by Gregory Moomjy Just as every musicologist worth their salt should, I own a copy of Harold Schonberg’s tome The Lives of the Great Composers. He chose in a rather telling way to put two chapters back-to-back–“Colossus of Italy,” about Giuseppe Verdi and “Colossus of Germany,” about Richard Wagner. Much ink has been spilled on…Continue reading The Flying Dutchman Primer

The Metropolitan Opera, February 6 through March 7, 2020 Photo Marty Sohl / Met Opera by Gregory Moomjy If you heard of a woman who among other things, was the only female leader of the Roman empire, gave birth to Nero, was Caligula’s sister, and wrote her memoirs which have since been lost, you’d probably…Continue reading Aggripina’s Enduring Appeal

by Gregory Moomjy Death in opera is so ubiquitous, it’s cliché. But it wasn’t always like that. Prior to the French Revolution, the majority of Italian opera glorified a world in which the ruler was the center. And although they occasionally struggled for the good of the state, there was always a happy ending and…Continue reading Wozzek, A Masterpiece of Atonality

by Gregory Moomjy If you mention Ancient Egypt, what comes to mind? Pyramids, gods and goddesses, and pharaohs quickly populate the imagination. And, let’s not forget, the very famous love affairs and palace intrigues of Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, and Cleopatra. This is enough to make anyone want to study Egyptology. The great opera composers…Continue reading Akhenaten: Pharaoh and Opera Inspiration