Ercole Amante
Glorious Revival of a Rare Opera
Given the many constraints that female artists, writers and composers faced in the 17th and 18th centuries, it is a wonder that they managed to create as many completed works as they did. Among all these extraordinary women, composers perhaps … Read More
Un Chant de la Terre
Speaking of the Earth
For four days between March 7 and March 10, the Philharmonie de Paris staged a series of events to celebrate the work of women poets. I was delighted to attend the opening evening, entitled Un Chant de la Terre (A … Read More
Eugene Onegin
Musical Triumph, Conventional Staging
The headline name for this new production of Tchaikovsky’s adaptation of Pushkin’s verse novel Eugene Onegin at the Palais Garnier is evidently Ralph Fiennes in his directorial debut for the Paris Opera. Not only has the much-lauded British actor spoken … Read More
À Vous de Jouer
Play It Again, Jane/John Doe
What could be more soothing than to hear Debussy’s “Clair de Lune” being played live amid the bustle and stress of a train station or airport? Once, I even came upon a highly professional troupe of musicians and singers performing … Read More
L’Uomo Femina
Women Rule!
I have long been an admirer of conductor Vincent Dumestre and his excellent period-instrument orchestra Le Poème Harmonique. Specializing in French music from the 17th and early 18th centuries, it has staged and recorded seldom-performed music for over 25 years. … Read More
Médée
Stage Magic
Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s opera Médée (called a tragédie lyrique) has had a lot of waiting to do. The dramatist Pierre Corneille wrote his version of the Medea myth as early as 1634, at the beginning of his career. Thomas Corneille, 19 … Read More
Klaus Mäkelä, Véronique Gens, Philippe Jordan
Music Made in France
Still not yet 30, Finnish conductor Klaus Mäkelä is the man of the moment in the classical music world. Not only has he been the music director of the Orchestre de Paris since 2021, but he is also chief conductor … Read More
Lohengrin
Wagner at War
The first night of Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov’s Paris Opera début at the Bastille was destined to be a sensational event. Serebrennikov, who has always been outspoken in his home country over such issues as LGBTQ rights (he is openly … Read More
Tristan und Isolde
Visual and Sonic Glories
The famous Paris Opera production of Richard Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde by director Peter Sellars, in collaboration with video artist Bill Viola, makes another welcome return to the Bastille. There is a reason why this production has remained in the … Read More
MeanWeill: Berlin to Broadway (via Paris)
The Gritty, Bittersweet World of Weill
One of the joys of Paris is how often unexpected performances pop up in unlikely locations. I had been to La Cave Café in the 18th arrondissement before, but I imagined that the bar’s name (“cave” means “cellar”) hinted only at huge … Read More