The summer program features the American debut of Tobias Picker’s ‘Lili Elbe’ alongside satisfying stagings of ‘Rodelinda,’ ‘The Magic Flute,’ ‘Eugene Onegin’ and ‘Madama Butterfly.’ By Heidi Waleson Aug. 10, 2026 at 4:46 pm ET Lucia Lucas and Sylvia D’Eramo in ‘Lili Elbe.’ BRONWEN SHARP Santa Fe, N.M. Tobias Picker’s “Lili Elbe,” which is having its American premiere at …
Continue reading “Santa Fe Opera 2026 Season Review: Potent Premieres and Reliable Revivals”
In New York, Will Crutchfield’s company celebrated 200 years of Italian opera in America with performances of ‘Il Don Giovanni’ and ‘Il Turco in Italia’; upstate, at Caramoor, William Christie’s French ensemble and select young vocalists delivered moving renditions of two Marc-Antoine Charpentier works. By Heidi Waleson July 20, 2026 at 5:09 pm ET Kresley Figueroa …
A new production of ‘Die Frau Ohne Schatten,’ conducted by Klaus Mäkelä, proved a highlight of this year’s festival in Provence, France, in contrast to its incoherent stagings of two Mozart works. By Heidi Waleson July 8, 2026 at 5:49 pm ET A scene from ‘Die Frau Ohne Schatten.’ MONIKA RITTERSHAUS Aix-en-Provence, France The opening days of …
Continue reading “Aix Festival 2026 Review: Brilliant Strauss, Messy Mozart”
The New York company offers a stark, taxing adaptation of the composer’s 1958 work, which centers on a woman waiting for her long-gone lover’s return. By Heidi Waleson May 18, 2026 at 4:28 pm ET Inna Dukach as Vanessa. RUSS ROWLAND Heartbeat Opera’s 100-minute adaptation of Samuel Barber’s “Vanessa”(1958) by company artistic director Jacob Ashworth, first presented last summer at …
Continue reading “‘Vanessa’ Review: Heartbeat Opera’s Strident Samuel Barber”
Following its split with the Kennedy Center, the company has ably adapted to George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium, where it is presenting a gripping staging of Robert Ward’s version of the Arthur Miller classic. By Heidi Waleson March 23, 2026 at 5:01 pm ET A scene from the Washington National Opera production of ‘The Crucible.’ SCOTT SUCHMAN …
Continue reading “‘The Crucible’ Review: Washington National Opera’s Nimble Reset”
Harry Bicket and the English Concert presented the composer’s highly theatrical but little-known 1745 oratorio in an uneven but frequently arresting performance. By Heidi Waleson March 18, 2026 at 5:22 pm ET Harry Bicket and the English Concert at Carnegie Hall. RICHARD TERMINE New York The annual Carnegie Hall visit of Harry Bicket and the English Concert, the superb …
Continue reading “‘Hercules’ Review: Handel’s Musical Myth at Carnegie Hall”
Director Yuval Sharon’s company debut is an imaginative, expansive production headed by two top-flight singers, Lise Davidsen and Michael Spyres. By Heidi Waleson Lise Davidsen and Michael Spyres. MET OPERA New York In his 2024 book, “A New Philosophy of Opera,” the American director Yuval Sharon offered a radical vision for an art form that is often mired …
Continue reading “‘Tristan und Isolde’ Review: At the Met Opera, Wagner’s Vast World”
Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang’s ‘The Monkey King’ persuasively conjured the spirit of Chinese opera; Matthew Ozawa’s new Wagner production had admirable clarity. By Heidi Waleson Nov. 19, 2025 at 4:31 pm ET Kang Wang in ‘The Monkey King.’ CORY WEAVER/SAN FRANCISCO OPERA San Francisco Huang Ruo’s “The Monkey King,” which had its world premiere at the San …
Continue reading “A Propulsive Premiere and a Thoughtful ‘Parsifal’ at San Francisco Opera”
Nadine Sierra stars in the company’s new production, thoughtfully directed by Rolando Villazón, of Bellini’s opera about a woman coming up against the strictures of a Swiss village. By Heidi Waleson Oct. 8, 2025 at 5:13 pm ET Nadine Sierra in ‘La Sonnambula.’ PHOTO: MARTY SOHL/MET OPERA New York For the new Metropolitan Opera production of Vincenzo Bellini’s “La Sonnambula” …
Continue reading “‘La Sonnambula’ Review: At the Met Opera, a Sleepwalking Soprano Shines”
Recent productions in Germany and the Netherlands—of classics, curiosities and contemporary works by composers ranging from Strauss to Saariaho—powerfully exemplified the scene’s risk-taking artistic ethos. By Heidi Waleson April 7, 2025 at 4:43 pm ET The company of Offenbach’s ‘Die Schöne Helena.’ PHOTO: IKO FREESE Berlin; Dresden, Germany; Amsterdam New Yorkers who visit Berlin often feel at home—the …
Continue reading “Opera in Europe: Established but Adventurous”
AndyManshel.nyc 