Quests and Anticipations

After the Fall of Emperor Napoleon III, France decided to give Republicanism a third chance, and, this time it put down roots, with no monarch nor emperor sitting on a French throne ever since.  There were 20th century catastrophes to come, and some political and social turmoil at the end of the 19th, but, all in all, … Read more

This website has reviewed productions that are scheduled for performance (in each of the cases listed below) at other opera houses.  Our reviews gave high marks to these productions and strongly recommends each for the consideration of opera goers with an opportunity to see them.  Our reviews of each of these productions are cited. Simon Boccanegra (Verdi), San Francisco Opera, September 5, 9, 12, 17, 21, 24 … Read more

The reign of Napoleon III proved to be an extraordinarily dynamic one for France, and especially, Paris, its capital city, even though the reign ended badly for Napoleon and Paris itself was roughed up a bit at the end. We especially remember the Second Empire for Paris’ architectural and transportation makeovers. But there is an operatic legacy … Read more

Several decades have passed since mid-20th century operas by Britten, Stravinsky, Poulenc and Floyd, among others, were composed.  Several of these works have a substantial performance history, with productions mounted at companies throughout the world.  At some opera houses, over the past several decades, there have been three or more new productions of at least one opera … Read more

Although the three major opera companies in California – San Francisco Opera, Los Angeles Opera and San Diego Opera – frequently present works of the great Italian opera composer, Giacomo Puccini, one can expect special attention to his compositions as we approach the 150th anniversary of Puccini’s birth on December 22, 1858. In fact, between the productions … Read more