Opera

8 similarities between Wagner and Rammstein

DW's music editor Rick Fulker hasn't missed a year of the Richard Wagner Festival in Bayreuth for over 27 years. Here are his musings about what the …

Opera Maine’s ‘La Traviata’ starts shaky but finishes strong

A pair of warring impulses seem to drive Opera Maine, the freshly renamed company formerly known as PORTOpera (and before that, Portland Opera …

Opera singer says Ehlers-Danlos syndrome once robbed her of her voice

Ophira Calof spent 15 years of her life perfecting opera, but in 2011, it became difficult to sing.<p>She was enrolled in an opera performance program …

The Decline of Opera Queens and the Rise of Gay Opera

How gay is opera? According to popular folklore, very. The culture indicated by the phrase “opera queen” became visible in pioneering openly gay communities of the late nineteenth century, and undoubtedly existed long before that. Xavier Mayne’s “The Intersexes,” a 1908 defense of homosexuality, …

BBC Radio 3 - Essential Classics, "I think it's about the degree to which the audience is let in..."

Rob's guest this week is the highly acclaimed theatre, opera and film director Nicholas Hytner.<p>Until recently Nicholas was Director of the National Theatre, a role he held for nearly 12 years. He began his directing career in the opera house as an assistant at English National Opera, where he went …

The best free cultural experiences in NYC

1<p>Since 2012, Brooklyn Bridge Park has worked with local independent bookstores—including WORD, powerHouse Arena and Greenlight Bookstore—to produce …

Take Me Away: Sorrento, Italy’s paradise by the sea

There's an Italian paradise by the sea that is home to mermaids, volcanoes, limoncello, Greek legends and Italian traditions. Since the times of ancient Rome, the rich and famous always seem to “Come Back to Sorrento.”<p>Sorrento likely got its name from Surrentum, the ancient Roman name for this …

German opera festival confronts Wagner anti-Semitism head-on

BAYREUTH, Germany (AFP) — An edgy new opera production by Australian Jewish director Barrie Kosky tackling Wagner’s anti-Semitism head-on won …

See free outdoor screenings of the Metropolitan Opera’s best shows this summer

A post shared by The Metropolitan Opera (@metopera) on Jul 24, 2017 at 1:56pm PDT<p>Even if you’re a complete newbie when it comes to the Metropolitan …

Angelina Jolie says 'things became difficult' with Brad Pitt, reveals Bell's palsy diagnosis

Richard Wagner's "Mastersingers" given a grim-funny take in Bayreuth

The issue of anti-Semitism has long been delicately danced around at the Richard Wagner Festival, but stage director Barrie Kosky tackles it straight …

Center devoted to director Zeffirelli takes shape in Italy

FLORENCE, Italy (AP) — A center dedicated to Italian director Franco Zeffirelli is taking shape in Florence.<p>The Franco Zeffirelli International Center for the Performing Arts hosted a preview Tuesday of its exhibits, housed in a former Florence courthouse near Palazzo Vecchio.<p>Some 300 original …

Best Time to Visit London - Places to Visit in London in the Winter

Let's be honest—you aren't traveling to London for the weather, so why not visit in the winter, when plane fares are cheaper (after New Year's, that …

Bayreuth opera fest opens with Swedish royals, Merkel

BERLIN (AP) — The annual Bayreuth opera festival is underway in Germany, with Sweden's king and queen joining Chancellor Angela Merkel for a performance of Richard Wagner's "Die Meistersinger von Nuernberg."<p>Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf and the German-born Queen Silvia were among the guests posing …

11 Unique Cemeteries to Visit Before You Die

When you think of vacation, graveyards probably aren’t the first things that come to mind. Emma Healy bases a whole road trip on finding her way to a …

Nazi-abused Wagner opera staged by Jewish director Barrie Kosky in Bayreuth

Richard Wagner's opera "The Mastersingers" was used by the Nazis for propaganda. Australian stage director Barrie Kosky is the first non-German and …

