Treat yourself to WNO's Magic Flute

Review

A cast of charismatic singing actors with impeccable comic timing to go with their across-the-board excellent Mozartean singing are the whipped cream and cherry on top of this operatic ice cream sundae.

Karah Son a "true jewel" of Opera Omaha's Madama Butterfly

Review

"Son's entire demeanor shifted in this scene from distraught mess to calm intensity. The effect was quite jarring, ending the opera with a truly tragic shock."

Revived Maria, Regina d’Inghilterra A Crowd-Pleasing Guilty Pleasure

Review

"I absolutely believe the program's assertion that Pacini was Rossini's main rival for the bel canto crown during the peak of his career."

Talking with singers: Douglas Williams

Interview

"At the moment I'm thinking of a project where I can bring singing and nature together. Probably a video. Probably somewhere in Nevada. Maybe text by Robinson Jeffers. Maybe music by me."

#TheStories, part 15

Editorial

"I drifted off, and at some point, I saw a dark figure come into the room, with two more full glasses of wine... and the next thing I knew I was fully naked, and I didn’t know where I was. I eventually just went along and didn't fight it, I was completely incapacitated and drunk, mostly asleep and hours away from home with no available help."

Follow the Lieder: weird & wonderful & a must-watch

Humour

Follow the Lieder is a series of short films by Alisdair Kitchen, produced by Rye Arts Festival in association with the Royal College Of Music and National Opera Studio. As the name suggests, each video is set to German art song, among them Schubert's Versunken, Der Atlas, and Die Forelle.

Moral dilemmas & an excellent quartet: HGO's Rigoletto

Review

As Rigoletto leaves the party, we see the true depth of his character. As Mayes interprets him, the jester is very fidgety, his routines a compulsive series of tics that he feels compelled to practice even when nobody else is around, very much the modern laborer trapped in his work.

Operatic journeys: MassOpera presents Freedom Ride

Interview

"I hope that the audience members will see themselves in the characters on stage, that they will be moved and inspired by the stories those characters tell, and will come away reflecting on how those stories relate to our world today."

This Medium packs a punch

Review

The amount of emotion and energy she put into her character's maniacal laughter, fear, abusive pummellings and Jekyll-and Hyde remonstrations of poor pitiful Toby were awful to observe – and I mean that as a compliment.

#TheStories, part 14

Editorial

"I haven't told people about this, and those I have, I have been very cryptic about names. This is because this man's wife is very prominent in my business, and although a part of me would love to go up to her and tell her exactly what kind of a man her husband is, I am too scared that she would not believe me, and would do her best to make sure I never work again."