Early music of Venice: the Academy of Ancient Music bridges the gap

Editorial

Christopher Hitchens once said of religion, that it was "the race's first (and worst) attempt to make sense of reality." In later conversations, Hitchens clarified that because it was our first attempt, it was by nature, our worst. This concept doesn't seem to apply to Early Music; rather, over and over again we are stunned by the timelessness - the edginess, really - of Baroque music.

Oh look, it's the "elitist" argument again...

Op-ed

But here's the kicker in my eyes: no one bats an eye when someone says, "Oh, she's a Susanna, not an Ariadne," but thinking that this Susanna would also sound great as Lucy in The Secret Garden garners a completely different response.

Don't miss: The Demon at AVA

News

The famed Russian pianist was also a prolific composer, who wrote twelve operas during his lifetime (did you know Tchaikovsky studied composition with Rubinstein?). The Demon is based on the poem of the same name by Mikhail Lermonontov: a demon falls in love with Tamara and has her fiancé killed, Tamara starts to become attracted to the demon and lets him kiss her, but his kiss is fatal, and she falls dead.

Falstaff in Cambridge

Interview

"There is something very exciting about staging grand opera in an intimate venue," says Redmond, "that brings a power and intensity to the performances that one can sometimes miss in a large opera house. With an orchestra of 80, a chorus of nearly 100, and an international cast of soloists, it's an exciting sound!"

In review: Scenes from the End

Review

"Over the past few years, I have experienced grief. It's impossible to rationally 'describe' your experience of grief because death is absurd," writes Werner in her performer's notes. "When you lose someone, you find yourself surrounded by people who never talk to you about it - not in person anyway - because they simply can't. Or, if they think they can, it quickly becomes unhelpful and patronising, in a weird sort of way."

Aria guides: Dido's Lament

How-To

For our latest Aria Guide, we've picked an aria that has it all: it's beautiful, it's in English, and mezzos get to play Dido, an actual woman. In Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, "Dido's Lament" happens at the end of a simple and sad story: Aeneas, whom Dido loves and has agreed to marry, believes he has to leave her and go to Italy. As he goes, Dido dies from her grief.

Opera and sci-fi: the puritan intersection

Editorial

The great, classic sci-fi isn't about aliens or lasers or teleportation; it's about people and the things we go through in any environment. Similarly, the great, classic operas aren't about singing for its own sake; they're about those same people and those same environments.

Skills to learn: downtime on the job

Editorial

You're busier during your final years of school than in the first years of your career; without classes and school-produced concerts to keep you motivated (I'll admit, I took much of my school's resources for granted for too long), the early stages of a professional life can feel like you're twiddling your thumbs.

In review: Il trovatore at ROH

Review

First performed in 1853, just after Rigoletto and just before La traviata, Il trovatore gives unfortunate talking points to those who may say that opera plots are silly. There's the "I burned the wrong baby" bit, the "it's too dark to tell who I'm hugging" bit, and there are all the opera-esque moments of oddly-timed shock and rage.

Schmopera is three!

Editorial

It's been three years ago since we started Schmopera from a cozy chalet, on a ski trip near Montréal. At the beginning, there was a distinct feeling of opening a large can of worms inside the small world of opera; now, we're insanely proud of what Schmopera has become, and we're humbled by our readers.