The majestic natural setting of the Santa Fe Opera structure--open on the sides and stage to fresh air and awe-inspiring views of New Mexico’s Sangre de Cristo mountains at the breathtaking elevation of 7000 feet--would seem to be a perfect place to stage Wagner's operas, where the wonders of the natural world (floods, fire, forest, mountain peaks) often play such an important role. And yet this summer’s new[...]
The Hollywood Bowl–site of so many glittering performances under the balmy Southern California skies–is celebrating its 100th anniversary this summer. Wagner was invited to the birthday party, which seems only […]
Over the last several decades, interpretations of the Ring have become so various that it is difficult to find any scholarly analysis or staged production that has not been touched […]
This is a Wagner newsletter, and I am writing about Strauss, but there is an important Wagner connection to Ariadne, perhaps less a connection than a push-back. Hofmannsthal and Strauss […]
Gallons of ink have been spilled in praise of the ravishing instrument that soprano Lise Davidsen brought to the opera world when she burst on the scene in 2015. It […]