The rumored surge in popular demand for yet another opera blog having failed to materialize, a few words about what can be expected here may be in order. That word “critical,” I’d say, is the key. In my dictionary, the first definition of “criticism”  reads, “The act of making judgments; analysis of qualities and evaluations Continue reading…

Recently, I’ve been hearing and seeing a lot about a “flourishing American repertory,” or even an “American canon.” Some of it comes from sources dedicated to advocacy, and thus predisposed to an enthusiast leaning (notably, Opera America—see below), and some from reviewers influenced by local civic pride, a genuine wish to be supportive of an Continue reading…

Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fidelio, with its unique amalgam of Singspieler-ish domesticity, last-minute rescue-opera melodrama, married love exaltation, just-deserts redemption, and spiritual uplift, returned to the Met’s repertory on March 4 for a brief run, in the production first directed in 2000 by Jürgen Flimm. It was conducted by Susanna Mälkki, and the revival stage director was Continue reading…

As I announced at the end of my last post (The Met’s New “Aida,“ 1/18/25), my next report will be on the company’s revival of Fidelio, which will star Lise Davidsen and be conducted by Susanna Mälkki. That will appear on Friday, March 21. Meanwhile, I’ll be completing my selective investigation of a few of the Continue reading…

I must open on a sad note by recording the death of a longtime colleague and friend, Richard Dyer, who for thirty years was the highly respected chief music critic for The Boston Globe. Though we wrote for several of the same magazines (notably High Fidelity) from the 1960s onward, and Richard even reviewed me twice Continue reading…

Today’s post concludes the article begun last week (published Nov. 29). If you missed Part One, I urge you to read it before proceeding to Part Two, below. The two constitute a continuous argument, but I felt that this consideration of the thought of the radical and influential operauteur Yuval Sharon, who challenges the fundamental Continue reading…