THE BARBER OF SEVILLE – REVIEW OF 2026 COC PRODUCTION

 Reviewed by James Karas           

The Barber of Seville, the Canadian Opera Company’s companion to Rigoletto for its winter season, is an irrepressible opera that combines unforgettable music and melodies with a wonderful and funny love story. You can’t go wrong with seeing it for the first or umpteenth time.

The current production is a revival of the 2015 staging by Joan Font which was last seen here in 2020. The production has its moments and some of its disappointments but it rises to thoroughly enjoyable level in the second half.

There were some issues with the singing at the beginning where tenor Dave Monaco as Count Almaviva and baritone Luke Sutliff as Figaro had difficulty reaching the demands of their roles. Their vocal cords settled down during the second half. Bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni did fine work as the singing teacher Basilio especially in his delivery of his famous aria “La Calumnia.”

Baritone Renato Girolami sang an excellent Dr. Bartolo and managed to be sonorous and humorous throughout the performance. Mezzo-soprano Deepa Johnny made a fetching and marvelous Rosina both vocally and theatrically. We fall in love with her right from the start when she sings “Una voce poco fa” (a voice echoed in her heart) and then tells us  that she is docile and simply announces that she is gentle, respectful, obedient, sweet and loving if she gets her way. She turns into a viper if she does not and swears that she will get her lover Lindoro. Period. Johnny sings sweetly, convincingly, beautifully and displays the verve and determination that we want to see in Rosina. A superb performance. 

Deepa Johnny and Renato Girolami. Photo: Michael Cooper

Rossini gives a somewhat unrelated aria, “Il vecchiotto cerca miglie” (The old man seeks a wife) to the maid Berta (Ariana Maubach) who sings it gorgeously and deserves kudos.

Director Joan Font and Set and Costume Designer Joan Guillen want to give their conception of the opera. Fair enough. But you must give us something original and convincing that adds something to our appreciation of the work. The Barber can be done on two sets. First the town square with the exterior of Bartolo’s house and a window where see Rosina. The second scene is the interior of Bartolo’s house with the details and variations that the director and designer can provide.

In this production Dr. Bartolo lives in a glass house and we see the interior window where Rosina stands and the staircase  for exiting the house. The interior  has a stark look about it with a very large piano and a few chairs. There is a large rectangle at the rear that is black or we see a flowering tree of various colors displayed on it. Only half the stage is lit at times and that adds nothing to the production. At times the stage looks like a storage facility.

Scene from The Barber of Seville: Photo: Michael Cooper

In the opening scene Count Almaviva stands on a huge guitar to serenade Rosina and Figaro sings much of “Largo al Factotum” as if his feet were nailed to the stage boards. Let’s just say that the set adds nothing to the production.

There is a woman sitting stage right throughout the performance and I could not figure out what she was doing there.

The costumes were fine representing we assume Seville attire in the 19^th century or whenever.

Font casts eleven actors in the production and they appear now and then in addition to the chorus. I could not figure out what they were doing except to add crowds whether they are necessary or not.     

Font’s and Guillen’s conception and execution added very little to the opera but they did not repress the music, the singing and the humour of Rossini’s genius. Conductor Daniela Candillari made sure of that with her handling of the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra and Chorus that performed superbly.    
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The Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini with libretto by Cesare Sterbini in a revival of a COC coproduction with Houston Grand Opera, Opéra National de Bordeaux and Opera Australia opened on February 5 and will be performed eight times until February 21, 2026, on various dates at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario. For details see www.coc.ca

James Karas is the Culture Editor of The Greek Press, Torontp

RIGOLETTO – REVIEW OF 2026 CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY PRODUCTION

 Reviewed by James Karas

The Canadian Opera Company has scheduled two operatic gems for its winter season, Rigoletto and The Barber of Seville, and no one can argue with these inveterate crowd pleasers. One may argue that the company should be more adventurous but no one can get tired of its two choices, so be it.

This revival of Christopher Alden’s 2011 production is carried by an excellent cast but it may be best described as quirky or unorthodox or, at times, a bit confusing for someone seeing the opera for the first time.

Before I discuss those attributes, I want to praise the singers and state unequivocally, that they make the production enjoyable and worthwhile seeing even if you have seen the opera umpteen times.

