‘A New Philosophy of Opera’ Review: Curtain Calls

An American opera director reveals how to inject new life into an old-fashioned artform. By  Heidi Waleson Sept. 13, 2024 at 11:27 am ET A scene from Yuval Sharon’s staging of Mozart’s ‘The Magic Flute’ at the Berlin State Opera in 2019.  PHOTO: MONICA RITTERSHAUS Opera is perceived as the most traditional of the performing arts—its repertory …

‘Europeras 3 & 4’ Review: John Cage’s Controlled Chaos

Detroit Opera presents two of the avant-garde composer’s rigidly devised but cacophonous works, jumbling together various arias and piano works from music history into a disorienting whole. By Heidi Waleson  March 12, 2024 Kisma Jordan PHOTO: AUSTIN RICHEY Detroit  What happens when you put classic European operas into a Mixmaster on stage? You get John Cage’s cycle …