Round 2
Die Walküre, Metropolitan Opera, 4/11/09
Opera
Lords of The Ring
"Life is travel and change. Such pleasures I cannot give up." (Wotan, Das Rheingold, Scene 2) I don't get chills much at music events anymore, but when the Met Orchestra
Der Ring
Five years ago, my friend Pat and I paid $140 each for the privilege of seeing Wagner's Ring at the Met. From standing room. For those unfamiliar, that's about 20
Song Play
Singspiel ("Song-play") – a style of opera that combines music with spoken text – has been around for nearly three centuries. Think: Mozart's Magic Flute and Beethoven's Fidelio. Singspiel is designed
Tough Times
It's not the happiest of times in the rarefied world of big-time music, as these recent announcements can attest. Ticket sales are down, endowments are shrinking, donations are way off.
Opera Dance
The East Village Opera Company, which amplifies traditional arias with rock instrumentation, brought their act to the Joyce Theater last night for the world premiere of Remember Me: an evening-length work presented
Tilting at Windmills
Ah, it's good to end this year of some serious ups and downs with a laugh: dismayed by the recent resignation of Gerard Mortier, Ryan Tracy (a.k.a. "CounterCritic") has publicly
Sweet 16 (+1)
I need to finish my holiday shopping and get ready for my trip to Ireland next week, so here – in chronological order – is my contribution to the barrage
Memorable
When I saw Seiji Ozawa up in Boston a couple of weeks ago, he conducted lengthy works by Messiaen and Berlioz, from memory. "That way, I can see the musicians,"