Il Travatore (Verdi)

Fantastic performances of a luscious opera.

Recommend.

Capriccio (Strauss)

A delightful (and sometimes comic) meta-meditation on the nature and purpose of opera. Renee Fleming's final, soulful aria was moving.

Recommend.

Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti)

Lovely to see Natalie Dessay in this overwrought, umpahpah role once again.

Recommend for Dessay; otherwise forget it.

Iphegenie au Taurus (Gluck)

Another terrific live HD broadcast from the Met.

Highly recommend.

Nixon in China (Adams)

Highly Recommend.

Boris Godunov (Mussorgsky)

Oh my, oh my, oh my. What a gorgeous hunk of music. Sublime choruses swell the first and third sections, while exquisite lyricism marks the middle section. Excellently performed and convincingly staged.

Highly recommend.

Hamlet (Ambroise Thomas)

A fine production of a 19th-century French opera not produced at the Met since the 1890s. I was disappointed that Natalie Dessay was replaced when she fell ill; however, Marlis Petersen provided a wonderful performance equal to Simon Keenlyside's fine one.

Recommend.

Simon Boccanegro (Verdi)

Fine production of Verdi's achingly beautiful opera, featuring Placido Domingo's Met debut as a baritone.

Highly recommend.

Carmen (Bizet)

The Met has a new production of Bizet's Carmen, and it is worth seeing--even if you think you've seen Carmen one time too many. Elina Garanca is sexy, provocative Carmen, and under Richard Eyre's stage direction, the sexual intensity never falters.

Recommend.

Der Rosenkavalier (R. Strauss)

Although the eponymous character of today's opera is a young man, this opera is really about women. Not only is the role of Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier, played by Susan Graham) a trouser role, but the young courtier's love is split between two women, Therese (the older, more experienced Marchionesse played by Renee Fleming) and Sophie (a young woman about to be betrothed to an older count, played by Christine Schafer). Before the end of the first act, the Marchionesse realizes that her young lover will soon abandon her for a young wife. Dumping him him before he can abandon her, she sends Octavian away. A comic, not very interesting second act and the comic, not very interesting first half of the third act, follow. The final half of the third act--nearly four hours into the production--is worth the long wait, as Fleming, Graham, and Schafer trade solos, duets, and a glorious trio.

By pairing Graham and Fleming, this production further emphasizes the opera's interest in women.

Highly recommend.

La Cerentola, Rossini

A lovely production of an opera that was more musically interesting than I'd anticipated.

La Sonambulist, Bellini

Natalie Dessay and Juan Diego Rivera provide lovely performances in quirky opera with semi-successful staging by Mary Zimmerman.

Recommend.

Madama Butterfly, Pucinni

Lovely production of an opera with sappy music and a horrid, horrid plot. Butterfly is treated wretchedly.

Recommend with caveats.

Lucia di Lammermoor, Donizetti

Wonderful Mary Zimmerman production of a nicely lyrical but awfully orchestrated--does it make musical sense to combine tragic lyrics with heavy waltzes?--of this crowd-pleasing favorite.

Recommend.

Orfeo, Christoph Gluck

Mark Morris' production of Gluck's lovely, lovely opera is fantastic. It's so mesmerizing that I'm completely caught off guard by the happy ending.

Highly recommend.

La Rondine, Puccini

Damnation of Faust, Berlioz

Stunning production of a fine opera.

Highly recommend.

Salome, Strauss

Not a very convincing production.

Recommend with caveats.

La fille du Regiment, Donizetti

Absolutely fabulous performance by Nathalie Dessay!!

Highly recommend.

La Boheme, Puccini

Same Zeferelli production that the Met's been trotting out for 30 plus years.

Recommend with caveats.