A product of great artistry: The Return of Ulysses at the Roundhouse

Review

The undeniable star of the show was the spectacular Roderick Williams. His performance was completely committed, both vocally and from an acting perspective. He savoured every word of recitative, brought out every moment of power and beauty in the music he performed. He welcomed his audience into the space with his unique, natural warmth, making the production a joy from beginning to end.

Sunday Funday: a don't-miss-it operatic double-header

News

"One of the things I love most about music is the undeniable connections between different genres," says Amanda Smith, FAWN Founding Artistic Director & Resident Stage Director. " I’ve always listened to electronic music with a similar ear as I do with classical and my experience as a listener is often comparable – so many intricate musical layers and visuals to explore."

Moby-Dick: "A story about obsession."

Interview

"I think Moby-Dick is ultimately about the redeeming power of friendship - and how an open heart can literally save your life. It's no accident that in both the book and the opera, Greenhorn (Ishmael) is saved from drowning by floating on the coffin on his new dear friend Queequeg, who is a 'foreigner' and a 'savage.'"

Don't miss: Hercules vs Vampires

Interview

"There will certainly be places in the work where people will laugh at things onscreen which are unintentionally funny. This is a great thing, and I want audiences to laugh if they feel inclined, I want them to cheer Hercules and to boo the forces of evil."

Strange sensual energy: Salome at ROH

Review

I didn't love the conceptual presentation of the Dance of the Seven Veils. It felt contrived and obvious, with its Freudian symbolism. I wanted more mystery, more horror and more beauty from it. Like the set, it felt distinctly 21st-century. It lacked the fragrance and uncomfortable beauty of Strauss' score and the original text itself.

More operatic roles for women: a pledge

Op-ed

Opera plots have traditionally required dramatic, pot-boiling plots, often inspired by history. And murder, mayhem, and power have certainly been male dominated. But moving forward, successful lyric theater stories need not always be centered on these kinds of themes.

Satire meets serious singing: TOT's Candide

Review

There was also the choice for some characters to use dialects - dangerous territory when you're already dealing with the pitfalls of Mid-Atlantic English pronunciation. I found the inconsistency of the dialects to be a bit distracting in the longer dialogue scenes, but the focus on great singing always brought you back home.

4 reasons to get excited about opera in 2018

Editorial

Readers, what are you looking forward to in your operatic lives this year? Every now and then it's nice to take stock of the exciting things on the horizon, to keep us interested and invested in the art form we all love. We've got four things for opera fans to get properly pumped about in 2018:

An encore to remember: high notes & marriage proposals

Humour

Tenor Clay Hilley knows how to pair business with pleasure: in his recital for the Wagner Society of New York on January 6, the tenor took an encore - and an opportunity to publicly propose to his girlfriend, Sara (of the very fab Shoperatic, in fact!).

Talking with singers: Beste Kalender

Interview

"I know many colleagues who have met their favourite mentors, got their first connections with the Metropolitan Opera, or connected with highly regarded agents in the States during or after their performances at The Song Continues."