When the most voluptuous, sought-after courtesan in the world meets an ascetic monk whose life is devoted to God, you know erotic sparks are going to fly. And when the clash takes place in a glorious, but rarely performed, opera by Massenet, it’s a delight to the ear just as much as to the eye. Renée Fleming is every inch the glamorous Thaïs, swathed in elegant gowns designed by Christian Lacroix. Thomas Hampson is Athanaël, the tortured man of God. This production by John Cox, which premiered in December 2008, brilliantly sets the stage for a confrontation as old as civilization itself.

Francesco Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur was inspired by the real-life story of a celebrated actress at ...

Premiered in 1787, “Don Giovanni” exposes the timeless theme of a man hovering between vitality and ...

CARMEN is the classic tale of forbidden passion between a young man and a spoken-for woman, Carmen. ...

Just as a young woman is about to marry her sweetheart, she is discovered—by the entire village, to ...

Verdi’s admiration for Shakespeare led to such masterpieces as Othello and Falstaff, and if the earl...

A village hires a priestess to pray for the safety of their pearl fishermen, but long lost love gets...

José Cura sings and acts here with an inwardness and intensity which make a profound impression. So ...

"Manon", wrote Puccini to his publisher Giulio Ricordi in 1889, "is a heroine I believe in and there...

This superb 2006 production of the Los Angeles Opera's La Traviata stars Renée Fleming, who joins th...
A colorful and comedic staging of the classic opera buffa by the Vienna State Opera.

With his affinity for the 16th-century sculptor Benvenuto Cellini's advocacy of artistic and persona...

An excellent performance of this delightful opera. The principals are superb, especially the sisters...

"La Bohème" is one of Giacomo Puccini's most popular and timeless works and the second-most performe...

Recorded at the Glyndebourne Festival Opera in 1995, this acclaimed presentation of composer Gioachi...

Kristine Opolais is the young woman whose conflicting desires for love and luxury lead to her tragic...

Richard Wagner's Parsifal, staged at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo in 2020, opened the opera season ...

David McVicar's exhilarating new production, with Anne Sofie von Otter in the title role, restores t...