in the news

Inside of you there are two Marias Inside of you there are two Marias

“The first two images of Angelina Jolie as famed diva Maria Callas in Pablo Larraín’s upcoming biopic Maria have been revealed”

on October 09, 2023 at 1:15 PM
The Met offers a tradeoff The Met offers a tradeoff

The catch: Employees would have to agree to a 30 percent cut in pay, half of which would be restored once the Met’s box office returned to pre-pandemic levels.

on November 20, 2020 at 6:27 PM
Comfort food Comfort food

“In these few minutes we are given a précis of Leontyne Price as an artist.”

on September 21, 2020 at 12:35 PM
Inside, outside Inside, outside

“While Renée Fleming performed without an audience, DG Stage offered Puccini’s beloved melodrama Tosca before an outdoor crowd in Naples.”

on August 04, 2020 at 9:16 AM
“Why is everything wrong?” “Why is everything wrong?”

“The shimmery, creamy voice of the ‘undiva,’ as she is known, is ingrained in America’s cultural memory, at both sad and happy moments.”

on July 30, 2020 at 8:35 AM
Mattila, two ways Mattila, two ways

“I have almost forgotten what it felt like to sit in a velvet seat at the Met, surrounded by people coughing.”

on July 27, 2020 at 12:43 PM
Book of dreams Book of dreams

Christie’s is auctioning nearly 300 scores once owned by Maria Callas

on July 22, 2020 at 10:15 PM
Take the long way homo Take the long way homo

“The worst public in the opera are these obsessed gays. . . . All these rich guys with nothing to do in their life, just following Anna Netrebko or Jonas Kaufmann on all continents. This is not a real audience for me.”

on July 22, 2020 at 8:24 AM
Prima donna al fresco: integrale! Prima donna al fresco: integrale!

As revealed in a complete recording which appeared this morning, Anna Netrebko was in fine form in Naples at the anteprima of Tosca at the Piazza del Plebiscito.

on July 20, 2020 at 5:24 PM
Revelation Revelation

I feel like Jonas Kaufmann is trying to tell us something.

on July 10, 2020 at 11:32 PM
The distance between us The distance between us

“Dying in the third act is much more intense, as the sickness has the same symptoms as COVID-19, so suffocation, pain, agony, fever—all this must be present and real.”

on July 08, 2020 at 11:26 AM
From a distance From a distance

Of 511 epidemiologists polled, about two thirds expect that it will be more than one year from now before they expect to “attend a sporting event, concert or play.”

on June 08, 2020 at 7:43 PM
A change of season A change of season

What options are there for the Met and the other performing arts organizations trying to envision restarting performances in the fall?

on May 19, 2020 at 12:28 PM
Legendary Legendary

A scene from Les Contes d’Hoffmann with Michael Fabiano, which may or may not be seen soon at L’Opéra national de Paris.

on January 23, 2020 at 11:04 AM
The Great British Faking Show The Great British Faking Show

The Royal Opera House demonstrates it is “proud to have the values of inclusivity, internationalism and openness at its heart” …

on January 02, 2020 at 4:43 PM
I shall be released I shall be released

Happy Public Domain Day!

on January 01, 2020 at 1:25 PM
Teen titans Teen titans

Of the hundreds of opera performances Our Own JJ (not pictured) attended in the 2010s he narrows it down to the ten most glittering highlights.

on December 25, 2019 at 1:05 PM
Van Oostrum sings! Van Oostrum sings!

Though no recording of Sunday’s lauded performance of Lohengrin from the Bayerische Staatsoper has yet surfaced, here are a couple of excerpts from Der Freischütz sung by Johanni van Oostrum.

on November 26, 2019 at 3:55 PM
Honor and harmony Honor and harmony

It’s that time of year again, cher public: the 47th 15th annual announcement of the recipients of the F. Paul Driscoll Awards for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence!

on November 26, 2019 at 12:50 PM
Outside the box Outside the box

So here’s my question: if Tadzio is 27 years old and consciously flaunting his wang, is it still Death in Venice?

on November 22, 2019 at 10:02 AM
Thanks a million Thanks a million

“The Met acted quickly to cast her as Leonore in Fidelio, Chrysothemis in Elektra, Ariadne in Ariadne auf Naxos, Eva in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg and the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier.”

on November 22, 2019 at 9:27 AM
“Non son più Ye, son dio” “Non son più Ye, son dio”

“A flawed leader with visions of grandeur who becomes mentally unstable is a plot line that [Kanye] West might relate to.”

on November 18, 2019 at 3:42 PM
Unfriended Unfriended

The Metropolitan Opera announced today that longtime [almost 40 years!] Artistic Administrator Jonathan Friend will be stepping down from his position following the end of the 2019–20 season.

on November 15, 2019 at 4:22 PM
Meeker inherits Meeker inherits

Opera San Antonio’s Board of Directors has announced E. Loren Meeker as General and Artistic Director.

on November 15, 2019 at 3:26 PM