A.j. Goldmann

This column is in defense of what I've been doing for these past four years-arts criticism at a college paper.

It is difficult-but not impossible-to create a sense of intimacy at the Metropolitan Opera, the largest opera house on earth.

In an age when the number of retrospective cinemas and cinematheques is dwindling, the Criterion Collection serves a vital purpose for the cinephile, bringing out an eclectic array of classical and modern films in beautifully-restored and packaged DVD sets.

Though David Byrne has spent the last 15 years exploring new musical territory, he is still best known as the songwriter and lead vocalist for Talking Heads, the influential band he helped found in 1974. Since the band's breakup in 1991, Byrne has produced an eclectic array of new material and has become a mentor and inspiration to a new generation of musicians, including the Arcade Fire and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.

Techno beats were heard at Carnegie Hall during a concert by the Pittsburgh Symphony's Orchestra concert on Tuesday night. The unexpected beats were a "pre-recorded intrusion" in Sofia Gubaidulina's otherwise astonishing and powerful "Feast During a Plague" at its New York premiere.

Don Carlo

The Metropolitan Opera

Conductor: James Levine

Cast: John Botha, René Pape, Olga Borodina, Dimitri Hvorostovky, Patricia Racette, Samuel Ramey

Performances through December 23rd

Verdi's Don Carlo returned to the repertory last week at the Metropolitan Opera in the classic John Dexter production.

By a.j. goldmann

Columbia Daily Spectator

In the 15 years that Ben Heppner has sung at the Metropolitan Opera, the Canadian heldentenor's career has come full circle with the current revival of Idomeneo, the role with which he made his company debut in 1991.

By AJ Goldmann

Spectator Staff Writer

The last time Gustav Mahler ever conducted his own music was in January 1911, four months before his death at the age of 51. The piece was his Fourth Symphony (among the most popular in the composer's day), performed by the Philharmonic Society of New York.

By A.J. Goldmann

Spectator Staff Writer

Ever since Cecil B. DeMille made a silent version of Carmen in 1915, filmmakers have been irresistibly drawn to opera. Anthony Minghella, the Oscar-winning director of The English Patient, is the latest in this line, with his striking new production of Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly.

The main reason to see the Metropolitan Opera's new production of Rossini's beloved "Il Barbiere di Siviglia" can be boiled down to three words: Figaro, Figaro, Figaro. The electrifying Peter Mattei sings the titular barber in Barlett Sher's ("The Light in the Piazza") elegant if evanescent staging.

City has jumpstarted the holiday season with a revival of one of their finest, James Robinson's imaginative and high-concept 1998 production of Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel.

Though a well-known figure in his day, Engelbert Humperdinck's reputation today rests squarely on "Hansel and Gretel.

All the attention that's being lavished on the Metropolitan Opera has the unfortunate effect of dulling the luster of New York City Opera's season. But those who are frustrated at the lack of tickets for blockbuster sold-out productions like Madama Butterfly and the Barber of Seville (and the upcoming First Emperor) should make stop over at City to check out their inventive season.

Concert versions of operatic works are risky propositions. When they succeed, they can astound. Undistracted by stage apparatus, both audience and performers can focus more intently on the music.

By a.j. goldmann

Columbia Daily Spectator

It's hard not to notice the Metropolitan Opera's new face-lift. In the hopes of improving the company's image and making opera a more vital part of New York culture, the Met's new general director Peter Gelb has initiated a slew of new strategies to draw a wider, more diverse crowd.

By a.j. goldmann

Spectator Staff Writer

In this anniversary year for Mozart and Shostakovich, there is another musical luminary who is being celebrated: the minimalist pioneer Steve Reich, who turned 70 on Oct. 3. He's also the only one of these artists who can take part in the festivities.

On Monday night, Carnegie Hall saw a meeting of two giants of the classical world. Conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim joined forces with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and its musical director James Levine for a program of music by Schoenberg and Beethoven.