Quinn Kelsey as the court jester Rigoletto. whether he is expressing love for his daughter Gilda or mocking and then begging the courtiers, gives a marvellous and emotionally splendid performance. When he sings with Gilda, he displays a deeply felt affection for her. When he mocks the courtiers, he is disgusting and in his last outburst when he realizes that Sparafucile has killed Gilda instead of the Duke, he delivers an emotional knockout.

Soprano Sarah Dufresne has a lush and gorgeous voice and her Gilda is vocally outstanding and emotionally moving. Yes, you do have to forget or ignore the fact that she is naive. She decides to get killed to save the life of the repulsive Duke because she loves him. Sure. Put all that aside and listen to her singing. Dufresne will be replaced by Andriana Chuchman on February 10, 12 and 14.

 Simona Genga (back), Sarah Dufresne and Ben Bliss in Rigoletto. 

Photo: Michael Cooper

Tenor Ben Bliss sings the amoral, selfish and swaggering Duke. He starts with “Questa o quella” and ends up with the unforgettable  “La dona e mobile” which has a gorgeous melody and offensive lyrics but, once again, just listen to it and ignore the details until after you leave the theatre.   

A few comments about Alden’s idiosyncrasies.

In the opening scene we find Rigoletto seated in a leather chair in a corner of the stage. Alden is a fan of seated characters and rarely allows them to face or sing to each other. We are in what looks like in a Gentlemen’s Club. The members are dressed formally a la 19^th century private club members that may represent such a place in London. Rigoletto, the odious court jester has a hump but otherwise is dressed like the other club members. He goads and insults the Courtiers and one of them Monterone (Gregory Dahl) curses him. The Duke and the courtiers make up a social group that have the morals of alley cats.

As we know, the courtiers abduct Rigoletto’s daughter Gilda from her house. While she sings some beautiful arias and duets with her father in a place that does not look like a residence, we see courtiers milling around. The Duke sneaks in (he bribes Gilda’s maid Giovanni sung by Simona Genga) and we are treated to romantic, really romantic, duet by the Duke and Gilda. What starts as a lecherous cad and ends as a rapist and disgusting person (“La dona e mobile”) becomes a romantic hero for a few minutes. But as soon as he leaves and the courtiers who were milling around disperse, they return with faces covered and abduct Gilda. What were they doing there before?

They take Gilda to the palace and a distraught Rigoletto begs the courtiers to tell him where his daughter is. He sings to us and not to the courtiers who have huddled around Gilda who is lying on a couch and presumably being raped. She should be found in a bedroom but Alden has her on a couch. Is the Duke raping her or the courtiers? We know it should be the Duke thinking she is Rigoletto’s mistress (really?) The scene is confusing. Rigoletto should be begging the courtiers directly but they have their backs to him and he addresses us. Well, take it as it comes.

The final scene takes place in Sparafucile's dingy tavern or den of murder and iniquity. Sparafucile is a hit man for hire and his sister Maddalena (Zoie Reams) is a lowlife for hire. In Alden’s production and Set and Costume Designer Michael Levine, it looks like a swanky hall where the members of the Gentlemen’s Club are having a general meeting. We hear the wonderful quartet and the goings on but what are they doing there? It is an awful night of thunder and lightning and murder, what are the well-dressed men doing there. 

Johannes Debus conducts the Canadian Opera Orchestra and Chorus in a splendid performance.

I find Alden’s quirks mystifying but they are not enough to spoil Verdi’s work and especially the superb cast that gives you a terrific night at the opera
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Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi cis being performed seven times until February 14, 2026 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario. Tel:  416-363-6671. www.coc.ca

James Karas is the Culture Editor of The Greek Press, Toronto

I PURITANI – REVIEW OF 2026 LIVE FROM THE MET IN HD TRANSMISSION

 Reviewed by James Karas

Vincenzo Bellini’s  I Puritani is one of the finest bel canto operas, warts and all, and the Metropolitan Opera transmitted it to theatres around the world on January 10, 2026. Musically and vocally, it is an outstanding production but the “warts” of the libretto are still there. This was the 67^th Metropolitan Opera performance of the work which gives you a good indication of its popularity. 

The last Met production was in 1976 and it was revived several times. The current staging is by Charles Edwards who brings his own ideas. He tinkers with the plot that involves the beautiful Elvira (Lisette Oropesa) who is in love with Lord Arturo during the English Civil War of the 1640’s. She is a Puritan (The Roundheads) and he is a Royalist (The Cavaliers). During the overture, Edwards shows Elvira painting Arturo’s portrait and falling in love with him. It is 1641 and the Civil War has not started yet but it is brewing. Edwards gives us a timeline on the screen to make sense of the libretto.

