Mooning Over Opera
Tuesday, September 04, 2012
In operas, the moon has come to signal lunacy in mad scenes, represent expressions of love and suggest the darker forces within characters. Blogger Fred Plotkin considers why the moon is such a force.
Who Should Receive the Kennedy Center Honors?
Friday, August 31, 2012
In a few days, if customary schedules are upheld, we will learn the names of the recipients of the 2012 Kennedy Center Honors. Blogger Fred Plotkin names artists who have been overlooked or deserve recognition.
Passion Plays: Joan of Arc on the Opera Stage
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Joan of Arc has been portrayed as a villainess by Shakespeare, an angel by George Bernard Shaw, and has seen her share of operatic representation, figuring into more than 20 works, writes Olivia Giovetti.
Celebrating Tenor Richard Tucker
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Richard Tucker would have been 99 on Tuesday. Blogger Fred Plotkin writes that "even when he was 60, his singing was fresh, musical and expressive and audiences loved him."
Richard Tucker Day: Select Events
Monday, August 27, 2012
New York honors native son and renowned opera star Richard Tucker—who would have been 99 today—with a citywide celebration to kick off his centenary year.
Operatic Clarinet and Episodic Mass at Mostly Mozart
Monday, August 27, 2012
This year's Mostly Mozart Festival went out more with a sigh than a bang, writes blogger Olivia Giovetti. And yet, "it was no less absorbing; an intriguing send-off to a festival that centered on the influence of birdsong."
Planet Opera: An Alpine Symphony at the Verbier Festival
Friday, August 24, 2012
The Verbier Festival, held in a small French-Swiss town high in the Alps, will celebrate its 20th anniversary in the summer of 2013. It has become, in a relatively short period of time, one of the most important events on the annual calendar of not-to-miss musical events, right up there with the Salzburg Festival, the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland and the BBC Proms in London.
Mark Morris's Four Best Uses of Baroque Music
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Choreographer Mark Morris has made memorable dances out of works by Monteverdi, Bach, Handel and Purcell, among others. Olivia Giovetti looks at why he's got such a thing for the Baroque.
Nine Operatic Tweeters to Follow
Monday, August 20, 2012
Social media trends come and go (remember Friendster?), but Twitter remains a stalwart presence. With that in mind, we take a look at some of opera's best tweeters.
When Women Sing More Than One Role in the Same Opera
Monday, August 20, 2012
Blogger Fred Plotkin looks at singers that do more than one role in an Opera. This second article of a two part series focuses on female singers, such as Leonie Rysanek.
Three Legendary Sopranos Play Verdi's Woman on the Verge
Friday, August 17, 2012
In this edition of Opera in Brief, we hear three legendary sopranos in memorable performances of three decisive scenes from Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera.
When Men Sing More Than One Role in the Same Opera
Friday, August 17, 2012
Blogger Fred Plotkin looks at singers that do more than one role in an Opera. This first article of a two part series focuses on male singers, such as Plácido Domingo.
When Books Are Made Into Operas
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
With a new batch of book adaptations for the cinema always in Hollywood development, blogger Olivia Giovetti compares the "no rules" process of film and operatic adaptations.
No Roses or Rosaries for Carmen and Carmélites
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Operavore blogger Fred Plotkin takes a look at two new productions of Carmen and Carmélites from indie East Village Dell’Arte Opera Ensemble.
The Masterful Music of the Master of Suspense
Monday, August 13, 2012
On the anniversary of Alfred Hitchcock's birth, Olivia Giovetti looks at how the famed film director transformed cinema into opera.
What Our Music Collections Say About Us
Thursday, August 09, 2012
A home organization project prompts blogger Fred Plotkin to ask: What is the opera you have the most recordings of? Are there any operas you believe merit a new recording?
The Top 10 Operas Set in England
Wednesday, August 08, 2012
As the Olympics will soon draw to a close, Olivia Giovetti lingers in England (metaphorically speaking) to count down the top ten operas set in the country of Harry Potter, Mary Poppins and James Bond.
Opera, Come Rain or Come Shine
Tuesday, August 07, 2012
This summer has seen huge downpours interrupt several summer music festivals around the globe. Blogger Fred Plotkin considers the presence of rain storms off-stage and on (see: Rossini, Wagner).
Freewheelin' and Freeloading in the Digital Age
Monday, August 06, 2012
The news that writer Jonah Lehrer fabricated portions of his latest book makes blogger Olivia Giovetti consider how commonplace appropriation and theft is in classical music and opera.
Justice Ginsburg Weighs Legal Lessons of Opera
Sunday, August 05, 2012
It turns out lawyers and opera singers have more in common than booming voices and a love of melodrama.

