A barricade in the Paris Commune, March 18, 1871

The Fancy Concerts of the Paris Commune

To the barricades! And then...to the opera!
Actress Maria Callas as Violetta in La Traviata, 1958

Why Verdi Wrote an Opera about Sex Work

Giuseppi Verdi's 1853 opera La Traviata was a shocker when it was first performed. Nineteenth-century audiences didn't expect to watch a sex worker die of tuberculosis at the opera.
Queen Zenobia

More Than an Aria Written Over Rice: Rediscovering a Lost Rossini Opera

Rossini's "lost opera," Aureliano in Palmira is making a comeback with a new production. The opera's history involves antiquity, archeology, and Bugs Bunny.

The Death of Klinghoffer: John Adams’ Opera Sparks Protest at the Met

The Death of Klinghoffer, The opera accused of promoting terrorism and anti-Semitism, has been dubbed "The Terror Opera" in some corners of the press.