Review | How to Bludgeon Carmen: Bieito’s Lesson in Four Acts
Calixto Bieito’s Carmen at the Opéra Bastille—a production created in 1999 at the Festival de Peralada (Spain) and revived in Paris since 2017—arrives with the…
Browsing: Opéra national de Paris
Review | Siegfried at Paris Opera: Magnificent Music, a Theatrical Void
At Opéra national de Paris’s Opéra Bastille, Calixto Bieito staging of Wagner’s Siegfried arrives as the third panel of a much-anticipated new Ring. Musically, the…
Review | Jonas Kaufmann Still Brings Down the House in Paris Tosca
Puccini’s Tosca is an opera built on irresistible contradictions: a thriller wrapped in velvet, a story of political terror carried on some of the most seductive melodic…
Review | Verdian Passions, Persian Shadows: Shirin Neshat’s Aida at Paris Opera
A sense of expectation hung over the Opéra Bastille before the curtain rose for the Sept. 24 opening night of Verdi’s Aida. The foyer murmured with…
Review | Marie-Nicole Lemieux shines in impromptu Paris Rossini fest
For avid Rossini fans, a logical destination is the Rossini Opera Festival held annually in Pesaro, the composer’s birthplace on Italy’s Adriatic coast. There, the…
Review | Wajdi Mouawad’s filmic Pelléas et Mélisande in Paris
Belgian playwright’s Maurice Maeterlinck’s play Pelléas et Mélisande (1892) fascinated musicians of the epoch. Both Fauré (in 1898) and Sibelius (in 1905) wrote incidental music…
Review | Vocally Uneven, Helter Skelter Don Carlos in Paris
Deservedly, Don Carlos (1867) enjoys a reputation as one of Verdi’s finest operas, rivaled only by his two final works, Otello (1887) and Falstaff (1893).…
Highlights | Canadian Ensembles Announce 2024-2025 Seasons
Many Canadian ensembles, from Club musical de Québec and Sinfonia Toronto to Vancouver Opera and Ensemble ArtChoral, are announcing their upcoming 2024-2025 seasons.
Highlights | Critics Respond to Maestro, Holiday Concerts Underway
Bradley Cooper has released Maestro and critics are conflicted on how well it portrays the life of conductor, composer, and educator Leonard Bernstein.
Paris Opera appoints Gustavo Dudamel as Music Director for six seasons
The Paris Opera and its General Manager Alexander Neef, are delighted to announce the arrival of Gustavo Dudamel as Music Director for six seasons as…
