Dan Soda (Windy City Operaman) is a Chicago native whose first visit to opera was at age 17 and Massenet’s Werther with Troyanos and Kraus. Nothing was ever the same. Opera and concert performances, recordings and video are an obsession. He prepares Parterre Box’s daily birthday and anniversary tributes. He also enjoys concerts, live theater and movies.
On this day in 1937 the National Broadcasting Company formed a full-sized symphony orchestra. Read more »
Born on this day in 1939 soprano Lucia Popp. Read more »
This riotous opera transports the Oedipus tale to an apocalyptic 1980s London, plagued by police violence, racism, and socioeconomic decay. Intrepid composer Mark-Anthony Turnage’s (Anna Nicole) 1988 breakthrough brilliantly combines cockney-accented profanity and irreverent drama with an audacious score and outstanding four-person cast. Eddy (tenor Alex Otterburn), our modern-day Oedipus, dreams of a better life. After hearing a fortune teller’s disturbing prediction, he resolves at all costs to avoid shagging his own mum (soprano Susan Bullock) and inadvertently killing his father (tenor Andrew Shore). But he is unable to outrun fate, landing in the prophetically maternal arms of an East End café manager (mezzo soprano Allison Cook). Thirty years later, Greek still resonates, offering an incisive, brash contemporary statement on accountability and family. Read more »
On this day in 1993 Dvorak’s Rusalka finally appeared at the Met. Gabriela Benacková does the honors. Read more »
On this day in 1970 the Richard Rodgers–Martin Charnin musical Two by Two (with Danny Kaye as Noah) opened at the Imperial Theatre, to run 351 performances.
On this day in 1928 the American premiere of Richard Strauss’ Die ägyptische Helena took place at the Met, with Maria Jeritza in the title role.
On this day in 1883 the Metropolitan Opera presented its very first Traviata with Marcella Sembrich as Violetta.
Cher Public