Tag Archives: metropolitan opera

Urban Frenzy

I’ve been in New York for less than a week, and already the entire pace of my life has changed. When we’re in Berkeley, my husband and I spend at least five nights a week at home, watching movies or … Continue reading

Posted in The Lesser Blog | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Operas and Productions

An opera and its production are so closely linked that it is sometimes impossible to judge them separately. You can try to assess the music alone by repeatedly listening to a recording in the comfort of your own home, but … Continue reading

Posted in The Lesser Blog | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

But Is It Opera?

This question was raised, in my own mind and that of several other audience members I spoke to, by the Metropolitan Opera’s admittedly terrific new production of Leos Janacek’s last operatic work, From the House of the Dead. Based on the Dostoyevsky … Continue reading

Posted in The Lesser Blog | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Wagnerian Time

Whether you find it easy or difficult to lend yourself to Wagner’s overwhelmingly powerful agenda—and I am still not sure where I stand on this question—you will be aware of having to alter something in yourself to accommodate his patently … Continue reading

Posted in The Lesser Blog | Tagged , | Leave a comment

In the Oddest Places

Over the past month, I’ve been finding the best music in places where I didn’t necessarily expect it, and less good music in places where I did. When this oddity occurred once, it didn’t seem worth remarking on, but now … Continue reading

Posted in The Lesser Blog | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment