Opera and ballet of the highest order, in stunning settings of antiquity, are what we are promised in Turkey’s lavish festivals this summer. An attractive land of mystery, of exotic art and culture, a land ‘full of eastern promise’ was how Turkey—or the Ottoman Empire as it was once known—was perceived in the west for many centuries. To westerners, for example, the instruments used in the country’s ‘marching bands’ entranced our most famous classical composers...
The prospect of a new golden era returns to the Bolshoi, and while London’s opera-goers give Plácido Domingo one of the loudest and longest standing ovations, New York City’s Carnegie Hall is gifted more than $950,000, at the same time enticing us with winter warmers for chilly February nights. Whether you happen to be in London, New York, Paris, Milan or any number of other major cites, the winter season always offers rich rewards to...
The Legend of Zelda and the journey that follows—a journey that may take you onwards to classical operas such as Anna Bolena, Siegfried, and La Traviata, courtesy of The Met: Live in HD, as the curtain rises on a glittering new opera season. As everyone knows, October, 2011 saw the 25th anniversary of Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda. This quarter-century landmark was celebrated with an anniversary concert in two cities, LA and London. The first...
