Ralph P. Locke
Much-loved short works by Pergolesi and Mozart storm the stage, thanks to spiffy French dialogue between the musical numbers.
Rejected in Gluck’s time because it lacked dramatic thrust, today “Écho and Narcissus” proves to be a candy-box of delights.
With Egyptian-born Amina Edris in the title role, Massenet’s opera engages the musical and theatrical imagination with its rich characterizations of Greek mythic adventures.
Even without international-caliber singers and players, Giovanni Piaisello’s “Amor vendicato” works much magic.
Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s 1686 “David and Jonathan” brings ancient characters to life in this 2022 Chateau de Versailles production, brilliantly staged, danced, sung, and played.
Carl Nielsen’s vivid biblical opera “Saul & David,” here paired with Helge Bonnén’s remarkable concert adaptation of poems from “Spoon River Anthology.”
Latvian soprano Marina Rebeka, under conductor Christophe Rousset, shows why Berlioz and others loved “La Vestale”.
Mary Bevan, silvery soprano beloved in Boston, enchants anew in one of Handel’s most frequently performed and recorded operas.
The subjects of our critic’s favorite albums of the past year include a dragon, a sex-obsessed priest, Mỹ Lai, and a grand pageant about Jewish history.
Tenor Zachary Wilder — a Boston favorite — and others shine in a Cavalli opera from 380 years ago.
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