THE HANGOVER REPORT – A fresh, young secondary cast of THE MAGIC FLUTE injects life into the Met’s holiday presentation of the Mozart favorite

Fantastical spectacle aside, Mozart’s The Magic Flute is a strange opera for family holiday consumption — which is exactly how the Metropolitan Opera has marketed and programmed the popular singspiel. … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – A new holiday tradition: John Adams’ powerfully distilled EL NIÑO: NATIVITY RECONSIDERED is accessible yet revisionist

Last night at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, I attended my third Christnastime oratorio, John Adams and Peter Sellars’ El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered (you can read my joint review … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The Met’s traditional staging of Wagner’s TÄNNHAUSER returns in a musically sublime revival

Earlier this week, I caught up with the Metropolitan Opera’s current revival of Richard Wagner’s Tannhäuser. Written in 1845, the opera is a transitional work that appealingly straddles traditional grand … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – South American Magic Realism at Lincoln Center: FLORENCIA EN EL AMAZONAS at The Met and THE GARDENS OF ANUNCIA at LCT

Before the winter doldrums set in, you’ll be able to bask in some tropical South American weather and fragrant magical realism wafting from two of the stages at Lincoln Center. … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Anthony Davis’s fascinating X: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MALCOLM X makes its belated premiere at the Metropolitan Opera

This fall, Anthony Davis’s X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X made its long-awaited debut at the Metropolitan Opera (the production is a co-presentation with Detroit Opera, Lyric Opera … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – A contemplative theatrical fusion: WATCH NIGHT embraces opera, poetry, and dance to create a timely tapestry

Last night, I made my way to the brand new Perelman Performing Arts Center — also known simply as PAC NYC — to catch one of its inaugural commissions Watch Night. … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Laurie Anderson’s upbeat LET X = X and Gregory Maqoma’s transcendent BROKEN CHORD kick off BAM’S Next Wave 2023 with a bang

This week, the 2023 version of the Brooklyn Academy of Music‘s Next Wave Festival kicked off with a bang with a pair of memorable offerings (see below for my further … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – More than two decades onwards, Heggie and McNally’s DEAD MAN WALKING arrives at the Met in a new, clear-eyed staging

This week, I was also able to catch up with the Metropolitan Opera’s new production of Dead Man Walking, American composer Jake Heggie and the late playwright Terrence McNally’s opera adaptation … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Jonas Kaufmann gives a haunted performance in DOPPELGANGER, Claus Guth’s immersive staging of Schubert’s “Schwanengesang”

This weekend at the massive drill hall at the Park Avenue Armory, I was able to attend the opening night performance of Doppelganger, Claus Guth’s staged presentation of Schubert’s “Schwanengesang”, … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Fall season teasers at Lincoln Center: Extraordinary soprano LISE DAVIDSEN at the Met and the NY PHILHARMONIC accompanies “West Side Story”

This past week, two of Lincoln Center’s major music constituents – the Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic (City Ballet’s season commences next week) – teased audiences of what’s … Continue Reading →