BERLIN — Deutsche Oper presented a pair of rarely seen operas in rotation recently: Alexander Zemlinsky’s unfairly neglected Der Zwerg (“The Dwarf”) and Richard Wagner’s grandiose early breakthrough, Rienzi — a … » Read

Try as it might, the American Composers Orchestra (ACO) couldn’t convince me that there was a coherent theme running through its April 11 concert in Zankel Hall. The drawcard was the New York premiere of a substantial work from Du Yun, one … » Read

Once upon a time, Helen of Sparta was carried off to Troy. Or was she? Euripides, writing in 412 BC, called that out as “fake news.” Taking his cue from Herodotus, the radical Athenian tragedian ran with a set of “alternative … » Read

BERLIN—In this festival-loving capital, MaerzMusik: Festival for Issues about Time has become a magnet for new music enthusiasts. The ten-day series of events (held from March 22-31 this year) is presented under the aegis of the Berliner … » Read

Multidisciplinary collaborations can be hit and miss, especially when you are aiming for nothing short of a Wagnerian Gesamtkunstwerk (that’s a “total,” or “universal artwork”). On the other hand, risk is a commodity … » Read

Ivo van Hove is riding the crest of a wave right now. A 2016 Tony-Award-winner for A View from the Bridge , he has been earning raves from local critics over his current high-tech Broadway production of Network (with a visceral central … » Read

Dust never has too much time to settle on Marc Blitzstein’s The Cradle Will Rock before another revival comes along, and that’s the way it should be for this classic of American opera, which Blitzstein called a play in music. The … » Read

LOS ANGELES--The Los Angeles Philharmonic program April 6 in Disney Concert Hall, perhaps by chance, featured a trio of women, including a female soloist, a female conductor, and a female composer of a world premiere. In a season, the … » Read

When the Metropolitan Opera last did La Clemenza di Tito seven years ago, I thought the time had come for a new production. Jean-Pierre Ponnelle’s 1984 treatment of Mozart’s last opera, together with his companion production of … » Read

LONDON--Ian Bell’s new opera, Jack the Ripper , given its world premiere by English National Opera at the London Coliseum on Mar. 30, demands to be taken seriously. Not that the story of a real-life serial killer of prostitutes is ever … » Read