Review: THE FLYING DUTCHMAN at Metropolitan Opera
Thomas Guggeis, the young German conductor making his Met debut, is Kapellmeister at the Staatsoper Berlin and the designated Generalmusikdirektor of the Oper Frankfurt; pretty impressive for one who has yet to hit his 30th birthday!  His Met debut was justly anticipated, as across Europe he is known as something of a Wagner and Strauss specialist.  His performance was well-paced and well-colored and energetic. The score provides for enormous surges of energy and power, and the orchestra was certainly up to the task, but Guggeis’ rendition while quite good, was perhaps a tad lacking in thrills – the magnificent Wagner bombast was a little timid and the quieter passages were lovely but just a bit bland.  With time and more experience with this orchestra, one can safely expect some exceptional performances in the future.
VIDEO: Get A First Look At DER FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER at the Met Opera
Following his acclaimed 2019 performances as Alberich in the Ring cycle, bass-baritone Tomasz Konieczny stars as the accursed Dutchman in Wagner’s eerie drama, alongside incandescent soprano Elza van den Heever as the woman determined to redeem his soul. Get a first look at the cast in action.
Review Roundup: Ivo van Hove's DON GIOVANNI Opens at the Metropolitan Opera
Ivo van Hove, the Tony Award–winning director of Broadway’s A View from the Bridge, is making a major Met debut with Mozart’s Don Giovanni (May 5–June 2), re-setting the familiar tale of deceit and damnation in an abstract architectural landscape and shining a light into the work’s dark corners. Read what the critics have to say!
Photos: First Look at DON CARLOS at Lyric Opera of Chicago
Lyric Opera of Chicago is present Verdi’s towering masterpiece Don Carlos — performed for the first time at Lyric in its definitive five-act version with the matchless eloquence of its original French text — for five performances only, November 9-25, 2022. Get first look at photos here!