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Any parallels between Rome in the first century under Emperor Titus and the United States two millennia later under Emperor Trump were lost in a Tinseltown graphic novel sweep.

Thaddeus Strassberger proposed a mise-en-scène where the story is reenacted in Tamara’s confused mind while she is confined in a monastery.

Monstyrska dominates as Abigaille, Domingo brings his unique baritenor style to the title role, Thaddeus Strassberger creates a riot of colour and antiquarian style.

In its first full staging in Russia, Miecysław Weinberg’s complex, eclectic score is sung and played with excellence; Thaddeus Strassberger's direction and staging presses all the emotional buttons.

Looks can be deceiving in this beautifully sung revival of Thaddeus Strassberger's Oslo production of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro.

Bard SummerScape made musical history by presenting the first full staging of British composer Ethel Smyth’s opera The Wreckers. Born in 1858 and dying in 1944, Smyth was celebrated in her day (John Singer Sargent painted her portrait in 1901) not only for her compositions, but for being an openly bisexual member of the suffrage movement.

An operatic thiller? Can such a thing exist? With an edgy score, Søren Nils Eichberg’s opera Glare tries hard to convince, at least initially.

Theodor Strassberger's Oslo production of Mozart's Don Giovanni offers a fresh, mostly well-sung take on an old classic.

For the opening production in its 35th anniversary season, Opéra de Montréal pulled out all the stops in Verdi’s Nabucco, presented as a re-enactment of its première in 1842.

If you are going to see Verdi’s I due Foscari, this production is likely the way to do it. Although this production is by no means unflawed, there are several reasons that it is a must-see for opera fans in Vienna.

During Verdi’s bicentenary month and year, it’s fitting that Opera Philadelphia kicked off its 2013/14 season with the work that Verdi himself considers as having launched his own career – Nabucco. Written at a time when Italy longed to be free of foreign rule, Verdi’s name and the expression “Viva Verdi” became synonymous with Italian nationalism and unification.

Entering the Norwegian National Opera for their season opener of Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, I imagined it would be a pretty conventional production and was hoping for some good singing. Turns out, I was only partly right.

Britten’s opera The Rape of Lucretia is, as the title implies, not an easy opera subject-wise. It is based on André Obey’s play Le viol de Lucrèce, which in turn is partially based on Shakespeare’s poem The Rape of Lucrece. This was Britten’s third opera, and the first of his so-called chamber operas, operas with small orchestras and small casts.

Almost any singer with Plácido Domingo’s résumé would be happily retired from the stage at age 71, but Domingo is obviously not any singer. With over 140 roles performed, the Spanish tenor’s legacy is unparalleled, and that legacy is still growing.

When I saw a three-tiered theater set-up on the Kennedy Center Opera House stage, consisting of boxes decorated with blue velvet, gold and exquisite paintings, I have to admit that even having seen various different stagings of Verdi’s Nabucco before, I was intrigued.

La mise en scène de Thaddeus Strassberger s'efforce d'en mettre plein la vue mais elle ne rend pas justice au drame de Verdi, tandis qu'Irina Lungu déçoit dans le rôle-titre.