Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss, conducted by Placido Domingo, Royal Opera Covent Garden ★★★★
Die Fledermaus is a fun opera that we watch most New Year’s Eves, celebrating this New Years’ Eve just a bit early. This production is well done, and Hermann Prey and Kiri Te Kanawa are absolutely marvelous. Of particular note, Te Kanawa spoke mostly English but some German, Prey spoke mostly German but some English and the other spoken parts were a mix, with some French, Italian, and Russian, as well as Hungarian thrown in. The conductor (Domingo) even was able to add some vocal to the opera. You could tell that the singers were enjoying the production, and it works well for New Year’s Eve.