First Nighter: DiDonato, Brownlee Lift Heavy 'La Donna del Lago' at the Met

Since opera is first and foremost about the music -- and that certainly applies to Gioachino Rossini as much as or more than many composers -- it frequently means that the quality of any given production is secondary. Sometimes, however, that doesn't obtain. Take, for example, the current and first-ever La Donna del Lago returning at the Metropolitan Opera House after Paul Curran's debut production last season -- conducted by Michele Mariotti with all its melodic appeal now as it was then. Then,...