Divamensch

Liz and I heard a concert performance of Handel's Hercules at Carnegie Hall on Mar 16, 2026. It presented by Harry Bicket and The English Concert, his period instrument chamber orchestra. They come to Carnegie Hall about once a year for a concert performance of a Handel opera or oratorio. I've heard these: Orlando , Mar 2016 Semele, Apr 2019 Handel is a master of variety and dramatic expression within the context of the pretty rigid confines of the forms of his time. I said

Stephanie and I saw Tristan und Isolde at the Met on Mar 13, 2026. It's a new production directed by Yuval Sharon in his Met debut. He's directing Wagner's four-opera Ring Cycle starting in the 2027-28 season so this was an enticing taste of what he might do with that. I was amazed, it was one of the most beautiful and definitely the most thoughtful production I've seen at the Met. It's a measure of how long I've lived in New York (23.5 years) - - this is my third production