Last fall, well into the already busy cultural season, I saw a production of Antigone at BAM. Today, as the season is winding down, I spent an afternoon immersed in another of Sophokles’ tragedies: Elektra. This version was the 1909 opera by Richard Strauss, as staged by the late Patrice Chéreau at the Metropolitan Opera….
Category: Metropolitan Opera
Roberto Devereux
I woke up to a beautiful spring day here in Brooklyn. My plans, however, took me to BAM’s Rose Cinema to join the regulars who attend the Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD performances. There I staked out my seat well ahead of time (I kid you not, mini turf wars break out regularly) and ate a…
Manon Lescaut
Well, this is opera, so it won’t surprise you that I found the whole story of Manon Lescaut slightly amusing. I felt especially guilty giggling to myself during Act IV, as poor Manon is dying of thirst and exhaustion in the desert outside of New Orleans. Yes, you read that correctly: A desert in Louisiana….
Lulu
I chose four operas to see during the Metropolitan Opera’s 2015/16 season. This year I decided to see them all live in HD at BAM Rose Cinema because I am particularly interested in the pre-performance lectures. Yesterday I saw my first: Lulu, composed by Alban Berg with Frank Wedekind as librettist. This opera, arguably the…
The Rake’s Progress
A bearded lady. A deal with the devil. A fabulously surreal set. Wonderful music. A love story. A tragedy. A cautionary tale. That is The Rake’s Progress by Igor Stravinsky, which I had the pleasure of seeing live at the Metropolitan Opera last night. The plot of this opera is a morality play in its most…
Iolanta/Bluebeard’s Castle
On Wednesday, February 18, I saw the perfect doubleheader at The Metropolitan Opera: Peter Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta and Béla Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle. I sometimes attend the Live in HD screenings at BAM, but I attended this one live at the opera house. Anna Netrebko was wonderful as the blind princess, Iolanta. I was surprised at how…
Les Contes d’Hoffmann
Should I see the performance live, or should I attend the Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD screening at BAM’s Rose Cinema? Lucky for me I have the option. I usually do a little of both. There is nothing like the thrill of being in the opera house and hearing the music and voices live —…
The Death of Klinghoffer
I had a very thought-provoking couple of days of opera this week. It began with The Source by Ted Hearne and ended with The Death of Klinghoffer at the Metropolitan Opera. The subject matter of both made me very uncomfortable, and I am glad I saw these productions. I am a big fan of John Adams’ compositions…
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