Fred Plotkin

Most people, when asked what comes to their minds first when they hear the name of Verona, immediately reply, “Romeo and Juliet!" As Fred Plotkin tells us, there's much more to discover.

Verdi's hometown is a special place, writes Fred Plotkin, with its misty climate and landmarks connected to the composer. It also faces some alarming financial difficulties.

Planning a trip to Italy but don’t know what is playing on opera stages? Fred Plotkin sorts it out for you, with this one-stop guide to opera calendars around the country.

In the wake of New York City Opera's demise, Fred Plotkin notes, "Italy is besieged in ways we cannot imagine. And yet they understand that culture is worth talking about and trying to save."

The Filarmonica della Scala began as the pit orchestra for Italy's La Scala opera house. As Fred Plotkin reports from Milan, the ensemble has a lively agenda apart from accompanying opera singers.

The absolute, unforgettable highlight of the Verdi anniversary week was being in the presence, and then the company, of conductor Richard Bonynge, writes Fred Plotkin.

Fred Plotkin considers some of Verdi's most compelling religious works and how a non-religious man could produce music that speaks so powerfully to very devout people.

One of the most remarkable, but least remarked upon, events leading up to this Verdi year has been the release of a series of DVDs called Tutto Verdi that contains every one of his operas.

A loss of leadership, mission, a home and visibility all contributed to City Opera's downfall, writes Fred Plotkin. But is it too late for a generous donor to step forward?

The Salzburg Festival named a new director this week. Fred Plotkin takes the occasion to consider why the town of Salzburg is about much more than just the Von Trapps and Mozart.

"In recent years, some of the traditional behaviors of audiences in the 30 minutes before the maestro enters the orchestra pit have fallen into disuse," laments Fred Plotkin.

Bringing a new opera into the world is a daunting task at any time, but Tobias Picker's Stephen King adaptation faced a challenge, potentially fatal, that few works do, writes Fred Plotkin.

Opera lovers in Washington, DC may not be the most demonstrative around, seldom with a "bravo" or "boo," but they can still recognize the city's rich offerings for fans of classical voice, writes Fred Plotkin.

Harlem-born soprano Martina Arroyo was one of five artists nominated for a Kennedy Center honor on Thursday. Fred Plotkin says the award was richly deserved.

"It is in this idyllic Swiss city on a lake, more than anywhere I have yet been, that I have felt the presence of Richard Wagner and the sources of his inspiration," writes Fred Plotkin.

"The production and the performances were incredible, unbelievable, singular, unforgettable and many other adjectives that can imply both the state of ultrawonderfulness and ultradreadfulness."

While the big-ticket, big-cast productions on the autumn opera calendar can speak for themselves, Fred Plotkin calls attention to some works in between that are of particular interest.

"You don’t have to look too hard in Salzburg to discover what makes it stimulating. The city has an innate respect for Kunst und Kultur, or Art and Culture," writes Fred Plotkin.

Martin Luther King knew something about opera – his widow Coretta Scott King studied opera singing in Boston. He also was a master at the musicality of words and speech, writes Fred Plotkin.