Opera

A young Japanese geisha in Nagasaki clings to the belief that her arrangement with a visiting American naval officer is a loving and permanent marriage. Video

The passionate, timeless, and indelible story of love among young artists in Paris, can stake its claim as the world’s most popular opera. Video

NZ Opera and the Auckland Philharmonia presented a short season of Leonard Bernstein’s Volaire-inspired operetta Candide as part of the Auckland Arts Festival. Was it the best of all possible worlds… Audio

We mark the passing of El Sistema founder Jose Antonio Abreu and hear more reaction to the proposed restructure at Auckland University’s School of Music. Peter Hoar reviews NZ Opera’s Candide and we…

A mystical journey tells the tale of a young man destined to renew a brotherhood of knights charged with guarding the relics of Christ’s last days. Video

Ever wanted to visit a moonscape? Now’s your chance with an Anthony Ritchie/Stuart Hoar opera coming to CubaDupa this weekend. The opera tells the story of Apollo astronauts meeting moon-stranded… Audio

Opera goes to the moon, we mark Race Relations Day, the APO announces its 2018 interns and today’s Famous Five is simply gorgeous.

A popular comic opera that combines a light-hearted story with beautiful melodies and four great leading roles. It’s set in a small village in rural Italy where everyone knows everyone and where… Video

Michael Parmenter’s new opera ballet OrphEus opened at the Auckland Arts Festival on Friday. It traces the love story Orpheus and Eurydice through the music of many composers, with a cast of 58… Audio

What was Michael Parmenter’s new opera ballet OrphEus like? How well did the King’s Singers & Voices New Zealand blend? We have reviewers from both events. Then, a glimpse back into composers banned…

Verdi’s turbulent tragedy of four characters caught in a web of family ties, politics, and love is a mainstay of the operatic repertory. Video

Mainlanders Teddy Tahu Rhodes and Simon O’Neill perform together in Christchurch for the first time in 20 years for NZ Opera’s Tosca. But did the leading men of opera in NZ shine? Tony Ryan was at… Audio

We take a glimpse at the Readers and Writers fest; then we discover what opera ballet is, and did NZ Opera’s Tosca impress Christchurch crowds? We also play music that brings a smile to your dial.

Standing and delivering is not enough on the opera stage anymore according to New Zealand singers Teddy Tahu Rhodes and Simon O’Neill. The former Cantabrians discuss working together on Tosca, their… Audio

Mozart’s Don Giovanni – not, perhaps, a cast of thousands, but certainly with eight principal singers. But not in this production for the Wellington Fringe Festival – Stuart Coates has condensed the… Audio

Men’s voices are today’s feature. We find out how you condense Don Giovanni into a solo show with singer Stuart Coates. Teddy Tahu Rhodes and Simon O’Neill talk Tosca, we celebrate 50 years of the…

Puccini’s melodrama about a volatile diva, a sadistic police chief, and an idealistic artist has offended and thrilled audiences for more than a century. Video

Thaïs is an Egyptian courtesan and priestess of Venus whom the Christian monk Athanaël seeks to reform. The opera explores the power of feminine allure and the desperation of male obsession. Video

For many years artists and musicians have been inspired by each other’s work. Significant periods in music history are named after equivalent movements in the visual arts, such as the Baroque, or… Audio

We celebrate Wellington Film Society’s 2018 season launch with some cinematic story telling through music with Chris Hormann, then Love, Longing, Loss and opera at the Auckland Art Gallery.