How did the figure of Irish mezzo Tara Erraught prompt such a seething mass of contempt from a handful of London critics? Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Confessions Of An Operaholic : Deceptive Cadence Deceptive Cadence posts about Confessions Of An Operaholic
Deceptive Cadence
From NPR ClassicalConfessions Of An Operaholic
A late 15th-century icon of St. Sergius of Radonezh with the Saints of Rostov adorns the cover of a new album of Russian Orthodox Church music by the vocal ensemble Conspirare. Harmonia Mundi hide caption
Tom Randle (left) and Daniel Okulitch star in the opera Brokeback Mountain. Javier del Real/Teatro Real hide caption
Conductor (and flutist) Nicholas McGegan fell in love with opera as a kid. Courtesy of the artist hide caption
A Gramophone And Mozart, Or How I Fell For Opera
Soprano Angela Meade made her professional debut in the role of Elvira in Verdi's Ernani at the Metropolitan Opera. Marty Sohl/Metropolitan Opera hide caption
New York native Richard Tucker in the title role of Offenbach's The Tales Of Hoffmann. Sedge LeBlang/Metopolitan Opera Archives hide caption
Soprano Galina Vishnevskaya was once caleld the "Russian Maria Callas" for her intense interpretations. Capitol Records, Inc, courtesy of EMI Classics hide caption
Swiss soprano Lisa Della Casa's sweet and silvery voice was perfect for the music of Richard Strauss. Erich Auerbach/Getty Images hide caption
Can opera survive in an era of shrinking budgets and aging audiences? Torsten Blackwood/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
French composer Jules Massenet died 100 years ago, leaving the opera world with a wealth of elegantly composed dramas. Topical Press Agency/Getty Images hide caption
The English contralto Kathleen Ferrier had a voice like no other. She was born 100 years ago. Decca hide caption
John Adams' Nixon in China, produced at the Metropolitan Opera in January 2011. Left to right: Janis Kelly as Pat Nixon, Teresa S. Herold as the Second Secretary to Mao, James Maddalena as Richard Nixon, Ginger Costa Jackson as the First Secretary to Mao, Russell Braun as Chou En-lai. Ken Howard/Metropoltan Opera hide caption
György Ligeti's surreal opera Le Grand Macabre was the hit of the New York Philharmonic's 2009-2010 season, in a semi-staged production that featured Barbara Hannigan (left) as Gepopo and Anthony Roth Costanzo as Prince Go-Go. Chris Lee/New York Philharmonic hide caption
Soprano Cheryl Barker (as Jenůfa) and tenor Peter Wedd (as Luca) sing in a production of Leoš Janáček's Jenůfa from Opera Australia. Patrick Riviere/Getty Images hide caption
In a production of Verdi's opera Rigoletto at the Sydney Opera House, the title character (baritone Jonathan Summers) reels at the discovery of his dead daughter. Patrick Riviere/Getty Images hide caption
Maria Callas, a masterful bel canto singer, performs in the title role of Bellini's Norma in Paris, May 23, 1964. AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Soprano Veronique Gens and tenor Joseph Kaiser star in a production of Gluck's Alceste at the 2010 Aix-en-Provence Festival. Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Baritone William Shimell sings the title role in Handel's opera Hercules in Aix-en-Provence in 2004. Boris Horvat/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Orpheus makes his way through the underworld, in Jean-Pierre Ponnelle's production of one of the first operas, Monteverdi's L'Orfeo, from 1607. Deutsche Grammophon hide caption
Opera and rap seem to hit a nerve with many music lovers. Morozova Tatiana/iStockphoto.com hide caption
Know your rallentando from your accelerando? Opera singers must follow the composer's musical road signs. iStock hide caption
Soprano Patricia Ciofi sings an aria from Verdi's Rigoletto. Bertrand Langlois/AFP/Getty Images hide caption