Bellini’s I puritani is a musical feast, as the cast of the Met’s new staging, seen at its New Year’s Eve premiere, amply demonstrated. But it is by no means an exemplary piece of musical drama, which this production, by … » Read

LONDON—Two years ago, Joseph Horowitz published his first novel, The Marriage , a fictionalized account of Gustav Mahler’s annual American sojourns between 1907 and 1911. An attempt to explain why such a fêted European conductor … » Read

LONDON—Hugh Cutting has been making regular waves on this side of the pond ever since 2021 when he became the first countertenor to win the prestigious Kathleen Ferrier Award. A graduate of the Royal College of Music where he received the … » Read

CHICAGO—Christmas came early for Chicago Symphony audiences on December 18. I refer not to the orchestra’s holiday music concerts, which continue this week, but to what was the first of three regular subscription performances of … » Read

LONDON—The new year looks set to open with a slew of original vocal albums. Take Brooklyn Suite , an eclectic collection of songs from Zachary Wilder. Most people will know the silken-voiced tenor as an accomplished baroque music specialist … » Read

DETROIT—On Dec. 13, Detroit Opera Artistic Director Yuval Sharon joined two company staffers and guest musicologist Naomi André for a pre-show talk. Between the discussion points, Sharon’s interlocutors showered him with … » Read

MILAN—By the time of his death five years ago, at age 91, Ennio Morricone had achieved unrivalled recognition in the world of film music, winning a long list of prizes for soundtracks including Cinema Paradiso, The Mission, and a series of … » Read

LONDON—Aside from the orchestral forces, the new Royal Opera House Ariodante  retains two key elements from its 2020 concert performances during the pandemic. First, tenor Ed Lyon returns as Lurcanio, our hero’s brother; second, … » Read

LONDON—It’s not uncommon for opera companies to investigate a composer’s first thoughts, early versions of works supplanted by what most would consider musical or dramatic improvements. Curiously, in the case of La Rondine , … » Read

CHICAGO—Antonio Salieri may be the most famous classical composer whose music you’ve never heard. Chicago Opera Theater (COT) remedied that situation last week with the local premiere of Falstaff , Salieri’s lithe 1799 opera … » Read