Parterre Box
Walking out of this Lucia performance from October 2010, my companion said to me, “No mystery who Seattle Opera’s Artist of the Year is going to be.” Aleksandra Kurzak did end up getting that award, to no one’s surprise!
Ahead of his only New York appearances this season later this month, parterre box looks forward to the return of estimable baritone Amartuvshin Enkhbat by sharing a clip featuring starry company.
My favorite scene in my favourite Donizetti opera. Even if she does go ahead and sing that damnable cabaletta, it’s Mariella Devia and she can do little RONG.
I’m convinced that someone else will claim this Donizetti opera before I do, but Maria Stuarda is definitely my very favorite Donizetti opera.
Kind of self-explanatory, but Maria Callas‘s mad scene in Anna Bolena has truly ruined this music for me.
A live broadcast from New York
A friend who frequents these pages recently turned me on to a Donizetti cantata that I had never heard of: his setting of the speech of Dante‘s Conte Ugolino.
Leyla Gencer cussing out Shirley Verrett’s Elisabetta so convincingly the audience spontaneously breaks out in applause and bravas.
This performance has been canceled because of a strike.
In 1972, when I was 12 years old, my mother took me to the Salzburg Festival.
A live broadcast of Prokofiev‘s opera from Vienna’s Theater an der Wien
As tenor Pene Pati continues his Rodolfo-across-America tour, parterre box presents a snippet of his role debut as Werther from earlier this year.
One of my favorite scenes from Donizetti is the Act I finale from Anna Bolena.
La Favorita is my favorita. Whether it’s Favorita or Favorite, I love them both.
Opera Philadelphia announced today its 50th Anniversary 2025-2026 season, the second under the leadership of Anthony Roth Costanzo, but the first to bear his distinctive imprint.
Fiorenza Cossotto in her prime had few equals, particularly in the Italian repertoire
A live broadcast from Venice’s Teatro la Fenice
Donizetti wrote so much great music, it’s hard to single out a favorite opera, or even a preferred aria!
A live broadcast from New York
After her Mimìs in the springtime Bohème, she will perhaps be less under the radar here.
Ida Miccolis (1920-2005), Brazilian soprano, never or rarely sang outside Brazil.
Florian Leopold Gassmann‘s rare comedy live from Milan
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.
