Parterre Box

Barbara Hannigan should make it to the Met Barbara Hannigan should make it to the Met

The fact that Barbara Hannigan has never performed at The Metropolitan Opera is just plain dumb.

Kathryn the great Kathryn the great

Parterre Box previews Kathryn Lewek‘s upcoming Salome with clips of her as another unhinged lady of antiquity.

Robert Rounseville should have made it to the Met Robert Rounseville should have made it to the Met

From one Mister Snow to another, I salute him.

She speaks! She speaks!

It has become that time of evening… to opine during the latest round of The Talk of the Town.

A favorite Verdi performance from pfeliks A favorite Verdi performance from pfeliks

I was a huge fan of Anna Netrebko.

Count your blessings Count your blessings

Fast-rising Verdi baritone Ariunbaatar Ganbataar is the subject of this week’s Grand Tier Grab Bag.

A favorite Verdi performance from swordsnsolvers A favorite Verdi performance from swordsnsolvers

Here in Chicago, I’ve had many a shot at listening to Riccardo Muti as a Verdi conductor.

A favorite Verdi performance from Sanford Schimel A favorite Verdi performance from Sanford Schimel

I’ve never been shy about my adoration of Anna Moffo.

A favorite Verdi performance from Krunoslav A favorite Verdi performance from Krunoslav

Much as I love the Abbado Deutsche Grammophon studio set, this 1980 San Francisco Opera live Simon Boccanegra under Lamberto Gardelli has an emotional punch.

A favorite Verdi performance from David Phillips A favorite Verdi performance from David Phillips

Bring on the drama, mama!

A favorite Verdi performance from Moe Rear A favorite Verdi performance from Moe Rear

Tito Gobbi‘s performance of Rigoletto’s “Cortigiani, vil razza dannata” offers the most musically and dramatically complete portrait of Verdi’s tortured court jester that I have ever heard.

Pensar che una partita decide d’una Vida Pensar che una partita decide d’una Vida

“Soprano Vida Miknevičiūtė will make her company debut singing the role of Minnie in the new production of Puccini’s La Fanciulla del West, replacing Sondra Radvanovsky, who has withdrawn due to personal reasons.”

Limmie Pulliam 1976-2026 Limmie Pulliam 1976-2026

The American tenor, who made a triumphant mid-career comeback in 2022, has died.

One man’s Junker One man’s Junker

Handel’s Deidamia — and one of its current champions, soprano Sophie Junker — are the subject of this week’s Grand Tier Grab Bag.

A favorite Verdi performance from Quinn Kelsey A favorite Verdi performance from Quinn Kelsey

I’ve looked to Sherrill Milnes many a time for insight and guidance whenever I’ve added a new Verdi role to my repertoire.

A favorite Verdi performance from Leyla Gender-Bender A favorite Verdi performance from Leyla Gender-Bender

Stiffelio has always been the dark horse of early Verdi operas.

A favorite Verdi performance from Lou Ann Darras A favorite Verdi performance from Lou Ann Darras

I have very few opportunities to see real-life opera divas, but when Natalie Dessay chose to debut her first Traviata at Santa Fe, there was no way I was going to miss it.

A favorite Verdi performance from Astyanax A favorite Verdi performance from Astyanax

The air held a real charge that night in SF’s War Memorial Opera House.

Felicity Lott 1947-2026 Felicity Lott 1947-2026

The English soprano, famed for her interpretations of twentieth-century composers like Strauss, Britten, and Poulenc, as well as Mozart and operetta, died yesterday only a few days after announcing that she had a terminal cancer.

A favorite Verdi performance from Mister Snow A favorite Verdi performance from Mister Snow

Nothing prepared me for the Soviero experience

A favorite Verdi performance from Tildy Diva A favorite Verdi performance from Tildy Diva

A well-known Met Aïda with a starry cast from 1967 is TildyDiva’s Favorite Verdi Performance

Don’t cry because it’s over Don’t cry because it’s over

Grand Tier Grab Bag hearkens back to the days when Sondra Radvanovsky — who is singing no Verdi at all next season — seemed like the Verdi soprano of reference.

A favorite Verdi performance from Arrigo A favorite Verdi performance from Arrigo

My favorite Verdi performance is Claudio Abbado Don Carlo opening of the Scala.

A favorite Verdi performance from Peter Russell A favorite Verdi performance from Peter Russell

The purely musical performance preserved here is thrilling, ratcheted to a higher intensity than the Deutsche Grammophon studio recording