Thanks to three outstanding performances, two onstage and one in the orchestra pit, this production of Jenůfa gloriously demonstrates the heights the ENO can reach as well as the magnificence of Janáček’s music. Let’s start with the music because the Czech composer Leos Janáček had a unique style, with the orchestra and the singers often seeming detached from each … Read more
The British composer and sound designer Sarah Angliss received her inspiration for this new opera from a visit to the Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons where she saw the huge skeleton of the man known as The Irish Giant. The museum started as a private collection of the esteemed anatomist and surgeon … Read more
NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — When the Metropolitan Opera last revived Verdi’s “La Forza del Destino,” a reviewer bemoaned its “four soul-numbing hours of ludicrous plot twists.” That’s harsh. But there’s no question the libretto of this musically glorious, sprawling work does pose challenges unique among Verdi’s later operas. For one thing, the … Read more
Bernard Arnault used to be known for buying luxury brands. Now, his favorite pastime is snapping up buildings – the latest of which is a historic Paris mansion near the Opera Garnier. Hotel Soltykoff, Paris Luxury behemoth LVMH, where Arnault is chairman, CEO and controlling shareholder, acquired the Hotel Soltykoff at 10 rue Volney, located … Read more
WASHINGTON — The newest group of Kennedy Center honorees, including comedian Billy Crystal and actor Queen Latifah, are being feted Sunday night at a star-studded event commemorating their lifetime achievement in arts and entertainment. Opera singer Renée Fleming, music star Barry Gibb and prolific hitmaker Dionne Warwick also are being honored at the black-tie gala. … Read more
