Mozart

  

  I loved the performance at the Mostly Mozart Festival I attended last night, not just because it allowed me to bask in a perfect late summer evening and... Read more

  Posted on 22 August 2012 CULTURE, THEATRE & OPERA

• On Ne Meurt Pas Chacun Pour Soi: Dialogues Des Carmelites

  

  Ensemble, Act II. Photo (c) Dell'Arte OperaFrancis Poulenc's Dialogues of the Carmelites is a work that I love: its structure is (to me) something of a marvel,... Read more

  Posted on 19 August 2012 CULTURE, THEATRE & OPERA

• Viva La Liberta: Don Giovanni at the ROH

  

  Keenlyside as Don Giovanni.Photo (c) Catherine Ashmore I confess I approached the DVD of Francesca Zambello's Don Giovanni for Covent Garden with some... Read more

  Posted on 14 August 2012 CULTURE, THEATRE & OPERA

• Son Noto Nell'universo: Elisir d'Amore on DVD

  

  Adina and Nemorino (Ekaterina Siurina, Peter Auty) at Glyndebourne I confess, Gentle Readers, to suffering from late-summer doldrums. Read more

  Posted on 06 August 2012 CULTURE, THEATRE & OPERA

• Reading List: Parsifal

  

  I discovered Jim Krusoe's Parsifal serendipitously, while browsing along the shelves of the local library. Intrigued by the title, I picked it up; having... Read more

  Posted on 01 August 2012 BOOKS, CULTURE, THEATRE & OPERA

• All Aboard the Bard Bus: Opera Road Trip Snapshots

  

  Rarely have I been as excited about the prospect of a bus ride as I was on Friday. True, like most buses, the one pictured on the left was excessively... Read more

  Posted on 30 July 2012 CULTURE, THEATRE & OPERA