Fred Plotkin

Fred Plotkin appears in the following:

Discovering Charlotte Wesley Holloman

Friday, September 04, 2015

Charlotte Wesley Holloman, who died on July 30, led a remarkable life as an opera singer, voice teacher and member of an historic African-American community on Martha’s Vineyard.
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The Art of Staying Awake at the Opera

Monday, August 31, 2015

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, the Sandman arrives while you are watching an opera, but there are ways to keep him at bay, writes Fred Plotkin.
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Sydney Icon Remains a Draw, Though Not Necessarily For Opera Fans

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

In recent years, Opera Australia has taken a “modernize or die” approach to productions, casting and repertory. But while ticket sales have increased, opera is only part of the picture.
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Beau, Beau, Beaumarchais from dell’Arte Opera

Friday, August 21, 2015

Fred Plotkin looks at dell’Arte Opera's August repertory entirely drawn from the writings of Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais.
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The Musician Portraits of John Singer Sargent

Monday, August 17, 2015

Blogger Fred Plotkin digs into a new Metropolitan Museum John Singer Sargent exhibit and discovers many of his portraits of notable musicians from the time.
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The Eternal Appeal of Mozart's 'The Magic Flute'

Monday, August 10, 2015

"The Magic Flute" is a bread-and-butter opera that audiences seem glad to return to or buy tickets for if they have never heard it. Fred Plotkin considers its staying power.
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Across the U.S., Puccini's 'Tosca' Remains Insanely Popular

Friday, August 07, 2015

Among the two most ubiquitous works in upcoming opera seasons are Tosca and Die Zauberflöte. In the first of a two-part series, Fred Plotkin considers Tosca's popularity.
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Comments [13]

Someone's Cooking at the Opera

Monday, August 03, 2015

When opera singers or actors are called on to cook on stage, their job suddenly gets far more complicated – whether it's frying bacon or cleaning a fish.
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Comments [11]

The Expo Effect: Why New York Needs Big Cultural Initiatives

Thursday, July 30, 2015

New York City desperately needs to make real its sense of being the most consequential metropolis in the world, writes Fred Plotkin. This can happen through major arts projects.
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How Opera Productions are Revived

Friday, July 24, 2015

three-quarters of the operas at the Met next season will be productions from the past, including Wagner's Tannhäuser. Fred Plotkin looks at the art of the revival.
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Performing Opera, Italianamente

Monday, July 20, 2015

There's a spontaneity in Italian culture that emphasizes usefulness, durability and beauty, writes Fred Plotkin. There's also fatalism, which underlies Italy's greatest operas.
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Comments [12]

Defending Donizetti

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Gaetano Donizetti, one of the greatest opera composers of all, has his share of haters, discovers Fred Plotkin. He considers the roots of the image problem.
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Comments [18]

The Many Trees of Opera

Friday, July 10, 2015

Operavore blogger Fred Plotkin examines the iconic tree imagery throughout the history of Opera.
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Comments [20]

Remembering James S. Marcus

Tuesday, July 07, 2015

The New York philanthropist who was a passionate supporter of classical music, opera and the vocal arts dies at 85.
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Germany vs. Greece At The Opera

Monday, July 06, 2015

Blogger Fred Plotkin explains how in the current European clash, Germany and Greece may be cast in the roles of Apollo and Dionysus.
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I Left My Harp in San Francisco

Wednesday, July 01, 2015

Attending four sensational opera performances in less than a week should be satisfaction enough for any music lover. But this city offers so much more, writes Fred Plotkin.
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Comments [5]

Speechless in St. Petersburg: Opera Pros Suggest Cures for Laryngitis

Friday, June 26, 2015

When Fred Plotkin lost his voice recently, he turned to opera professionals, who offered recommendations for nostrums, elixirs and behavioral adaptation.
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Comments [8]

Time After Time: Talking About Our Generations

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Two recent films explore how different generations interact and understand each other. As Fred Plotkin writes, opera harbors something that every generation recognizes.
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Comments [7]

When Opera is About Location, Location, Location

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

"Summertime opera in New York provides more unusual repertory and performance styles than any world city I can think of," writes Fred Plotkin.
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Comments [8]

'Tristan und Isolde': The Mystery of Inspiration

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Unlike most of Wagner's works, whose origins we find in his sketches, letters and readings, Tristan seems to have begun rather suddenly in the 1850s. Fred Plotkin asks why.
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