Mr. Argento writes his own librettos, and his predominantly tonal music makes text intelligibility paramount while maintaining its own distinctive profile.

WSJ: A Liebestod to Die For | Tristan und Isolde | Houston Grand Opera | By Heidi Waleson

In "The Aspern Papers, " Mr. Argento skillfully opens up the Henry James novella, adding a backstory and more characters, so that past and present coexist and collide.

WSJ: A Liebestod to Die For | Tristan und Isolde | Houston Grand Opera | By Heidi Waleson

Graeme Jenkins, in his final performance as the company's music director, steadily paced Mr. Argento's mercurial orchestrations, which ranged from the delicate chimes that transported us into the past to grandly colorful, Debussy-like effusions.

WSJ: A Liebestod to Die For | Tristan und Isolde | Houston Grand Opera | By Heidi Waleson

The cast is a mixed salad: Rip Torn as the randy old King, Asia Argento as his mistress, Judy Davis as a court harpy, and Marianne Faithfull, no less, as the mother of Marie Antoinette.

NEWYORKER: Marie Antoinette

Composers interested in writing operas should study the oeuvre of Dominick Argento, whose "The Aspern Papers" (1988) recently had a splendid new production at the Dallas Opera, the company that commissioned it and gave the work its world premiere.

WSJ: A Liebestod to Die For | Tristan und Isolde | Houston Grand Opera | By Heidi Waleson