After the success of the second part of its American Ring Cycle, with all performances long since sold out, Washington National Opera opened its second spring production on Saturday evening, Gaetano Donizetti’s La Fille du Régiment. There is no reason to revive this rather silly comic opera, last mounted by WNO in 1993, unless you have a truly remarkable cast and perhaps a new and interesting production. That seemed to be the case with this…

You have a few more performances this month before the Washington National Opera season ends. We have reviewed both productions for you at DCist and I recommend them both. On Monday (May 22, 7 p.m.) and Saturday (May 27, 7 p.m.) are the final two performances of Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito, an opera that is not all that well known but that has some great music — Mozart at the height of his compositional…

Last week, I recommended the final production of Washington National Opera’s season to you. Monday night, DCist was in the audience for the second performance of Rossini’s L’Italiana in Algeri, and I can now say confidently that this production is a “smashing success” (as Tim Page described it for the Post). While not perfect as I heard it, the voices and musical performance are all of high quality and the wacky story is likely to…

Washington National Opera premieres its final production of the season for an already sold-out house tomorrow night (May 13, 7 p.m.), Rossini’s charming, hilarious comic opera L’Italiana in Algeri. I have already recommended it, but I saw the dress rehearsal on Wednesday night and am especially confident that it’s a great introduction to the delights of opera for a first-time opera goer. Also, the Generation O program has offered a limited number of reduced-price tickets…

Well, the classical music season is drawing to its end. Yes, there will be things to hear over the summer, but many of the major organizations will be shutting down at the end of May, or going into their reduced summer schedules. If you wanted to take in a production at Washington National Opera, for example, you had better do it soon. If you like the spectacle of musicals, opera should be right up your…