Charles Castronovo Movies

Without question, this is an incredibly bizarre production. The revised storyline makes little sense, and there is a surprising amount of violence...

Ever since its premiere in Turin in 1896, La bohème has been a huge hit with audiences across the world. Within two years, it had been seen in...

La Rondine (The Swallow) is possibly the least performed of Giacomo Puccinis later operas, but is still just as much a masterwork as its more...

Power struggles among rival families in 14th-century Genoa, a story of tragic love, a young girl gone missing… Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra...

In 2009, Frédéric Mistral’s tale of love and loss in Provence came to the Opéra de Paris with a new production of...

How can emotion come to light on the opera set? Does it come from singing, acting or music? How can someone become the incarnation of Verdi's...

Natalie Dessay made her first European appearances as Violetta in La traviata in a new production by the French director Jean-François...

In Benoît Jacquot’s production, Manet’s Olympia dominates the stage of the Opéra Bastille. In 1863, the painting caused a...

Presented at Baden-Baden’s Pentecost Festival, this production of Boito’s Mefistofele captured the hearts of both audiences and...

Antonio Pappano conducts a stellar cast of singers in favourite arias, duets and choruses from operas by Rossini, Donizetti and Puccini, along with...

Diana Damrau’s reputation as the world’s leading coloratura soprano has been built on her extraordinary technical virtuosity, her...

The Belgian dancer and choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui interprets Glucks late Baroque opera Alceste as an impressive symbiosis between dance and...

Richard Jones’ “La bohème” is an important weapon in the Royal Opera’s commercial arsenal. This is its second revival...