Thoughts, comments, observations, reactions, enthusiasms
Le Nozze di Figaro: Much-Needed Relief Right Now Our little gang showed up at The MET on Monday night for the Season Premiere of what has to be the composer’s happiest creation, and it all came through. This splendid production, which opened the 2014-2015 season at the opera house, proved once again to be an …
This essay, offered as a blog post for my friends and regular readers, is written as my own tribute to Belle da Costa Greene and, as such, to the Morgan Library and Museum. Such a tribute is highly appropriate at this time in New York, as we are moving into the closing months of one …
My enthusiasm for musical performances seems to take on some sort of overwhelming urgency when I travel. As a result, I’ve been known to use the “city of music” description as I move about, especially in Europe. I’ve used the phrase when I write of Vienna (which really does call itself such in the city’s …
My calendar tells me that today is Martin Luther King Day. This federal holiday honors the civil rights leader and is also recognized as a national day of service, encouraging Americans to volunteer in their communities. And as we seek to speak with our friends, our children, our grandchildren, and, yes, for some of us, …
The MET’s Die Frau ohne Schatten Although I’m writing from Berlin (after a fast journey from New York), I’m still basking in the glow of another remarkable performance at the Metropolitan Opera. And—not surprising anyone who knows me—I’m happy to share a few thoughts and my enthusiasm here. At last Wednesday’s performance of Die Frau …