If you sit close enough for all the personality the performers inject into their parts, much of the singing—especially the low notes of the men—will dissipate behind a screen of orchestration, and

Joyce Didonato cuajó una Agrippina incontestable. La cantante de Kansas regresa al Met con un nuevo Grammy debajo del brazo, y con la seguridad que da haber paseado el personaje de la emperatriz roma

Conductor Harry Bicket again proves Handel can shine with modern instruments in the Met’s big house. But his continuo group is overstuffed with plucked stringed instruments that often produce highly

Attending with one’s eyes closed however is recommended to enjoy some fine music-making, particularly Joyce DiDonato’s fierce (if sometimes too fierce) empress and Harry Bicket’s stylish conduct

It’s a high-wire act, and Mr. McVicar’s rollicking direction, with every section of every aria staged with a new idea (a medal ceremony, golf practice, TV cameras…), keeps the energy and comedy