Dec 25th, 2009 · In La Cenerentola, Rossini's take on the classic story of Cinderella, the title character overcomes her dysfunctional family with an admirable combination of courage and tolerance. Joyce DiDonato stars in the tile role in a production from Houston Grand Opera.
Nov 22nd, 2009 · From sensuous-sounding Chopin to a radical remix of Terry Riley's IN C, NPR Music's Tom Huizenga and All Things Considered host Guy Raz spin a wide assortment of new classical CDs.
Jul 3rd, 2009 · The opera has a scatterbrained story, full of decidedly goofy characters. Yet Rossini's gift for musical profiling, plus a raft of bravura arias and ensembles, make this La Scala production a comic gem.
May 15th, 2009 · Superficially, Rossini's opera may seem like a blatant rehash of his famous comedy, The Italian Girl in Algiers. A closer look reveals a deceptive drama, with a shadow of sadness darkening its comic facade.
Jan 23rd, 2009 · The plot is more than a little silly — not to mention politically incorrect in the extreme — but wackiness was never done better, or more beautifully, than Rossini did it in The Italian Girl in Algiers, heard in a Washington National Opera production filled with world-class, Rossini singers.
Dec 26th, 2008 · La Cenerentola is Rossini's uproarious, yet touching version of the familiar Cinderella story — minus the magic pumpkin and the glass slipper, but with an added dose of telling, human foibles. Vivica Genaux stars in a production from the Grand Theatre of Geneva.
Aug 15th, 2008 · The Barber of Seville may be the perfect, operatic comedy. On World of Opera it comes to us from the jewel-like theater at Glimmerglass Opera, a perfect venue for the crystalline musical textures and intimate vocal detail of Rossini's masterpiece.
Apr 22nd, 2007 · A debut at the Metropolitan Opera is an opera singer's dream. It's about to become a reality for tenor Lawrence Brownlee. He'll be singing the role of the love-struck Count Almaviva, in Rossini's The Barber of Seville.