Parterre Box
Eva Maria Westbroek in her prime, in a role in which I find her unsurpassed among current singers.
STEMdiva status
Ahead of a special boozy, bawdy Valentine’s Day concert, artistic director of Opera Lafayette Patrick Quigley speaks with soprano Maya Kherani about her journey from MIT to rising American Baroque star.
As a frequent visitor of Parterre’s Jones Home (ah, the early internet!), I’d be remiss not to share this favorite clip of two queens maximizing their joint slay.
For me, Hans Hotter‘s interpretation of Wotan is a convincingly successful interpretation of this role.
Surprised that none of our favorite Wagner performances happen to come from Tannhaüser, Parterre Box turns to Russell Thomas to fill the gap
I’d long ago given up on my Goldilocks search for a “just right” complete Tristan und Isolde recording starring Jon Vickers, my hands-down tenor of choice.
There was that Tristan.
The complete RCA Furtwängler Tristan is actually my top favorite, but the Ponnelle staging in Bayreuth featuring René Kollo and Johanna Meier is my top sentimental favorite, because it was my first full Wagner performance.
Antonio Pappano conducts a performance live from the BBC Proms
I’d never heard Götterdämmerung in a live performance until 1985 at The Dallas Opera. OMG, so long ago!
Jacquelyn Stucker leads a performance recorded last month in Santa Fe
It took me a while to “warm up” to Wagner.
A performance recorded earlier this month in Salzburg with Lisette Oropesa and Kate Lindsey
Régine Crespin singing the Wesendonck Lieder is the most beautiful Wagner singing I’ve ever heard.
All of the Teatro Colón live opera recordings conducted by Fritz Busch are special, but his 1936 Parsifal is my favorite.
The start of the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro provides a perfect opportunity to enjoy a bit of the breathtaking Vasilisa Berzhanskaya recorded there last summer
Dame Gwyneth Jones as Brünnhilde pretty much started it all for me.
Daniela Barcellona leads a live broadcast from the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro
Júlia Várady‘s smoldering, almost feral Sieglinde from the Sawallisch/Lehnhoff Ring, remains my favorite.
A live broadcast from the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro
This is one of my favorite operas, and visually and story telling-wise, you can’t beat this production.
One final appeal for you to share what most titillates you in the upcoming season for September’s The Talk of the Town
A Baroque Valentine’s with Opera Lafayette | Feb | DC & NYC
Celebrate love in all its guises with tender ballads, amorous duets, cheeky verses, and bawdy drinking songs plus food, cocktails and wine.
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.