THE HANGOVER REPORT – The Met’s new AIDA aims to appease both traditionalists and woke audiences, to mixed results

This past weekend, I made a trip to the Metropolitan Opera to take in the company’s new production of Aida. Having glamorously premiered on New Year’s Eve, Michael Mayer’s anticipated … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – THE BEST OF 2024: Theater, Music, and Dance

With 2024 recently behind us, what better time to take stock of the year that’s just transpired to highlight the performances that have particularly distinguished themselves from the pack. Read … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Ravishing music-making permeates the Met’s triumphant revival of DIE FRAU OHNE SCHATTEN

Any chance to catch the rarely-performed opera Die Frau ohne Schatten is an opportunity well worth taking. The fourth of the stories collaborations between composer Richard Strauss and poet/librettist Hugo … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Osvaldo Golijov’s fiery opera AINADAMAR makes its Met debut in an evocative, dreamy production

The major mounting of any contemporary opera is cause for attention — especially during this challenging period for that most extravagant of art forms — which is the reason why … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Classical music roundup: Assessing the anticipated premieres of Jeanine Tesori’s GROUNDED and Meredith Monk’s INDRA’S NET

This week, I had the chance to catch up with a pair of major premieres from two highly established and much loved female composers — Jeanine Tesori and Meredith Monk. … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Nurturing artists past, present, and future: Reflecting upon the enduring legacy and ongoing impact of HERE

Over the course of the past week or so, I attended a number of performances that had me reflecting upon the enduring legacy and ongoing artistic impact of HERE, that … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Star countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo singlehandedly takes on THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO

This past weekend at “The Amph” venue on Little Island, I had the opportunity to catch the delightfully scrappy new production of The Marriage of Figaro starring countertenor Anthony Roth … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Karlheinz Stockhausen’s slow-burning INSIDE LIGHT immerses audiences in organic electronic soundscapes

Currently at the Park Avenue Armory, you’ll find the American premiere of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s Inside Light, a two-part presentation that assembles selections from Licht, the pioneering composer’s rarely-performed cycle of … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The Met revives Mark Morris’s inspired hybrid staging of Gluck’s ORFEO ED EURIDICE starring Anthony Roth Costanzo

For my final production of the Metropolitan Opera’s 2023/2024 season, I chose to show up for Gluck’s masterpiece Orfeo ed Euridice, the composer’s take on the ubiquitous ancient Greek tale … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – A recap of recent contemporary operas: Huang Ruo’s AN AMERICAN SOLDIER at PAC NYC and reassessing Kevin Puts’s THE HOURS at The Met

Over the past week or so, I had the opportunity to take in two notable contemporary opera productions, the New York premiere of Huang Ruo’s An American Soldier at the … Continue Reading →