In the meantime, Puritan Riccardo (Ricardo José Rivera) has fallen in love with Elvira and her father wants her to marry him. Luckily her uncle Giorgio (Christian Van Horn) has convinced him to let her marry Arturo.

Lisette Oropesa as Elvira and Lawrence Brownlee as Arturo 

in Bellini's "I Puritani." Photo: Ken Howard / Met Opera

In the meantime, or eight years later, we meet Enrichetta (Eve Gigliotti) flitting on and off the stage. Arturo arrives at the camp of the enemies, for his wedding to Elvira and recognizes Enrichetta as the wife of the beheaded King Charles I. She is a prisoner of the Roundheads and he decides to save her from certain death by disguising her as Elvira and leaving the latter at the altar. 

If you sense noticeable creaking, it is not the floorboards; it is the plot. In any event Elvira goes mad, the Roundheads win, Arturo returns, Elvira regains her sanity and they all live happily evert after. You do not see I Puritani for the plot details but for the gorgeous music, astounding bel canto singing, superb sets and lighting that more than make up for the unsatisfactory libretto by Carlo Pepoli, based on the play Têtes Rondes et Cavaliers by Jacques-François Ancelot and Joseph Xavier Saintine.

You see the opera to hear the extraordinary voice of soprano Lisette Oropesa. Bellini provides melodies that demand flourishes, long lines , intricate singing that few sopranos can manage. Oropesa masters him. She is stunning throughout and especially in the Mad Scene with a full-range display of emotional depth and vocal splendor.

Tenor Lawrence Brownlee has a light, flexible and terrific tenor voice that can reach the stratosphere but sings with unmatched beauty in his arias and ensemble pieces. His Arturo is heroic, decent, in love and always vocally marvelous as he holds the long phrases, soars where necessary and is simply an aural delight.

Baritone Artur Ruciński was indisposed and baritone Ricardo José Rivera replaced him on a few hours’ notice in the role of the spurned lover Riccardo. He did excellent work and earned the respect, enthusiasm and enthusiastic applause of the audience. Well deserved.

Bass baritone Christian van Horn sang the role of Elivira’s uncle Giorgio. Van Horn exudes authority and compassion and can convince Elvira’s father to let her marry for love. Van Horn is a fine actor and a superb singer, able to handle his solo and ensemble singing with rare sonority and beauty.

Edwards makes Elvira a painter and there are numerous portraits on stage. The one that drew my attention was a huge portrait of King Charles I that Enrichetta dances with and twirls around her head and kisses affectionately. The latter made no sense but making Elvira an artist is a nice touch.

Edwards also designed the sets, featuring paneled risers that could be a legislature or a meeting hall. Tim Mitchell’s lighting design changes scenes and atmosphere brilliantly. Gabrielle Dalton’s costumes feature the classic black dresses, white collars and white hats for the women and similar black and white costumes for the men. There are exceptions for Arturo, Elvira and Enrichetta and, I assume, brilliant red for the victorious Oliver Cromwell who makes a short appearance.

Marco Armiliato conducted the Met Orchestra and Chorus in a superb performance. Bellini composed numerous pieces for the chorus that all added to a memorable production of an opera

Edwards and Armiliato, with the brilliant cast, brought out the best of I Puritani and watching it on a big theatre screen was highly enjoyable.

If you hear any creaking after seeing this production, you should check your floorboards.
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I Puritani by Vincenzo Bellini was transmitted Live in HD from the Metropolitan Opera on January 10, 2026, at the Cineplex VIP Shops at Don Mills, 12 Marie Labatte Road, Toronto Ontario and other theatres across Canada. Encores will be shown on February 28, 2026. For more information: www.cineplex.com/events

James Karas is the Culture Editor of The Greek Press, Toronto

THE MAGIC FLUTE - REVIEW OF 2006 MET PRODUCTION STREAMED IN 2025

 Reviewed by James Karas

On December 30. 2006 The Metropolitan Opera filmed  Julie Taymor’s production of The Magic Flute for PBS. That recording was transmitted worldwide Live in HD From the Met. But on December 20, 2025. we were supposed to get the current revival of Julie Taymor’s shortened version of the opera with Paul Aplebu, Michael Samuel and Alexander Kppeczi conducted by Steven White. The Met’s program said so. 

