There are operas you fall in love with instantly. And then there are operas like La Gioconda. For me, Ponchielli’s Venetian epic has always been something I listen to in…
TAMERLANO | Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe
The International Händel Festival taking place at the Badisches Staatstheater in Karlsruhe presents Handel’s Tamerlano. It’s a prime opportunity to witness the immense René Jacobs at the helm of the…
RINALDO | Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe
As part of its Internationale Händel-Festspiele, the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe is reviving the production of Rinaldo that was first presented here last year. This production by Hinrich Horstkotte pays tribute…
LISETTE OROPESA | Crans-Montana
Social media often receives its fair share of criticism, but sometimes it delivers something truly special. Just a week ago, I came across a post from Lisette Oropesa announcing that…
DIALOGUES DES CARMELITES | Den Kongelige Opera
The spareness of the décor presages that of the work itself. From the instant the curtain rises, space is yielded to the full dramatic amplitude such an act of remembrance…
NORMA | Teatro Regio Parma
This was a date I had been waiting for for a long time. The main reason was Vasilisa Berzhanskaya. I have seen her several times in bel canto repertoire, including…
LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR | Opéra National du Capitole
For this final revival of Nicolas Joël’s classic production, the Toulouse Opera unveiled an international caliber principal cast, raising expectations to a peak on opening night.With its grandiose sets, meticulously…
LA SYLPHIDE | Bayerische Staatsoper
What makes La Sylphide especially meaningful for opera lovers is how recognisable its emotional grammar is. You don’t need to be deeply versed in ballet technique to feel at home: the storytelling…
LUISA MILLER | Wiener Staatsoper
There are evenings when Verdi’s Luisa Miller feels less like a prelude to the later tragedies and more like a fully mature, self‑contained world — one where intimacy and power collide, and…
DIE VERKAUFTE BRAUT | Bayerische Staatsoper
The lightness of an opera sometimes becomes its greatest strength — evenings where the joy onstage mirrors the joy in the room, and where a packed audience full of young…