THE HANGOVER REPORT – THE MET ORCHESTRA returns to Carnegie Hall with the sublime orchestral colors of an all-Strauss bill

The Metropolitan Opera’s 2024/2025 season may have officially concluded over at Lincoln Center, but the Met Orchestra continues on with a pair of June performances at Carnegie Hall. The first … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – John Adams’ operatic adaptation of ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA faithfully channels Shakespeare but makes for unfocused opera

This week at the Metropolitan Opera, I finally caught up with John Adams’ operatic adaptation of Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra. Adams’ new two act opera follows in the footsteps of … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Heartbeat Opera brings intimacy, contemporary flourish, and stylish noir to Gounod’s FAUST

As one of the grandest of grand operas, it would seem that Charles Gounod’s Faust — based on the well-trodden legend about a man who sells his soul to the … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Elza van den Heever rivets in the title role of Claus Guth’s stylized new production of SALOME for the Met

Richard Strauss’s opera Salome, along with the composer’s equally memorable Elektra, represent some of the most striking music dramas you’ll find on the operatic repertoire. Based on Oscar Wilde’s scandalous play about … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Classical Music Roundup: Reveling in the riches of the BSO sound and re-assessing the Met’s production of DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE

In recent days, I had the chance to take in a few notable opera and classical music performances at some of the city’s most prestigious venues. As per usual, read … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Soprano Lise Davidsen and conductor Susanna Mälkki gorgeously lead Bethoven’s FIDELIO

Certainly one of the highlights of the Metropolitan Opera’s 2024/2025 season thus far is the current revival of Beethoven’s Fidelio (for the record, my other highlights of the Met season … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Jake Heggie‘s distilled operatic adaptation of MOBY-DICK powerfully launches the Met’s spring season

Last night marked the opening of the Metropolitan Opera’s new production of Moby-Dick — Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s powerful adaptation of Herman Melville’s iconic literary work — launching the … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Opera as downtown theater: Heartbeat Opera’s intimately scaled SALOME is an in-your-face thriller

This past holiday weekend, I also had the opportunity to catch the final performance of Heartbeat Opera’s compact version of Salome. Based on Oscar Wilde’s 1891 play of the same … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – MasterVoices’ well-judged presentation of BLIND INJUSTICE powerfully makes its point

Earlier this week at the Rose Theater at Jazz Lincoln Center, I attended the first of only two performances of composer Scott Davenport Richards and librettist David Cote’s opera Blind … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Paola Prestini and Magos Herrera’s immersive processional opera PRIMERO SUEÑO is a transfixing marriage of music and setting

On Sunday night, I attended the final performance of Paola Prestini and Magos Herrera’s new opera Primero Sueño at The Met Cloisters. Essentially, the opera is presented as a fever … Continue Reading →