Elizabeth – Protesters and police once again greeted us at the Met, though for Thursday’s premiere of Iolanta and Bluebeard’s Castle the protesters were much smaller in number than this fall’s Klinghoffer protest. The anti-Putin protesters did have great art, though, and a long list of grievances for Russian conductor Valery Gergiev and Russian soprano Anna… [Read More]
Runny Noses, Russian and Otherwise: The Nose at the Metropolitan Opera
Elizabeth – One of the more bizarre, frustrating and yet comical operas I have seen this year, William Kentridge’s production of The Nose is not to be missed. For those not familiar with Shostakovich’s opera based on Gogol’s story, The Nose is a short three act opera (no intermission) during which time a bureaucrat, Kovalyov, discovers… [Read More]
Scorned Love Letters and Snowy Duels: Eugene Onegin at the Metropolitan Opera
Elizabeth – Before seeing Eugene Onegin I did not read the libretto nor a synopsis. Normally I do, but a conductor friend suggested that I avoid the libretto or any analysis of operas new to me. As he put it, there is only one time in my life that this opera will be completely new to… [Read More]
