International

Honoring Callas At 100, Greek Opera Restages Her Signature ‘Medea’

ATHENS – The title role in Cherubini's opera is synonymous with Maria Callas, who revived the neglected work in Florence in 1953. In the Greek National Opera's new tribute production, soprano Anna Pirozzi summons both pathos and stamina.

Monteverdi’s Wandering ‘Ulisse’ Returns Home To An Updated Scene

VIENNA – The Vienna State Opera has charted new territory with a Monteverdi trilogy capped by ll ritorno d’Ulisse in patria, a production more intent on contemporary flair than mining the work's musical and dramatic substance.

‘Le Nozze’ Annulled: Mozart’s Perfect Opera Gets A Rough Makeover

VIENNA – A new production of Le Nozze di Figaro at the Vienna State Opera was billed as a vehicle for young singers ideally suited to the roles, directed by the much sought-after Barrie Kosky. The result does not live up to either promise.

Updated To Instagram, Handel’s ‘Belshazzar’ With Its Tension Intact

VIENNA – The staging at the Theater an der Wien catapults Handel's oratorio from pre-Christian times to a futuristic landscape in which water is scarce and reality television captures every move of the Babylonian king and his mother Nitrocris.

Embracing The Theater At The Heart Of Cilea’s ‘Adriana Lecouvreur’

SYDNEY – Theater about theater holds a special allure for directors and singers. Adriana Lecouvreur does not get performed often, but Opera Australia’s starry cast exuded enthusiasm for the piece in advance of their Sydney premiere.

Ligeti’s Creative Journey And Influence Retraced In Centennial Concert

VIENNA – Covering a wide range of works (one for 100 metronomes, pictured), the performance by Klangforum Wien explored the development of Ligeti's highly personal aesthetic and showed how he opened doors for later generations.

Sunning At The Beach As Earth Turns Plastic: Lyric Of An Anti-Opera

SYDNEY – Sun and Sea, a Lithuanian opera that plays out with a cast lolling on a sandy stage, offers a subtle commentary on mankind's casual neglect of the planet. Seated above the beach, the audience gets a telling view of, well, itself.

The Lure Of Barcelona’s Architecture Leads To Musical Treasure Trove

BARCELONA – On my first visit here, I was thrilled to behold Antoni Gaudí's famed buildings. But I was also captured by Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen as Giorgetta in Puccini's Il tabarro and by German violinist Isabelle Faust's stellar quartet.

Staatsoper, Volksoper, And The Reframing Of Vienna’s Opera Legacy

VIENNA – The opera landscape here, beloved by both locals and tourists for its traditionalism, is in a state of transition. New stagings of Weill's Dreigroschenoper and Wagner's Meistersinger put the wave of revisionism front and center.

An Epic End Of Days, Created For A Big Tent, In A Resonant Revival

VIENNA – Franz Schmidt's ambitious adaptation of The Book of Revelation, which foretells the end of history, was resurrected under conductor Ingo Metzmacher with the Wiener Symphoniker and Wiener Singverein, which gave the 1938 premiere.

Mahler Mashup ‘Opera’ Meets ‘Rigoletto’; Jester Wins, And It’s No Joke

VIENNA – When the Vienna State Opera presented its devoted patrons with a staged melding of Mahler's Das klagende Lied and Kindertotenlieder opposite Rigoletto, the crowds flocked to Verdi and largely ignored the song-cycle contrivance.

Hot Love, Cold Murder: La Scala’s New ‘Fedora’ Delivers Lyric Scorcher

MILAN – The Bulgarian Sonya Yoncheva, in a sumptuous and smoldering performance, joins a starry list of sopranos who've been glamorous enough to breathe life into Umberto Giordano’s widowed and wealthy Princess Fedora Romazoff.

Reveling At The Proms: Music’s Bounty Savored In A Binge Of Concerts

LONDON – Plunging into the first full Proms season since Covid closed down this venerable series in 2019, I caught 14 concerts over three weeks. Here are my impressions from diverse programs, starting with two Finnish firebrands.

Mahler Ninth In Paris: Dudamel, Opera Band Offer Restrained Drama

PARIS – For the opening concert of the Orchestre de l'Opéra National de Paris 2022-2023 season Sept. 16 at the Philharmonie, music director Gustavo Dudamel delivered a Ninth that was without histrionics or romantic indulgences.

Luisi Parlays Strauss Into Dazzling Start As NHK Symphony Chief

TOKYO – The anticipation was palpable at NHK Hall, a stellar concert facility in the Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai broadcast complex. With an all-Strauss program (Don Juan, the Oboe Concerto, Der Rosenkavalier Suite), Fabio Luisi delivered.

A Celebrated Festival Embraces Diversity. And A Star Pianist Demurs

LUCERNE – The buzz of diversity that rules this year's Lucerne Festival is evident in wide-ranging musical idioms and roots. Pianist András Schiff, reaffirming his commitment to the Western canon, said he had no time for the "second rate."

Celebrating Beethoven, Late But Gloriously, In Norwegian Countryside

ROSENDAL, Norway – Amid a grand spectacle of mountains, meadows, and rushing streams, the 2022 Rosendal Chamber Music Festival, led by pianist Leif Ove Andsnes, offered a pandemic-deferred four days of Beethoven at 250-plus.

Muti’s Friendship Series Capped With Concert In Tribute To Ukrainians

LORETO, Italy – The performance here was the final stop on this year’s “Roads of Friendship,” an initiative of Riccardo Muti and the Ravenna Festival to build cultural links to cities affected by war. The Ukrainian National Opera Chorus sang.

Global Issues, Diverse Perspectives Set Edge On 75th Holland Fest

AMSTERDAM – The 75th-anniversary Holland Festival, directed by Emily Ansenk, vibrated with issues of the day­ and acted as a compass for the creative currents at play across Europe. The emotional peak was Tunde Jegede's kora solos.

‘Rheingold’ In Zurich, Or Wagner Does Hollywood (Jean Harlow Sighting)

ZURICH – There are no splashing Rhinemaidens (they cavort with Alberich on a bed) in Andreas Homoki’s Das Rheingold for Zurich Opera. Loge channels Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow, and Mime springs from the Three Stooges.
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