The Opera Tattler
Reviews of Performances and their Audiences
Category: The Metropolitan Opera
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September 26 2011- February 4 2012: Anna Bolena September 27- November 17 2011: Nabucco October 1 2011- February 18 2012: Il Barbiere di Siviglia October 13 2011- March 3 2012: Don Giovanni October 27 2011- May 9 2012: Siegfried November 4- December 1 2011: Satyagraha November 14- December 10 2011: Rodelinda November 18- December 8…
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* Notes * The latest revival of the Metropolitan Opera's Iphigénie en Tauride on Saturday seemed under-rehearsed, but still has potential. There were many instances when the singers were not with the orchestra, especially as far as the chorus was concerned. Perhaps the elaborate choreography was to blame. The dancers here were more together than in…
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* Notes * Though the fourth performance of Nixon in China at the Metropolitan Opera was simulcast yesterday, the Opera Tattler was nonetheless to be found in Family Circle standing room. While Adrianne Lobel’s set was streamlined and efficient, Peter Sellars direction seemed overblown. The dancing, choreographed by Mark Morris, was attractive. The lines were good,…
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* Notes * Don Pasquale had its 133rd performance at the Metropolitan Opera on Friday night. From what I could see at Score Desk 2, the sets and costumes, designed by Rolf Langenfass, were entirely traditional. One can only imagine Otto Schenk's 2006 production was likewise. The orchestra sounded lucid under James Levine. The trumpet solo…
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The Metropolitan's production of John Adams' Nixon in China opened February 2. Here is the Unbiased Opinionator's account. The Opera Tattler may write about the February 12 performance. * Notes * Once derided as a "CNN Opera," an opera taking its theme from contemporary news flashes, and thus lacking in substance, "Nixon in China" has achieved a…
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Metropolitan Opera‘s current production of La Fanciulla del Westmarks the 100th anniversary of the opera’s world premiere. The Unbiased Opinionator attended the performance last Tuesday. * Notes * The genesis of the La Fanciulla del Westis well known. Puccini, in New York to supervise the Met premiere of Madama Butterfly, saw David Belasco’s play The Girl…
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Metropolitan Opera's Don Carlo, a co-production with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, opened last night. What follows is the Unbiased Opinionator's account of the prima. * Notes * Very rarely does an opera with a 7:00 pm start time and midnight closing curtain, on a Monday night, rivet…
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Metropolitan Opera's new production of Carmen was revived this season. Here is the Unbiased Opinionator's account of the performance that occurred on November 16th. * Notes * The Metropolitan Opera's reprise of its 2009 production of Carmen, directed by Richard Eyre, updates the story from Prosper Mérimée's 1830s setting to the time of the Spanish Civil…
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A revival of Metropolitan Opera‘s Il Trovatore, seen in San Francisco last year, opened this evening. Here is the Unbiased Opinionator’s account of final dress rehearsal that occurred on October 21st. The Opera Tattler was quite surprised to hear that Patricia Racette was indisposed, as she is known for having vocal cords of steel. At…
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This season, the Metropolitan Opera is presenting two operas that weave personal emotional drama into the sweep of great historical events: Boris Godunov and Don Carlo. On October 8, the final dress rehearsal of Boris took place, and what follows are the Unbiased Opinionator's impressions. * Notes * After Peter Stein's cancellation due to visa difficulties,…
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