But the one-page program that we got at Cineplex stated that we were about to see The Magic Flute that was transmitted Live on December 20, 2006. Something went wrong but I don’t know what. The broadcast on CBC radio was of the current performance with the cast noted above.

Julie Taynor has her own take of the opera with a version thar lasts only 1 hour and 50 minutes, sung in English and geared toward entertaining children as well as adults.  A highly laudable ambition.

She uses various methods of entertaining children and I don’t know if all were successful. She takes a dark view of the opera and much of the performance is done on a black background. The Three Ladies, Wendy Bryn Harmer, Kate Lindsey and Tamara Mumford are dressed in black, with white puppet heads that are worn on their heads or held in their hands.

The Queen of the Night (Erika Miklosa) has a seriously painted face (like most of the cast) and she has huge banners waved behind her. She is a remarkable figure as is Miklosa a remarkable singer. Tenor Matthew Polenzani as Tamino and soprano Ying Huand are handsome and beautiful and we see their faces clearly. The hero and heroine sing brightly and gorgeously and we root for them. 

 A scene from Mozart's "The Magic Flute." Photo: Ken Howard / Met Opera 

of the 2025 production and not the one under review.

Rene Pape is outfitted like a pagoda or some grand structure but he sings a marvelous Sarastro. Monostatos wears lots of colourful makeup, sports a big, hooked nose and is appropriately nasty but Greg Fedderly is very effective as the would-be sexual predator against our Pamina. Nathan Gunn as Papageno, is fleet of foot and superb of voice as the cowardly bird catcher. The stage is full of papier mache birds, flying bears and thunder and lightning to keep everything moving and everyone entertained and we hope that includes the youngsters.

The production is sung in English which does not mean that everything was comprehensible but I think it was appropriate. Youngsters do not need subtitles in their first or one of their first exposures to opera.

Taymor, in addition to directing, also designed the costumes and, with Michael Curry, she designed the puppets. In other words, this is a Julie Taymor production through and through.

The late James Levine conducted the Met Orchestra in the broadcast of the 2006 production which launched the rightly heralded Live in HD transmissions. It was interesting to see it in the 40th year of opera in a local movie theatre but seeing the current revival live would have been even more interesting.
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The 2006 recording of The Magic Flute by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder was transmitted from the Metropolitan Opera on December 20, 2025, at the Cineplex VIP, Shops at Don Mills, 12 Marie Labatte Road, Toronto Ontario M3C 0H9 and other theatres. For more information including encores see: www.cineplex.com/events

James Karas is the Senior Editor, Culture of The Geek Press, Toronto.

ANDREA CHENIER – REVIEW OF 2025 LIVE FROM THE MET IN HD TRANSMISSION

 Reviewed by James Karas 

Umberto Giordano’s Andrea Chenier gets a heroic production from New York’s Metropolitan opera which it shared with us by transmission Live in HD in a local cinema. It is a revival of Nicolas Joël’s 1996 production with star power and stunning production values.

The opera takes place during the French Revolution and it is based on a real person, the poet Andrea Chenier, but the rest is fictional. Librettist Luigi Illica provides a script with love, passion and unbelievable sacrifice. It starts in 1786, just before the revolution broke out to the bloodbath and the reign of terror in 1794. It is verismo opera at its best.

In the first scene we witness the aristocracy enjoying its wealth and treatment of the lower classes. The Met provides a scene of men and women in splendid, one would say, decadent attire who treat the servants with contempt. The poet Andrea Chenier (Piotr Beczala) arrives. He is a democrat who displays his contempt for the greedy clergy and the corrupt aristocrats.

But we also meet the beautiful aristocrat Maddalena (Sonya Yoncheva) who does not like pretentious clothes. We also meet the servant Gerard (Igor Golovatenko), a revolutionary firebrand who is secretly in love with Maddalena. The real love story is between her and Chenier as Giordano mixes the political with the personal in tandem. The act finishes with Gerard leading the ordinary people and on with the revolution and down with the aristocrat.   

Sonya Yoncheva, Piotr Beczała and Igor Golovatenko (far right) in
 "Andrea Chénier." Photo: Karen Almond / Met Opera

Three years later, the revolution is in full swing and Maddalena and Chenier are in Paris,  a city full of informers, spies and terror. On the positive side, they declare their love. But Chenier is arrested and in the next act he is before a Revolutionary Tribunal which has the right to sentence him to death which of course it does. In the meantime, we learn that Gerard is in love with Maddalena and is a leader in the revolution. The slave of the aristocrats has become the slave of passion. The climactic scene arrives and Chenier is about to be executed but Maddalena loves him so much that she decides to take the place of another convict and accompany him to the guillotine. The is truly dramatic.

