Christopher Corwin

Christopher Corwin began writing for parterre box in 2011 under the pen name “DeCaffarrelli.” His work has also appeared in , The New York Times, Musical America, The Observer, San Francisco Classical Voice and BAMNotes. Like many, he came to opera via the Saturday Met Opera broadcasts which he began listening to at age 11. His particular enthusiasm is 17th and 18th century opera. Since 2015 he has curated the weekly podcast Trove Thursday on parterre box presenting live recordings.

The twilight saga The twilight saga

Chris’s Cache offers ten more sopranos singing Strauss‘s Vier letzte Lieder: Sena Jurinac, Gundula Janowitz, Jessye Norman, Roberta Alexander, Edith Mathis, Helen Donath, Malin Byström, Christiane Karg, Jacquelyn Wagner, and Corinne Winters. 

on February 12, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Unbrided enthusiasm Unbrided enthusiasm

Fourteen years ago this month, James Levine conducted a tryout at Juilliard of a quite pleasant production by Stephen Wadsworth of Smetana’s The Bartered Bride (in English) intended for the Met. Unfortunately, that transfer never happened and New York has been the poorer for it.

on February 06, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Life is like a box of Mozartkugeln Life is like a box of Mozartkugeln

Following last week’s multiple versions of three prime concert arias, Chris’s Cache concludes its Mozart month by offering more of those special vocal works, this time twenty-five arias for mezzo, tenor or bass, as well as more for soprano.

on January 29, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Concerted efforts Concerted efforts

Seven years ago, Trove Thursday presented an anthology of sixteen Mozart soprano concert arias. In 2025, Chris’s Cache adds to this month’s Mozart-fest with a deep dive into three of the most celebrated of those works: Vorrei spiegarvi, oh Dio!; Bella mia fiamma; and Ch’io mi scordi di te.

on January 22, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Shocker and awe Shocker and awe

In 2011, Sondra Radvanovsky‘s Tosca proved promising; fourteen years later, it was absolutely magnificent, a completely satisfying musical and dramatic embodiment of a challenging role by an artist at the peak of her powers.

on January 20, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Consumptive professionals Consumptive professionals

Given the keen interest in recent posts of Met pirates of Montserrat Caballé in Verdi, Chris’s Cache concludes its trio with the Spanish soprano’s Met Violetta, along with additional Met in-house recordings of Virginia Zeani, Pilar Lorengar, Jeanette Pilou, and Joan Sutherland as Verdi’s doomed courtesan.

on January 15, 2025 at 9:00 AM
It’ll all be Auger It’ll all be Auger

A perfect meeting of voice with composer occurred when Arleen Auger took part in the rediscovery of early works by Mozart.

on January 07, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Il catalogo è questo Il catalogo è questo

In hopes of encouraging parterre box readers to concoct their own year-end lists, I’ve put together my own.

on December 31, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Blythe esprit Blythe esprit

Operettas always seem to be on the menu for New Year’s Eve, so Chris’s Cache joins in with a broadcast of Offenbach’s delicious La Grande-duchesse de Gérolstein featuring Stephanie Blythe in the title role.

on December 30, 2024 at 9:00 AM
New kids from the bloc New kids from the bloc

If song recitals by opera stars Piotr Beczala and Asmik Grigorian sometimes came up short, Semyon Bychkov’s powerful rendition of the Glagolitic Mass instantly became one of the year’s highlights.

on December 20, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Ethiopian blends Ethiopian blends

Anticipating the first new local Aïda in thirty-six years, Chris’s Cache revisits Verdi’s popular opera in four unusually interesting in-house recordings from the Met 1961-1976.

on December 19, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Tree and tree again Tree and tree again

While everyone tries to figure out what on earth Strauss and Hofmannsthal are up to in Die Frau ohne Schatten, now playing at the Met, Chris’s Cache offers a later, simpler, shorter Strauss with three live broadcasts of his “bucolic tragedy” Daphne.

on December 11, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Risorgimental Risorgimental

December at Chris’s Cache kicks off with two of Verdi’s lesser-known operas: La Battaglia di Legnano and I Due Foscari.

on December 04, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Forest spright Forest spright

Chris’s Cache ends the month with another “fun” opera but one even rarer than last week’s Rossini: Der Wildschütz by Albert Lortzing.

on November 29, 2024 at 9:00 AM
And suddenly that name will never be the same And suddenly that name will never be the same

Christopher Corwin reviews Pablo Larraín‘s Maria

on November 26, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Reims or reason Reims or reason

November has brought a lot of bad news to many of us, so Chris’s Cache will end the month with a pair of “fun” operas.

on November 20, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Afraid of their own shadows Afraid of their own shadows

Later this month the Met at last revives its striking Herbert Wernicke production of Die Frau ohne Schatten, prompting a Chris’s Cache preview of three live recordings of Strauss and Hofmannsthal’s fanciful if knotty masterpiece.

on November 13, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Spanish mains Spanish mains

Andy Knapp recently wrote enthusiastically about a 1973 Met pirate recoding of Il Trovatore starring Montserrat Caballé, Viorica Cortez, Plácido Domingo, and Robert Merrill. Chris’s Cache today shares that recording, as well another Met in-house starring the same soprano, tenor and baritone in Un Ballo in Maschera from several years earlier.

on November 06, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Every Wally shall be exalted Every Wally shall be exalted

Once again inspired by Harry’s verismo tract, Chris’s Cache unleashes a La Wally avalanche of complete performances of Alfredo Catalani’s opera featuring Renata Tebaldi, Magda Olivero, Carol Neblett, Stefka Evstatieva, and Eva-Maria Westbroek in the title role.

on October 30, 2024 at 9:00 AM
E la Raina vede il cavalier E la Raina vede il cavalier

Inspired by Harry Rose’s recent fine polemic about verismo performance practice, Chris’s Cache offers one of Opera Orchestra of New York’s most exciting evenings: Zandonai’s Francesda da Rimini from 1973 with Raina Kabaivanska, Placido Domingo, and Matteo Manuguerra.

on October 22, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Fear itself Fear itself

Lately I’ve been preoccupied with Verdi and Il trovatore in particular anticipating the opera’s return to the Met later this month for the first time since 2018, this unusual deep-dive Chris’s Cache (on my birthday) is the result.

on October 14, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Easter vigilantes Easter vigilantes

Chris’s Cache celebrates an “Easter in October” gala with five special pirate recordings of Cavalleria Rusticana from the Met featuring four prima donnas whose Santuzze never got a Saturday broadcast and one whose did: Giulietta Simionato, Fiorenza Cossotto, Régine Crespin, Rita Hunter and Mignon Dunn.

on October 08, 2024 at 9:00 AM
We’re the kids in America We’re the kids in America

Needing a Mozart palate-cleanser after the recent misbegotten Marriage of Figaro, I went back more than two decades for a Houston Così fan Tutte featuring then-rising Americans Christine Goerke, Joyce Di Donato, Richard Croft, and Nathan Gunn as the confused lovers.

on September 26, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Stella, Stella for star! Stella, Stella for star!

Ahead of its September 24 Metropolitan Opera premiere, Chris’s Cache provides three Les Contes d’Hoffmann each with just one soprano as its heroines, as well as unusually interesting Antonia acts.

on September 19, 2024 at 9:00 AM