A jack of all trades: Michael Spyres on Vienna, Tristan and Verdi

Every summer, Saaremaa Opera Festival and Narva Opera Days are held at the extreme west and eastern ends of Estonia – far from everyday life, where things can become uncanny, unpredictable and fantastical.

Longtime music journalist and founder of ArtsJournal talks about the multiple crises facing orchestras and arts organisations in the United States, amid the damage wrought by the second Trump administration.

A hugely successful composer of bel canto opera, Gaetano Donizetti had a lasting impact, with many of his operas entering regular rotation in houses around the world for almost 200 years. 

In 2026, Opéra national de Paris presents its first complete cycle of Wagner’s Ring for over a decade, with productions directed by Calixto Bieito. We dig into these striking and provocative productions...

Fresh out of her triumphant appearance in La sonnambula at the Met, soprano Nadine Sierra talks about being on a turning point in her career. 

From fulfilling funerary functions, to eulogising friends and fellow artists, or lamenting the waste of war: here are some of the finest examples of music written in mourning.