INNSBRUCK, Austria—Operas of clemency have a reputation for lame drama. Feats of magnanimity, besides being implausible, tend to strike modern audiences as propaganda for reinforcing the status quo. But the other side of the coin is that … » Read

Tanglewood’s Festival of Contemporary Music (Aug. 4-8) included a silent film night, John Williams’s idea, in the Linde Center. Five TMC composer fellows had been assigned to score about 20 percent each of Charlie Chaplin’s 1921 … » Read

PORTLAND, OR--Portland’s newest opera company, OrpheusPDX, began its inaugural season on August 4 with Monteverde’s L’Orfeo, a new production by Chas Rader-Shieber deftly tempered with a bit of humor, adding a refreshing breeze … » Read

The role of Salome is a familiar one for Swedish soprano Malin Byström, whose Aug. 14 performance in concert at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall won rapturous praise from Mark Brown, theater critic for The Daily Telegraph . Byström had … » Read

GLYNDEBOURNE—The 2022 crop of English country house operas has been exceptionally good, yet Glyndebourne has saved the best until last. Music Director Robin Ticciati has teamed up with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and director Laurent … » Read

LENOX, Mass. – “Find something in the music that you can shake hands with,” said John Harbison, longtime Tanglewood Music Center (TMC) faculty member, referring to a specific theme or motif. “When it comes around again, … » Read

Done for the summer, Gustavo Dudamel has handed the podium at the Hollywood Bowl off to a parade of guest conductors. First up was the Finnish maestra Dalia Stasevska, who had originally been slated to debut during the 2020 season erased by the … » Read

With Andris Nelsons done with his podium duties for the summer, Tanglewood welcomed a trio of conductors to the stage on Aug. 5-7. First up was BSO Assistant Conductor Earl Lee in his performance debut with the BSO. Composer Brian Raphael Nabors … » Read

SANTA FE—Since its inception, Santa Fe Opera has avoided Wagner, except for the relatively short Der fliegende Holländer . Curtain times here must wait until sunset for the lighting to work, and it was thought that performing the … » Read

Part I, covering M. Butterfly and Carmen, was posted yesterday. SANTA FE--There are serious opera fans who consider Verdi’s final opera, Falstaff , to be his greatest work. Experiencing it afresh here at Santa Fe in David McVicar’s … » Read