Berlin’s Deutsche Oper, the opera company based in the Western section of the formerly divided city, put on grand opera at its most opulent with Amilcare Ponchielli’s La Gioconda. Rarely performed these days due to the work’s staggering length, large

On 18 and 21 July, Sir Mark Elder conducts concert performances of the world premiere of an opera that was previously thought to have been consigned to oblivion: Donizetti’s L’Ange de Nisida.

In the late summer of their careers, divas like to stake out some territory that ensures their legacy. Maria Callas championed bel canto rarities, Cecilia Bartoli reinvigorated baroque treasures, Joyce di Donato promotes contemporary American Jake Heggie. A cursory overview

The new Lohengrin at the Royal Opera House, a co-production with Opera Vlaanderen, is musically a very fine production. What it lacks, however, is a unifying concept. Neither direction (David Alden), stage set (Paul Steinberg) nor costumes (Gideon Davey) came

P: “May I get a ticket for Emilia-Romagna?” CASHIER: “Emilia-Romagna? Which city?” P: “The city of Emilia-Romagna.” CASHIER: “Signore, Emilia-Romagna is not a city! It’s a region!!” P: “Wow! Really?” Briefly, I refocused. CASHIER: “Milano? Bologna? Reggio Emilia? P: “Ah!

When the mighty Met does something well, it truly excels. The new production by Sir David McVicar was near perfection. Replacing the unmissed Luc Bondy production, McVicar delivered what seemed like a fresher version of a Zeffirelli view of the

Quite possibly the Teatro San Carlo of Naples, Italy’s leading opera house in the early 19th century, has found its groove again. In spite of a middle-of-the-road production of Gioachino Rossini’s Mosè in Egitto (Moses in Egypt), the legendary San

Geneva is an unusual place. Set on a stunning lake at the Swiss-French border and surrounded by hulking dark mountains, its city center is dominated by banks and jewellers. Hotels and restaurants are notoriously overpriced, as is pretty much everything