GLYNDEBOURNE—There were fireworks onstage and off for the launch of Glyndebourne’s 85 th season on May 18. Patrons were invited to stand on the lawn at the end of the evening as the skies lit up to mark the 25th anniversary of the … » Read

It’s a brave Brit who labels his program “England’s Orpheus” with all the attendant expectations, but fortunately Iestyn Davies has the musical chops to back it up. The British countertenor’s May 16 recital in the … » Read

Frequently feted during his lifetime but even more frequently misunderstood, left-wing German composer Hans Werner Henze’s “Cuban years” are perhaps the least appreciated period in a long and multi-stylistic musical career. … » Read

NEW YORK - Owen Wingrave was originally composed for television and telecast by the BBC in 1971. Later it was staged at Covent Garden and brought to Santa Fe Opera in 1974. Wingrave is the second of Benjamin Britten’s operas to be based on … » Read

WASHINGTON, D.C.--When opera singers turn to the rarified domain of the song recital, the results too often prove disappointing. The perceived need to prove one's bona fides across a range of repertory—German lieder, French chansons, … » Read

New York City Ballet’s May 2 Spring Gala program book included the line, “Tonight we celebrate the Company’s rich history and bright future.” Placed directly beneath the names of its newly appointed artistic directors, … » Read

Thrill seekers looking to witness Plácido Domingo etch yet another notch in his record-setting belt should get themselves to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles by May 19, when El Gato Mont é s closes. The title character … » Read

BRUSSELS—There is plenty of visual business to divert the eye in La Monnaie’s abstract new staging of Tristan und Isolde , most of it slow-moving and much of it puzzling. While a touch of mystery is no bad thing—scenic realism … » Read

CHICAGO--All may not be right with the world, but a little bit of heaven prevailed Saturday night at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s concert downtown in Symphony Center. It was the orchestra’s first weekend of subscription … » Read

TULSA, Oklahoma--If ever proof was needed that opera can still surprise, provoke and even have something to say, the Act One Finale of Opera Tulsa’s Don Giovanni is it. Updated to America (ish) and sometime in the 1950s (ish)—neither … » Read