Atsuko (Ako) Imamura is a retired investment banker in New York City. Born in Japan, she trained as cultural anthropologist in the US before turning to finance. She now spends her time attending opera and classical music concerts in New York and in Europe. Wagner is her favorite opera composer.
Bayrischer Staatsoper’s revival of Warlikowski’s static production of Tristan und Isolde featured a sensational role debut of Elena Pankratova as Isolde.
Stoyanova’s extraordinary performance as the Feldmarschallin made 394th revival of Otto Schenk’s 1968 production of Der Rosenkavalier an occasion to savor.
Philipp Stölzl depicts Turandot as a tragedy of a lonely princess who pays dearly for her cruelty in his fascinating new production at the Staatsoper Berlin.
Set in a 1930s music school, Sergio Morabito, Jossi Wieler and Anna Viebrick's new production of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg at Deutsche Oper Berlin has some inspirational ideas but they often get in the way of the music.
The Met unveils Simon Stone’s new production is set in a working class American town in decline... an interesting concept that ultimately fails to overcome its own cluttered ideas.
The Bayerische Staatsoper's revival of a controversial production containing Georg Baselitz’s artwork succeeds with strong musical performances led by veterans of Wagnerian operas.
The Baden-Baden Easter Festival offers a memorable production of Pique Dame with excellent musical performances convincing in Leiser and Caurier's updating of the plot.
The Metropolitan Opera performs the original French version of Don Carlos for the first time with a distinguished ensemble of soloists, but the static production offers no new insights into the depth of Verdi's masterpiece.
Director Claus Guth's new production for the Staatsoper Berlin is a bit of a mixed bag but the evening succeeds more on its musical merits, with a splendid ensemble of singers and orchestra conducted by Sir Simon Rattle.
The Orchestra and Chorus of Teatro alla Scala excel in a thrilling concert conducted by Riccardo Chailly with a magnificent contribution from soprano Lise Davidsen.
The Hungarian State Opera presents a new modern production of Don Carlo by a director who depicts the historical cruelty as very much present in our world today.
Dmitri Tcherniakov updates the "German Romantic Opera" into a modern-day thriller with interesting twists in a musically splendid performance in Munich.
Opera North performed a semi-staged and shortened Fidelio with a committed group of soloists, chorus and orchestra led by Mark Wiggelsworth. With a pared Orchestra, the opera came across as a hymn of hope.
The Bayerische Staatsoper's new production of Falstaff makes the mistake of turning a comedy into a slapstick, but the fine ensemble have the last say as they stand in silence and defiance to face the empty auditorium.
Shortened and simplified to adapt to restrictions, David Bösch's 2016 production succeeds in bringing Mozart's brilliant opera to a modern setting with a splendid cast of singers.
