135 stories by "James Jorden"
When Verdi's "Macbeth" returned to the Met Thursday night, miscasting doomed the revival as surely as any witch's curse.
This 1865 opera should be a surefire hit, pairing Verdi's propulsive …
A revival of Donizetti's "L'Elisir d'Amore" arrived at the Met Monday night without fanfare, but its world-class singing should make it a sleeper hit.
In this romantic comedy, the "elixir of…
In a season of high-profile duds like "Don Giovanni" and "The Ring," the Met has found a winner in a dark horse, Mussorgsky's moody "Khovanshchina."
The opera " loosely translated, the title…
No tenors, no arias, no orchestra pit, no plot. Can "You, My Mother"really be called an opera?
Yes, it can! Despite the lack of traditional trappings, this new work by downtown troupe Two-He…
No tenors, no arias, no orchestra pit, no plot. Can "You, My Mother" really be called an opera?
Yes, it can! Despite the lack of traditional trappings, this new work by downtown troupe Two-H…
After the mishaps and delays that have plagued Robert Lepage's production of Wagner's "Ring" cycle at the Met, the most suspenseful part of the final installment was waiting for the set to b…
Opera takes its inspiration from all sorts of sources: plays, novels, even real life. But Kamala Sankaram's "Miranda" must be the first to meld science fiction, a murder mystery and reality …
Opera takes its inspiration from all sorts of sources: plays, novels, even real life. But Kamala Sankaram's "Miranda" must be the first to meld science fiction, a murder mystery and reality …
A superstar tenor, a bouquet of baroque arias and a stageful of eye-popping sets make a less than magical evening at the Met's "The Enchanted Island."
If the title's unfamiliar, that's becau…
Naughty? Check. Nice? Check. Impossible to shop for? Sigh . . . check.
How about the gift of opera? A performance at the Met or one of the city's smaller companies has it all " music, specta…
In an unlikely venue " a converted gymnasium off Avenue B " one of New York's newest opera companies is keeping musical tradition alive.
On the 99-seat Connelly Theatre's postage stamp of a …
An atomic explosion kicked off the last act of Gounod's "Faust" Tuesday at the Met, but the production as a whole was more dud than bomb.
This sentimental French melodrama about an elderly s…
Rumors were that an "Occupy"-something group would disrupt Wednesday night's US premiere of "Kommilitonen!" But the Juilliard Opera performance went off without offstage fireworks, and prove…
Five women singing together: That's an opera fan's idea of heaven. And though Nico Muhly's "Dark Sisters" doesn't quite reach celestial heights, Wednesday's premiere offered the promise of a…
Five women singing together: That's an opera fan's idea of heaven. And though Nico Muhly's "Dark Sisters" doesn't quite reach celestial heights, Wednesday's premiere offered the promise of a…
Mahatma Gandhi seems an unlikely operatic hero, but the Met's production of Philip Glass' "Satyagraha," revived on Friday, is a masterpiece of musical and visual art.The 1980 opera meditates…
It's the understudy's job to save the show, and that's just what Jay Hunter Morris did Thursday at the Met in the daunting title role of Wagner's "Siegfried."
The part had already defeated t…
It's the understudy's job to save the show, and that's just what Jay Hunter Morris did Thursday at the Met in the daunting title role of Wagner's "Siegfried."
The part had already defeated t…
After the season-opening spectacular of "Anna Bolena," the Met offers revivals showcasing the best of current and past regimes.
Back again is Rossini's "Il Barbiere di Siviglia," which Bartl…
Queen Anna is dead -- long live Queen Anna!
The late royal lady is Anna Bolena in Donizetti's 1830 opera, based on the final days of Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII. The new monarch -…
Queen Anna is dead " long live Queen Anna!
The late royal lady is Anna Bolena in Donizetti's 1830 opera, based on the final days of Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII. The new monarch " …
Lully's elegant "Atys" is so powerful that it makes real life seem like a dream.
Emerging from the BAM Opera House Sunday, the capacity audience discovered a perfect September afternoon -- b…
Even though the New York City Op era's in hibernation until spring and Met maestro James Levine's on the injured list, this season's off to a thrilling start.
The action officially starts…
Metropolitan Opera music director James Levine yesterday canceled all of his performances for the fall, reportedly after injuring one of his vertebrae last week in Vermont.
It's the lates…
Is opera stuffy? Maybe, when it's performed in the red- velvet splendor of the Met. But in a less formal setting, with cocktails alongside arias, opera can be downright fun.
One of Manhat…
