Merrin Lazyan appears in the following:
CONCERT WATCH – Philadelphia Orchestra and Lang Lang
Friday, May 08, 2020
Music Director Yannick Nezet Seguin conducts the Philadelphia Orchestra in works by Sibelius and Rimsky-Korsakov, and Rachmaninoff’s first piano concerto featuring Lang Lang
CONCERT WATCH – Sydney Opera House
Monday, May 04, 2020
Our pick this week: the Australian Chamber Orchestra plays an arrangement of Bach's Goldberg Variations at the iconic Sydney Opera House.
Rossini's La Cenerentola: Opera's Cinderella Story
Wednesday, February 05, 2020
Gioachino Rossini’s operatic version of the Cinderella story may not have any enchanted mice or pumpkins, but there’s plenty of magic in the music.
Offenbach's Tales of Hoffmann: Fool for Love
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
Love is intoxicating, but dating can be hard. In Jacques Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann, a love-obsessed poet tells fantastical stories of romance gone very, very wrong.
Puccini's Turandot: Bewitched, Bothered, And Beheaded
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
Past trauma can have a dramatic effect on your desire for love and intimacy. It's true for Puccini’s Turandot, the ice princess who cuts off her feelings – and the heads of her suitors.
The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess: Rise Up Singing
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
The most famous American opera opens with one of the most famous American songs: “Summertime.” The Gershwins’ haunting lullaby from Porgy and Bess is a simple tune with a complex story.
Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier featuring Renée Fleming: Here's To You, Mrs. Marschallin
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
It’s not easy to accept the changes that come with time and age. For Richard Strauss’s Marschallin, the trick is simply learning to let go.
Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice: Don't Look Back in Ardor
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
When someone you love dies, how far would you be willing to go to bring them back? The mythical Orpheus goes to hell and back, but even that isn’t enough to save his love Eurydice.
Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro: Sleepless in Sevilla
Wednesday, December 04, 2019
When your spouse cheats, your mind starts racing with a million questions. For Mozart's Countess Almaviva, one of them is: What happened to the spark we had and how can we get it back?
Puccini's Madama Butterfly: When My Ship Comes In
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Sometimes an illusion is the hardest thing to let go of. For Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, that illusion comes in the form of a distant ship on the horizon, carrying her long lost husband.
Verdi's Lady Macbeth: Sleepwalk with Me, featuring Anna Netrebko
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
Sometimes you get up in the middle of the night realizing that what is done can never be undone. For Lady Macbeth, no amount of handwringing (or hand-washing) can clear her conscience.
Floyd's Susannah: Hopeless in New Hope, featuring Renée Fleming
Friday, June 21, 2019
When the American composer Carlisle Floyd wrote his opera Susannah back in the 1950s, he had no way of knowing how the Biblical themes of shame, blame and lust would resonate today.
Classical Hero Leontyne Price
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Soprano Adrienne Danrich tells us about how Leontyne Price has inspired generations of opera singers.
Roads Not Taken: 12 Pianists Tell Us What Else They Might Have Been
Friday, June 08, 2018
In their own words, here is what some of today’s greatest living pianists might have been if they had never touched those 88 keys.
12 Pianists Choose The Piece of a Lifetime
Thursday, June 07, 2018
What if today’s great pianists could play one piece – and only one piece – for the rest of their lives? What would they choose, and why? Here’s what they told us.
Classical Hero Mary Birnbaum
Tuesday, May 29, 2018
This month, WQXR's Classical Hero is stage director Mary Birnbaum. Mary directs and teaches opera singers
Birgit Nilsson at 100: The 6 Roles That Defined Her Career
Tuesday, May 15, 2018
To celebrate Birgit Nilsson's centenary, let's take a look at the legendary diva's six signature roles.
Classical Hero Joseph Rutkowski
Monday, April 30, 2018
Joseph Rutkowski spends his days teaching the students of Great Neck North High School to listen to, play, and love music. He is WQXR's Classical Hero this month.
Around the World in 60 Minutes
Friday, April 27, 2018
It's a very international edition of the young artists showcase, featuring musicians from Uzbekistan, Armenia, Iran and more.
Opera News Award Winners Share Their Greatest Lessons
Thursday, April 26, 2018
During the commotion of the cocktail hour, I asked them: What do they know now about being a singer that they could never have known early in their career?
