Also on this day in 1910 French composer, organist, and ornithologist Olivier Messiaen was born.
True West
On this day in 1910 Puccini’s La fanciulla del West had its world premiere at the Met.
Puccini was present to hear Emmy Destinn, Enrico Caruso and Pasquale Amato, with Arturo Toscanini conducting. David Belasco made his Metropolitan Opera debut as stage director.
WindyCityOperaman
Dan Soda (Windy City Operaman) is a Chicago native whose first visit to opera was at age 17 and Massenet’s Werther with Troyanos and Kraus. Nothing was ever the same. Opera and concert performances, recordings and video are an obsession. He prepares Parterre Box’s daily birthday and anniversary tributes. He also enjoys concerts, live theater and movies.
Comments
Tell us: What was the best of 2025?
Parterre Box concludes the thrilling first year of Talk of the Town by inviting your lightning rod opinions on several more categories of operatic argumentation.