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.


Seria effect Seria effect

While it must be admitted that Elza van den Heever doesn’t have an ideally warm and agile Handel voice, she evidenced fierce control over her instrument and skillfully built a powerful portrait of the courageous Rodelida fighting for her survival.

on March 15, 2022 at 10:09 AM
Bag it up Bag it up

Jaromir Weinberger’s Svanda dudák is rarely performed at all and more often than not in German rather than its original Czech, so Trove Thursday inevitably offers Schwanda der Dudelsackpfeifer from Dresden with Marjorie Owens, Tichina Vaughn, Christoph Pohl and Ladislav Elgr.

on March 10, 2022 at 10:00 AM
French twist French twist

The Met’s new Don Carlos has prompted a lot of discussion lately about opera-in-translation, so Trove Thursday this week offers two works unexpectedly performed in French: Rimsky-Korsakov’s Snegourotchka and Weber’s Euryanthe.

on March 03, 2022 at 10:00 AM
Back to black Back to black

When was the last time the Metropolitan Opera mounted a new production that was musically outstanding yet the direction and/or design mostly sucked?

on March 01, 2022 at 12:53 PM
Old masters Old masters

Jordi Savall and William Christie, 80 and 77 respectively, stand as the two senior masters whose recordings and appearances have done the most over the past decades to build a healthy local enthusiasm for pre-Classical music.

on February 28, 2022 at 11:48 AM
Bored to death Bored to death

Trove Thursday offers Shostakovich’s 1962 Katerina Izmailova with Australian soprano Marie Collier as its anti-heroine and Jon Vickers as her lover.

on February 24, 2022 at 10:00 AM
To the night To the night

Minutes into “An die Nacht,” the first song Friday night, I realized how much I’d missed being enveloped in that seductive Straussian combination of a soprano (or two or three) rising higher and higher over a surging orchestra.

on February 22, 2022 at 8:00 AM
A place in the shade A place in the shade

Next Wednesday is the composer’s 337th birthday, so Trove Thursday previews this spring’s most enticing Handel performance with two very different live versions of his delightful Serse,.

on February 17, 2022 at 10:16 AM
Treasured island Treasured island

Trove Thursday offers a 1994 “pirate” of Ariadne auf Naxos featuring Gabriela Benacková and Natalie Dessay, along with another Viennese diva pairing: Benacková and Sena Jurinac in the second act of Janacek’s Jenufa.

on February 10, 2022 at 10:00 AM
Les infants terribles Les infants terribles

Don Carlos is my favorite Verdi opera, and I’m always in favor of including the most music. But it can be a dizzying task to keep track of all the options.

on February 03, 2022 at 10:00 AM
Maria Ewing sings Mozart Maria Ewing sings Mozart

Today is Mozart’s 266th birthday and I had already planned a Trove Thursday celebration when I learned that Maria Ewing had died on January 9.

on January 27, 2022 at 10:00 AM
Late bloomer Late bloomer

Teresa Zylis-Gara died in late August at 91 and Trove Thursday offers the Polish soprano in a wide-ranging collection of live material showcasing her great versatility.

on January 20, 2022 at 10:00 AM
Are you there, God? It’s me, Margared Are you there, God? It’s me, Margared

Trove Thursday offers a nearly forgotten 19th  century opera with a most marvelous name: Le Roi d’Ys by Éduoard Lalo featuring a superb French cast led by Alain Vanzo, Andrea Guiot, Jane Rhodes and Robert Massard.

on January 13, 2022 at 10:00 AM
Midwinter marriage Midwinter marriage

Despite having lost its announced Cherubino, conductor and Count (the latter in the midst of rehearsals), the season premiere of Le Nozze di Figaro Saturday afternoon proved to be one of the most enjoyable Met Mozart performances I’ve attended in ages.

on January 11, 2022 at 10:27 AM
Mad Max Mad Max

Trove Thursday begins 2022 with a favorite magical opera tinkered with by another great composer: Weber’s Der Freischütz in Berlioz’s French version conducted by Christoph Eschenbach with the great José van Dam as Gaspard!

on January 06, 2022 at 10:00 AM
Behind the mask Behind the mask

Un ballo in maschera—but instead of a tragedy, an opera buffa—and in Danish?

on December 30, 2021 at 10:00 AM
It’s a Great feeling It’s a Great feeling

For Christmas 2021 Trove Thursday welcomes The Three Wise Cis-Men each bearing a broadcast of my favorite sacred work by Mozart, the “Great” Mass in C minor, featuring a sterling American soprano: Kathleen Battle, Arleen Augér and Lisette Oropesa.

on December 23, 2021 at 10:00 AM
Every little thing she does is magic Every little thing she does is magic

A good time seemed to be had by all though I don’t recall seeing a single child in attendance.

on December 20, 2021 at 9:56 AM
Endearing gifts Endearing gifts

Since my previous CD round-up review the onslaught of solo recital disks of 18th century (and sometimes also 17th) vocal music has continued unabated.

on December 17, 2021 at 10:00 AM
The Battle of Carnegie Hall The Battle of Carnegie Hall

Trove Thursday sneaks in one more OONY offering before 2021 ends: Verdi’s rare La Battaglia di Legnano from 1987 with Aprile Millo, Mario Malagnini, and Matteo Manuguerra.

on December 16, 2021 at 2:02 PM
The key of dreams The key of dreams

My sister Julie celebrates an important birthday later this month which reminded me—as I also recalled I visiting her while she was living in Prague—that I should unearth Bohuslav Martin?’s Julietta with Lucia Popp and Dénes Gulyás for this week’s Trove Thursday.

on December 09, 2021 at 10:00 AM
How deep is your love How deep is your love

As one can see from the chronology published earlier this year, the American Opera Society, in addition to reviving a number of now familiar operas, introduced many singers who became important local figures; however, there were shooting-star exceptions like today’s Trove Thursday offering of d’Albert’s Tiefland featuring Angeles Gulin and Ion Buzea.

on December 02, 2021 at 10:00 AM
Random acts Random acts

Trove Thursday adds two short works—Goyescas and L’enfant et les sortilèges—to Christian’s expansive recent survey of Bernard Haitink’s opera legacy.

on November 25, 2021 at 10:00 AM
We are family We are family

Symphony orchestras crave Wagner so much they occasionally program single acts of one of the master’s demanding operas, especially Die Walküre’s rapturous first, so Trove Thursday offers six (!) incestuous concert renditions spanning half a century.

on November 18, 2021 at 10:00 AM
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