It’s a common, affectionate criticism of opera to point out how fast improbable things happen in the stories the art form tells. Rodolfo and Mimi, for instance, in Puccini’s La Bohème, are strangers in a Paris apartment building who meet cute when her candle goes out, and are pledging undying love 10 minutes later. But Michael Chioldi knows differently. “Opera really is a … [Read more...]