5 Notable Performances from Bayreuth's Long History

The Richard Wagner Festival at Bayreuth in Germany has been thrilling audiences since 1876. With such a deep past and the 2017 edition of the Wagner …

Don Quixote review – synchronised bull-fighters take over as the Mariinsky banishes Don

Royal Opera House, London This cape-swirling, fan-clacking production is full of enthusiasm and excellent dancing – but where has our heroic knight gone?<p>Traditional Russian ballets can be baggy old beasts, and none baggier than Don Quixote. In the production that opens the Mariinsky’s London …

Instead of Dumbing Down Shakespeare, Smarten Up the Kids

I marked Father’s Day this June by attending a special showing of “High Noon” at Film Forum in the West Village, glorious on the big screen, with comments afterward by Maria Cooper Janis, the daughter of its star, Gary Cooper, and Glenn Frankel, who wrote a book, “High Noon: The Hollywood Blacklist …

A ‘Gay Jewish Kangaroo’ Takes on Wagner at Bayreuth

BERLIN — In 2013, as opera companies worldwide celebrated Richard Wagner’s 200th birthday, Barrie Kosky, who had recently arrived as artistic director of the Komische Oper in Berlin, declared an informal ban in his new house on works by that composer, toward whom he has long felt ambivalent.<p>Just …

Nathan David obituary

My husband Nathan David, who has died of cancer aged 87, was a sculptor who created bronzes of ballet dancers, including Rudolf Nureyev, Anthony Dowell, Antoinette Sibley, Natalia Makarova, Mikhail Baryshnikov and many others.<p>In 1980, Dame Margot Fonteyn unveiled the over-life-size bronze of …

5 Natural Ways To Reduce Your Anxiety

We all have anxiety one way or another, but some of us are better at managing and coping with it than others. This isn’t anyone’s fault, it just may be that they don’t know what tools they have in their kit to help themselves manage their anxiety. <b>There are a lot of things we can do for ourselves</b> …

Review: Massenet's Thais a glorious vehicle for Nicole Car's vocal performance

<b>Thais by Massenet.</b><p><b>Opera Australia. Town Hall. July 23</b><p>Massenet's <i>Thais</i> (1994) is one of those operas whose only excuse today is that no one takes it …

Counterpoint to filmmaker’s mall account, and other Scroll.in stories you may have missed this week

Danish conductor’s Indian roots, Niti Aayog-health ministry’s urban healthcare plans, heritage lost in the shadow of the Taj, and more.<p>Let us rewind …

An Actual Kim Kardashian Opera is Coming to the UK

Fans of KUWTK will have tuned in, popcorn at the ready, to witness the disputes between Kim Kardashian and her former husband Kris Humphries, whose …

Pops goes the classical fare as Severinsen meets Sommerfest

Sommerfest is all about the familiar. Since its founding in 1980, the Minnesota Orchestra’s annual warm-weather collection of concerts has been …

The Metropolitan Opera Will Offer Free Outdoor Screenings of 9 Titles This Summer

The Met’s ninth annual Summer HD Festival will also feature Ingmar Bergman’s The Magic Flute.<p>Before the Metropolitan Opera’s 2017–2018 season kicks …

'Mastersingers' give downbeat in Bayreuth as festival examines its Nazi past

The world's most prestigious opera festival starts on July 25, with the present-day Wagner family notably quiet but fresh insights into Richard …

Manchester's oldest Italian restaurant up for three awards this year

The food and drink industry is big business. According to official statistics, it generates a massive £2.5bn for the economy of Greater …

BBC Arts - BBC Arts - Access all arias with a new season of opera on the BBC

In the Autumn, opera companies from across the UK will come together with the BBC for #OperaPassion day, an online celebration of British, European and global theatre.<p>It will give opera-loving audiences in the UK and around the world a chance to dive in, share and experience this all-encompassing …