Metropolitan Opera | The European Conservative

A Grim La Forza del Destino for a Grim New York

Paul du Quenoy March 29, 2024

With such a fine musical performance, it is regrettable that the subway station is the production’s most memorable image.

Somber Tannhäuser Revival Has Highs and Lows

Paul du Quenoy February 5, 2024

The brilliant soloists at the Met were underserved by a worn production and subpar conducting.

Norma Lacks a Flame

Paul du Quenoy May 7, 2023

Sonya Yoncheva lacked that flame in crucial moments, though comparative listening across performances suggests that Maurizio Benini’s pedestrian conducting may well have been the culprit.

A Batty Lohengrin Flaps New York

Paul du Quenoy April 10, 2023

Lohengrin, with its lush music and tragic exploration of trust, betrayal, and forbidden knowledge, has imaginative gifts to offer contemporary audiences. The music still soars, but only to the cave ceiling, not to the skies.

Soul Searching at the Met: Dialogues des Carmélites Sets the Tone for Future Seasons

Paul du Quenoy February 13, 2023

Having withstood the test of time, this fine revival of Dialogues des Carmélites should be a lesson to the Met Opera management as it seeks a new direction.

Sounding the Death Knell of Civilization: New York’s Metropolitan Opera Charts a Foolish New Course

Paul du Quenoy January 2, 2023

One might imagine that the Met may have learned a powerful lesson from its present plight and uncertain future, but unfortunately not.

Where’s the Rage? Cherubini’s Medea Strikes Out on the Metropolitan Opera’s Opening Night

Paul du Quenoy December 29, 2022

An apt but uncharitable description of Medea’s incongruities might paraphrase Woody Allen’s description of a monster as a being with the body of a crab and the head of a social worker to say that Cherubini’s work sounds like a Mozart opera with a Beethoven overture.

A Lady Macbeth To Die For Conquers New York

Paul du Quenoy November 22, 2022

Conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson’s deft, efficient gestures captured the performance with balance between its driving sonic eccentricities and subtler and more contemplative passages.

A Disappointing Don Carlos

Paul du Quenoy April 21, 2022

Set against the production’s dismal sets, the action unfolded as a five-hour dirge of funereal hopelessness before ejecting spectators into equally gray Manhattan surroundings where after-theater conviviality is long dead.

Where Have All the Wagnerians Gone?

Paul du Quenoy January 12, 2022

The production has aged well. Its vibrant return after a seven-year absence should have been a landmark revival and one of the highlights of the Met’s new season. Musically, it met the mark. The energy on stage was palpable. The only disappointment was to be found in the audience. The revival’s first performance reportedly filled just 57% of the seats.

Tag: Metropolitan Opera

A Grim La Forza del Destino for a Grim New York

Somber Tannhäuser Revival Has Highs and Lows

Norma Lacks a Flame

A Batty Lohengrin Flaps New York

Soul Searching at the Met: Dialogues des Carmélites Sets the Tone for Future Seasons

Sounding the Death Knell of Civilization: New York’s Metropolitan Opera Charts a Foolish New Course

Where’s the Rage? Cherubini’s Medea Strikes Out on the Metropolitan Opera’s Opening Night

A Lady Macbeth To Die For Conquers New York

A Disappointing Don Carlos

Where Have All the Wagnerians Gone?

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Summer 2024, Issue 31

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