This is an outstanding production. Beczala handles the midrange vocals superbly and soars to his upper register with ease and beauty. He sings  “Un dì, all'azzurro spazio” about the beauty and his love of nature with splendor and power as he also trashes the cleric who mistreated the poor. He is heroic in his rendering of the idealistic poet.  She sings beautifully and the two have the perfect chemistry for outstanding performances. She renders the haunting “La mamma morta” with serene beauty as she recounts the killing of her mother and the vision she has of love giving solace and rescuing her from despair.

Golovatenko makes an effective, angry Gerard. Gerard goes from servant to rebel leader, from a brute to a man disillusioned with his unrequited love for Maddalena and life. He sings with splendid resonance throughout. In his grand aria “Nemico della patria” he gives a mirthless laugh as he takes stock of his life.

Under the baton of Daniele Rustioni, the Met Opera Orchestra and Chorus do superb work with Giordano’s score. Andrea Chenier gets mixed reviews as an opera but it maintains its position in the repertoire. This production provides  the reason for its continuing popularity.
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Andrea Chenier by Umberto Giordano was transmitted Live in HD from the Metropolitan Opera on December 13, 2025 at the Cineplex VIP Shops at Don Mills, 12 Marie Labatte Road, Toronto Ontario and other theatres. Encores will be shown on February 7, 2026 at various theatres. For more information: www.cineplex.com/events

James Karas is the Senior Editor, Culture, of The Greek Press, Toronto

LA BOHEME – REVIEW OF 2025 LIVE FROM THE MET IN HD TRANSMISSION

 Reviewed by James Karas 

Puccini’s La Bohème is back on a theatre screen near you. If you do not see it, it is your loss. It is a gorgeous production and streamed for us who do not live in New York and probably could not afford the hefty ticket prices.

A few numbers. The performance on Saturday, November 8, 2025, was the 1415^th at the Metropolitan opera. That makes it the most produced opera at the Met. Franco Zeffirelli’s production has been performed more than 500 times since its first performance in 1981. The most of any production.  And it has been played in all but nine of the Met’s seasons since  its first production at the Met in 1900.                         

How is that for stats?

The current production has the same sets designed by Zeffirelli, costumes by Peter J. Hall, lighting by Gil Wechsler and is done by revival director Mirabelle Ordinaire.

Our beloved Mimi is sung by soprano Juliana Grigoryan and she has all the attributes of a superb heroine. She appears petite, innocent, virginal and lovable. She has a lovely voice and holds those notes with ease and beauty. Of course, she is clever enough to blow out her candle when she sees in Rodolfo someone that she likes and pretends that she lost her key. She may be a flirt and may have some shortcomings but we don’t care. We love her and are with her all along. 

Heidi Stober as Musetta (centre) and the crowd in La Boheme. 
Photo: Karen Almond / Met Opera

Tenor Freddie De Tommaso has a beautiful, light, Pavarottiesque voice ideal for Rodolfo. He hits the high notes right at his entry on stage and maintains gorgeous tones throughout. When he cries at Mini’s death there is not a dry eye in the house.

Baritone Lucas Meacham is a virile and sympathetic Marcello who must endure and enjoy the tempestuous Musetta. But he sings with beautiful sonority and is a he-man who can take care of himself.

Soprano Heidi Stober’s Musetta is of course tempestuous, enjoys teasing and perhaps making Marcello’s life hell at times but she is also extremely decent when she sells her jewel to buy medication for Mimi. She does Musetta’s Waltz superbly as becomes a teaser of the male organ.

Women conductors have become highly desirable (it’s about time) and the Met Orchestra was conducted by Keri-Lynn Wilson. Excellent work.

Zeffirelli’s sets with the garret on the top floor of a tenement in the Latin Quarter, a snow-covered area near the toll-gate on the outskirts of Paris and a terrific scene for  the parade that includes a donkey and a horse are splendid and spectacular as needs be. Peter J. Hall’s costumes are perfect and Gil Wechslet’s lighting adds feature to this superb production.   

Seeing a performance at the Met is wonderful but catching a performance on a large screen has its benefits. You can examine faces and reactions in detail and see things that you may not witness if you sat in the best seats in Lincoln Center. 

