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Christopher Corwin

Christopher Corwin

Observer

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‘Happy Birthday, Bill!’—America’s Gift to the French Baroque Turns 80

‘Happy Birthday, Bill!’—America’s Gift to the French Baroque Turns 80

Commemoration of William Christie's eighth decade began last year with grand stagings in Paris of Charpentier’s 'Médée' and Rameau’s 'Les Fêtes...

07.02.2025 2

Observer

Christopher Corwin

Michael Mayer’s Faux-Archaeologists Can’t Rescue His Entombed ‘Aida’ at the Met

Mayer’s weak attempt to address opera’s recent struggles with its history of fetishization of “exotic” cultures adds nothing to the production.

09.01.2025 8

Observer

Christopher Corwin

St. Thomas, Trinity Church, David Geffen and Carnegie Hall: The Many Ways to Handle ‘Messiah’

Messiah at Trinity Church in December of 2024. Photo: Isadora Kosofsky Throughout December, Messiah is nearly inescapable in New York City churches...

04.01.2025 2

Observer

Christopher Corwin

The Met Honors Puccini With a Scattershot Gala ‘Tosca’

In recent years, the Metropolitan Opera has asked artists to respond to the company’s new productions. Their creations are then transferred onto...

21.11.2024 8

Observer

Christopher Corwin

Richard Tucker Award Winners Are Dominating New York City’s Fall Opera Season

January will mark the 50th anniversary of beloved tenor Richard Tucker’s sudden death at the age of 61. The foundation created soon after his...

15.11.2024 3

Observer

Christopher Corwin

Preparing Tomorrow’s Opera Stars: Joyce DiDonato Shows Us How It’s Done

When you search for “Master Class” videos on YouTube, you encounter unexpected instructors like Natalie Portman, Margaret Atwood, Neil DeGrasse...

31.10.2024 2

Observer

Christopher Corwin

Tenor Benjamin Bernheim Scores Another Triumph in the Met’s ‘Tales of Hoffmann’ Revival

After the Metropolitan Opera opened its season with a recently composed opera—Jeanine Tesori’s Grounded—the company returned to standard repertoire...

04.10.2024 1

Observer

Christopher Corwin

Bard SummerScape Once More Endeavors to Make Meyerbeer Great Again

Every year as the centerpiece of SummerScape, Bard College’s wide-ranging performing arts festival, the institution’s president and impresario Leon...

15.08.2024 1

Observer

Christopher Corwin

Teatro Nuovo Revives a Forgotten Bel Canto Opera by a Woman Composer for the First Time in Nearly 200 Years

After the Metropolitan Opera’s season ends in early June, local opera lovers patiently bide their time until late July when Teatro Nuovo again...

10.08.2024 4

Observer

Christopher Corwin