OPERA OBSESSION

Photo (c) Cantanti Project/Lucas Godlewski It is a truth universally acknowledged that claimants to the title of First Opera are many...

Dante and the Divine (Gustav Doré) I recently finished teaching Dante's Divine Comedy . Predictably, I made much of how the poem ...

Jonas Kaufmann's latest album , L'Opéra , is not flashy, but it is substantial. It showcases an expressive range that is impressive...

Polish poster for the internationally popular Mariza This past Thursday, I saw the closing performance of The Countess Maritza at th...

Almost an entire (calendar) season has elapsed since I attended the first in the Met's SummerStage series. I won't weary you, Gentl...

Opera cocktail I subscribe to John Keats' belief that a recipe for a perfect summer's idyll involves "books, French wine, ...

This evening sees the opening of Franco Alfano's Cyrano de Bergerac at the Met. It's being marketed as Puccini-like, but the com...