There are many ways of dying on the operatic stage

I'd give up my left anything to have a print critic like Edward Seckerson on this side of the Atlantic. He hated Covent Garden's current Traviata; therefore, he uses every sentence of his hissing review to remind us of his vast unhappiness. Alas, such queeny candor exists in New York only in half-cooked blogs and discussion boards, and we all know how that goes down.

[Photo above is from Sandy Steiglitz's fabulous Opera Gallery. She has various sorts of photos, including a set of opera death scenes. Enjoy.]