This was the sixth time that I saw the Zeffirelli production and I confess to enjoying it thoroughly. Go see it.
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La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini was transmitted Live in HD from New York’s Metropolitan Opera at select Cineplex theatres across Canada on November 8, 2025. There will be an encore showing on December 6, 2025. For more information go to: www.cineplex.com/events.

James Karas is the Senior Editor, Culture, of The Greek Press, Toronto

LA SONNAMBULA – REVIEW OF 2025 TRANSMISSION LIVE IN HD FROM THE MET

 Reviewed by James Karas

The Met Live in HD is back with nine operas to be streamed by the Metropolitan Opera from New York’s Lincoln Center to a movie theatre near you. The opening production is Vincenzo Bellini’s La Sonnambula that was shown on October 18, 2025,  to be followed by La Boheme on November 8, 2025.

It is a new production directed by tenor Rolando Villazon. There are some eyebrow-raisers but overall, it is a stunning production. It follows the 2009 production by Mary Zimmerman which was roundly booed because of her setting the opera in New York as if it were being rehearsed. The singing was outstanding with Natalie Dessay and Juan Dieo Florez in the lead roles but that did not discourage the pronounced disapproval of the audience.

The plot of La Sonnambula is thin and silly but Bellin’s music and bel canto arias raise it to a level of its own in the repertoire. We are in a Swiss village in the past and Amina and Elvino are in love and about to get married tomorrow. Count Rodolfo, a perfect gentleman, arrives in the village and Amina sleepwalks into his room and is found wearing his robe. The conservative villagers go into shock and Elvino goes into an apoplexy of jealousy. The wedding is off and the villagers turn on Amina.

Several scenes later and a lot of gorgeous singing, Amina’s innocence is established and she and Elvino get married and live happily ever after.  

La Sonnambula is a bel canto opera which means that it makes extraordinary demands on the singers. They must sing beautifully, of course, and be able to reach high notes and go to low notes effortlessly. The vocal beaty must be pronounced and it is a style of singing that few singers can accomplish.

 Deborah Nansteel as Teresa, Nadine Sierra as Amina, 

Nicholas Newton as Alessio, and Sydney Mancasola as Lisa 

in Bellini's "La Sonnambula." Photo: Marty Sohl / Met Opera

This production has singers that meet and surpass those criteria. Soprano Nadine Sierra sings Amina, the sleepwalker, who goes from bliss to despair on being accused of infidelity. She has a surpassingly beautiful voice and can reach the highest soprano notes and sing with sustained emotion be it of joy or pain. Her tone, her expression and the beauty of her singing place her in the highest category of sopranos. A thrilling performance.

Tenor Xabier Anduaga is the ardent lover Elvino who goes into a fit of jealousy at the thought that Amina spent time in Count Rodolfo’s room. He has a supple voice that combines beauty and flexibility, allowing him to sing gorgeously and appear to be doing it effortlessly. Sierra and Anduaga have some magnificent duets that make you forget the silliness of the plot.

Bass Alexander Vinogradov sings the role of Count Rodolfo, an impeccably dressed and mannered aristocrat. He sings with beautiful sonority and being a man of integrity saves Amina’s reputation. He is a pleasure to watch and hear.

Villazon added a solo dancer to the production. Niara Hardister, dressed in ethereal white, appears most of the time on the upper tier or roof of the two-tier set and she could be Amina’s alter ego or sleeping self which means I have no idea what she is doing in the opera.

The set by designer Johannes Leiacker shows a white-painted main stage area with doors in the back and a white roof above it. the roof is covered with snow and beyond we see a dramatic view of the Alps. That part of the background changes to dark and threatening clouds and with projections of designer Renaud Rubiano we get a dramatic set for the production.

Interestingly Rodolfo, Elvino and the dancer descend to the main stage area from the roof using a ladder.

This is a superb production of the opera despite the several quirks that Villazon has added to it. The thin plot is subject to some very odd interpretations and interpolations but Villazon has resisted such directorial self-indulgence and gives us a marvelous production.

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La Sonnambula by Vincenzo Bellini was shown Live in HD from the Metropolitan Opera at select Cineplex theatres across Canada on October 18, 2025. There will be an encore showing on November 1, 2025. For more information including dates for reprises go to: www.cineplex.com/events

James Karas is the Senior Editor, Culture, of The Greek Press, Toronto