All in all, this is as balanced a "Don Giovanni" as one would hope for. The eponymous character stands above and beyond the rest, but the other cast members manage to carve out meaningful arcs for their characters that add layers of complexity to this most fascinating of works.
Rossini's "La Donna del Lago" is not a particularly gripping opera from a dramatic standpoint, but there can be no doubt that the singing in the Metropolitan Opera's current production is as masterful as it comes. This season, Rossini's "La Donna Del Lago" followed in the footsteps of those operas with superstars Joyce DiDonato and Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Florez leading the cast.
Recently, soprano Ailyn Perez spoke with NY Students as part of the Metropolitan Opera Guild's four-day intensive program to prepare aspiring music students for their next big step.
Bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni of Venezuela talks to Latin Post about his career highlights, his love for Leoporello and his desire to culminate his career singing Verdi.
The Metropolitan Opera has announced its 2015-16 season with six new productions and 227 performances in total, and the season will include some of operas biggest stars and many Latino stars.
This double bill of "Iolanta" and "Bluebeard's Castle" certainly puts audiences through distinct journeys and emotional levels. When he took over the Met Opera, general manager Peter Gelb expressed a desire to make opera a richer experience that satisfied audiences seeking multi-faceted experiences. This production, despite its shortcomings, certainly fulfills that desire and represents a great success for the company.
This run of "Les Contes d'Hoffmann" could not have ended on a higher note. In all ways, this was a truly masterful portrayal of a work often unfairly overlooked because of its unfinished state. The next cast, which takes the stage on Feb. 28, will undoubtedly bring tremendous pleasures to its audience, but even then it will have a tough act to follow.
Puccini's "La Boheme" is a staple at the Met, but it is presented so often that it can come off as routine and uninteresting. But, the performers on display for the latest run have proven why this opera is so enduring and that it is possible to constantly to breathe new life into it.
Marina Rebeka came on the scene at the Met as an irresistible Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, but here she has showcased another wondrous aspect as the tragic heroine in Verdi's unforgettable masterpiece. Flanked by the multi-faceted turn by Quinn Kelsey and Willy Decker's ever-fascinating production, this is a must-see of the Metropolitan's 2014-15 season.
Richard Eyre's production showed it staying power and furthered the notion that the director favored his actors over any model concept. The world of his Figaro came alive thanks to its tremendous cast and solid conductor. There is one more performance of this great masterpiece before it is completely finished for the 2014-15 season.
"Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg" is a tricky opera in many respects. While filled with comic touches, it is a lengthy work whose main character is a tragic figure. But led by the legendary Levine and Morris, the other terrific cast members and Schenk's ever-new production, the work's terrific balance comes to the fore in a manner that is enthralling, entertaining and emotionally transcendent.
Overall this "Boheme" showed just how powerful this opera and production could still be despite its regular presentation. Yoncheva and DeMuro are two stars in the making while the remaining cast members all bring brilliant artistic qualities to make this a complete performance.
Isabel Leonard, a major opera star of Argentinean decent at the Metropolitan Opera and a former winner of the prestigious Richard Tucker Award, recently spoke with Latin Post.com regarding her experiences this year at the Met, as well as her upcoming projects.
