Upcoming LectureOctober 22, 2019 How Did Puccini Do It?The all-time box-office champion, then and now, shows no sign of ceding his title. There is no "occasion" for celebrating Puccini, since all opera houses rely on him in all seasons to keep the doors open. But why?
Previous LectureOctober 15, 2019 A Moment for MarlboroAmerica's favorite chamber music festival has a long history, and marks a turning point in a longer one: how Europe's music found its home in the New World. Music from Marlboro 10/21 at Carnegie.
October 8, 2019 The Purity of ReformAlmost as long as there has been opera, there has been a desire to purge it of superficialities and return to its roots. That impulse, even though backward-looking, has produced some of the boldest steps forward, and sometimes also music of overwhelming beauty. Orfeo ed Euridice, starting 10/20 at the Met.
September 24, 2019 First Try With ShakespeareVerdi's affinity for Shakespeare, a true kindred artist, led to the crowning glories with which he finished his career. But his love for the English dramatist was already full-blown half-a-lifetime earlier, and Macbeth (starting 9-25 at the Met) helped Verdi become Verdi.
September 17, 2019 America's Opera The only opera written since 1930 that is absolutely sure to sell tickets
was Gershwin's first and, tragically, last. Porgy and Bess, starting 9-23 at the Met |