135 stories by "JAMES JORDEN"
The fresh faces of Manhattan School of Music's student singers stared down a city of sin Thursday night in "Mahagonny," about the rise and fall of a lawless town in a fantasy America battere…
Of the two love stories that unfolded at "David et Jonathas" Wednesday night, it's hard to say which was more moving: biblical hero David's affection for his childhood friend " or the passio…
A few caveats preceded Manhattan School of Music Opera Theater's performance of "Orphée aux Enfers." Dona D. Vaughn, director of the production, reminded the audience that all the singers w…
It's not often operagoers leave humming the scenery, but that was the case Monday, when the Met hauled out Riccardo Zandonai's "Francesca da Rimini" from the vault.
With neither a top-drawer…
Like the hero of "Parsifal," who finds the Holy Grail after a lifetime of frustrated wandering, the Met's audience was finally rewarded for its patience: On Friday, after seasons of mediocri…
A wayward bouquet conked Kristine Opolais on her noggin during the ovation Friday night in "La Rondine" " but that was the only mishap in the Latvian soprano's spectacular Met debut.
Her coo…
If people know Jules Massenet's 1894 "Thaïs" at all, it's for the violin interlude "Meditation" that's a staple at pops concerts and weddings.But the Manhattan School of Music's charming …
Imagine if someone left Vermeer's masterpiece "Girl With a Pearl Earring" out in the rain. That's what it felt like Wednesday when the Met wrecked "Don Giovanni": an act of criminal negligen…
Last week's freak nor'easter set the tone for Thursday's chilly new production of "Un Ballo in Maschera" at the Met.
Verdi's 1859 opera, loosely based on the real-life assassination of the K…
The battle of the sexes ended in an upset the other night in "Le Nozze di Figaro."
No, nobody rewrote the libretto of Mozart's 1786 opera, about a countess and her maid joining forces to tea…
Like the Shakespeare play it's based on, Thomas Adès' opera "The Tempest" is set on an enchanted island. But even with a starry cast singing its Met premiere Tuesday, this 2004 piece proved…
Is "Elsewhere," a new multimedia piece devised by cellist Maya Beiser, really an opera?
Not quite. For one thing, only in the show's second half is there singing " from bracing vocalist Helg…
ALMOST an hour to complete a set change? At the Met's revival of "Turandot" Wednesday, it was worth the wait.
When the curtain finally rose on Act 2 of Puccini's fairy tale, the audience bur…
Just as the love potion in "L'Elisir d'Amore" turns out to be cheap red wine, the Met's new production of this Donizetti opera offers no magic, just a momentary buzz.
The singing of supersta…
JUST as the love potion in "L'Elisir d'Amore" turns out to be cheap red wine, the Met's new production of this Donizetti opera offers no magic, just a momentary buzz.
The singing of supersta…
Considering one of the season's star singers is a plus-size female impersonator, opera this fall is anything but a drag.
It starts tonight with a bang at BAM, with the 1976 "Einstein on the …
Like New Yorkers, opera tends to flee the city in summer. But a taut production of "Dialogues of the Carmelites" by dell'Arte Opera Ensemble offers a reason to brave a steamy August weekend …
Sometimes an obscure opera is revived, and everyone hails a lost masterpiece. Other times " as with Chabrier's "Le Roi Malgré Lui" at Bard SummerScape " you realize posterity had the right …
Nature cooperated Wednesday night for the Metropolitan Opera's opening recital at Central Park SummerStage, with balmy temperatures, mild humidity, even a gentle breeze.
Only the singers wer…
Summertime, and the listening is easy, often outdoors and sometimes even free.
On the other hand, on a humid July night, it's nice to escape the city for the opera up north " at the Caramoor…
A gloomy, middle-aged immigrant becomes "The Most Happy Fella" in Frank Loesser's much-loved 1956 musical. But the audience for the Dicapo Opera's spunky new revival has plenty to be happy a…
Who wants to live forever?
According to Janacek's "The Makropulos Case," which opened at the Met Friday, the answer is "nobody" " least of all the opera's leading lady, Emilia Marty.
In th…
Some days you can feel like a hero just getting out of bed in the morning.
That's the message of Gotham Chamber Opera's delightful production of "Il Sogno di Scipione," which opened Wednesda…
An understudy saved the show at the Met's "La Traviata" Friday night, but no star was born.
Jumping into the role of Violetta, the self-sacrificing courtesan in Verdi's tragedy, was Hei-Kyun…
When the hard-partying heroine of Massenet's "Manon" hits bottom, she literally lands in the gutter. But only when Anna Netrebko's character sank into her downward spiral Monday night did he…
