That’s why I would cite two not-strictly-operatic performances headlined by individuals who bring an entire lifetime of experience into their extraordinary artistry.

1. Nina Stemme‘s Carnegie Hall recital – Apart from an uncomfortable rendition of Elgar’s Sea Pictures, Stemme gave simply one of the most compelling recitals I’ve ever heard from a soprano in repertoire she more or less owns like few others. Her renditions of the Wesendonck Lieder and Isoldes’s Liebestod reaffirmed her status as the preeminent Wagnerian soprano for an entire generation. (Her final Isolde in Philadelphia, though obviously less secure and no longer lyrically feminine as before, was a masterclass demonstration of how to retire a signature role in style.) But bristling with biting worldliness, Stemme’s renditions Kurt Weill ballads “Surabaya Johnny” and “Nannas Lied” are seared in my memory forever. Rumors are that the Met still plans to bring Ivo van Hove’s production of Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny. If true, Stemme as Begbick should be the ultimate no brainer.

2. Like many in the Northeast, my introduction to French Baroque opera came primarily from William Christie and Les Arts Florissants frequent visits to the United States, specifically to BAM. There was something both nostalgic and reassuring, then, to see Christie with his troupe at the Gilman opera house last month after an absence of almost seven years. Instead of the usually obligatory Messiahs this time of year, it was a treat to hear Charpentier’s Pastorale de Noel and Messe di Minuit de Noel led so lovingly by the individual who introduced me to this entire repertoire oh so many years ago. One can only hope that Les Arts returns to BAM sooner, hopefully in a full production again. (Any chance some tech bro wants to pay for an Atys revival??)