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Godard's 'Dante' from Munich
This week, World of Opera presents Dante, a 19th-century French opera by Benjamin Godard based on the life of the great Italian poet. Lisa Simeone hosts the performance from Munich's Prince Regent...
View ArticleWatch: Exclusive Video of Lincoln Center's 'Paradise Interrupted'
From Verdi’s Nabucco to Saint-Saëns’s Samson and Delilah, operas have found inspiration in the Bible. A Chinese opera also inspired by the ancient parables, Paradise Interrupted, will have its New York...
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Sketches from the Opera House
A charming new book recently came my way. Called Drawn to Opera, it is a love letter to our favorite art form, in drawings, by Brooklynite Hank Blaustein. There is just enough text to explain why he...
View ArticleVerdi's 'Nabucco' from the Lyric Opera
Politics, religion, a dangerous love triangle, plus one of the greatest choral anthems every written in the soul-stirring “Va, pensiero" are all in Nabucco, which made Verdi a star on both the opera...
View ArticleThe Story of Aida
Giuseppe Verdi composed Aida to celebrate the construction of a new opera house in Cairo, Egypt which was built to mark the opening of the Suez Canal. As his a subject, he turned to the story of an...
View ArticleWhen Is an Unfinished Work Incomplete?
When we look at a work of art as left to us by its creator, our natural response is to regard it in its entirety and think of it as whole. In other words, it is what the artist meant for us to see or...
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Handel's 'Alcina' from the Opera of Nations in Geneva
This week, World of Opera presents Handel's Alcina in a production by the Grand Théâtre de Genève and performed at the Opéra des Nations in the Swiss city. Nicole Cabell stars as the enchantress, who's...
View ArticleNew York City Opera Spreads Its Wings with 'Florencia'
Magic realism — the rich literary genre codified by Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude that balances the real and the fantastical — ought to be thriving in opera where the temporal...
View ArticleAmanda Majeski Stars in 'Der Rosenkavalier' from the Lyric
This Saturday at 1 pm, the Lyric Opera of Chicago presents Richard Strauss's imperial Der Rosenkavalier, starring soprano Amanda Majeski as the Marschallin and mezzo-soprano Alice Coote as her younger...
View ArticleWhat It's Like to Be an Opera Singer
This week, host Naomi Lewin speaks to the internationally renowned mezzo-soprano, Denyce Graves, who fell "in love hopelessly" with opera and followed her passion into a successful career.As a little...
View ArticleThe Myth of Orpheus and Eurydice Reimagined as a Folk Opera
In “Hadestown,” a folk opera at the New York Theatre Workshop, Orpheus’ mythical quest to overcome Hades and win back his true love, Eurydice, is brought to life for modern audiences. Rachel Chavkin,...
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When Is an Unfinished Work of Art Incomplete? Part 2
Lately, in New York, I have encountered a lot of creative expression that draws on the unfinished and the incomplete, a topic I began to explore in my previous article. It is front and center in the...
View Article5 Versions of "Nessun Dorma" that Went Viral
Even before Luciano Pavarotti sang it in front of thousands at the 1990 World Cup, Puccini’s aria "Nessun dorma," an impassioned call to stay awake from the opera Turandot has been one of the most...
View ArticlePrelude to Performance with Martina Arroyo
About 10 years ago, legendary soprano Martina Arroyo began her eponymous foundation’s Prelude to Performance, an intensive summer program for young artists that presents fully-staged operas. This week,...
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Verdi's 'Macbeth' from Vienna
This week on World of Opera, host Lisa Simeone presents Verdi's Macbeth from the Vienna State Opera. The composer called Shakespeare's original play "one of mankind's greatest creations" and set about...
View ArticleHow 'Brexit' Affects Opera and the Arts
The June 23 referendum in the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland) as to whether it should end its membership in the European Union resulted in a 52% to 48% victory for the Leave...
View ArticleSusanna Phillips and Joseph Calleja Sing 'Romeo and Juliet'
He's a Montague and she's a Capulet — families who have hated each other for centuries. Yet when Romeo meets Juliet, they fall instantly and rapturously in love. Secretly, they marry — but...
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Cuomo Involved in Keeping a Lid on Bridgegate Scandal
Three months into the Bridgegate scandal, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was asked about it for the first time. “I don’t know anything more than basically what has been in the newspaper, because it was...
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Dudamel Leads 'Turandot' from Vienna
Puccini's final opera, based on a Persian tale that the composer moved to ancient China, tells of a beautiful princess who attracts suitors from around the world. Each potential mate is posed three...
View ArticleEntrance Interview: Matthew Shilvock, SF Opera's Next General Director
SAN FRANCISCO — As regular readers are aware, I enjoy conversing with arts executives who are thoughtful and innovative, whether they have long records, such as Kennedy Center president Deborah Rutter,...
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