Podcast – Chris’s Cache

Operatic gems, secret live recordings, and honestly a little filth… from the collection of Christopher Corwin.

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It’ll all be Auger It’ll all be Auger

A perfect meeting of voice with composer occurred when Arleen Auger took part in the rediscovery of early works by Mozart.

on January 07, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Blythe esprit Blythe esprit

Operettas always seem to be on the menu for New Year’s Eve, so Chris’s Cache joins in with a broadcast of Offenbach’s delicious La Grande-duchesse de Gérolstein featuring Stephanie Blythe in the title role.

on December 30, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Ethiopian blends Ethiopian blends

Anticipating the first new local Aïda in thirty-six years, Chris’s Cache revisits Verdi’s popular opera in four unusually interesting in-house recordings from the Met 1961-1976.

on December 19, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Tree and tree again Tree and tree again

While everyone tries to figure out what on earth Strauss and Hofmannsthal are up to in Die Frau ohne Schatten, now playing at the Met, Chris’s Cache offers a later, simpler, shorter Strauss with three live broadcasts of his “bucolic tragedy” Daphne.

on December 11, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Risorgimental Risorgimental

December at Chris’s Cache kicks off with two of Verdi’s lesser-known operas: La Battaglia di Legnano and I Due Foscari.

on December 04, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Forest spright Forest spright

Chris’s Cache ends the month with another “fun” opera but one even rarer than last week’s Rossini: Der Wildschütz by Albert Lortzing.

on November 29, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Reims or reason Reims or reason

November has brought a lot of bad news to many of us, so Chris’s Cache will end the month with a pair of “fun” operas.

on November 20, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Afraid of their own shadows Afraid of their own shadows

Later this month the Met at last revives its striking Herbert Wernicke production of Die Frau ohne Schatten, prompting a Chris’s Cache preview of three live recordings of Strauss and Hofmannsthal’s fanciful if knotty masterpiece.

on November 13, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Spanish mains Spanish mains

Andy Knapp recently wrote enthusiastically about a 1973 Met pirate recoding of Il Trovatore starring Montserrat Caballé, Viorica Cortez, Plácido Domingo, and Robert Merrill. Chris’s Cache today shares that recording, as well another Met in-house starring the same soprano, tenor and baritone in Un Ballo in Maschera from several years earlier.

on November 06, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Every Wally shall be exalted Every Wally shall be exalted

Once again inspired by Harry’s verismo tract, Chris’s Cache unleashes a La Wally avalanche of complete performances of Alfredo Catalani’s opera featuring Renata Tebaldi, Magda Olivero, Carol Neblett, Stefka Evstatieva, and Eva-Maria Westbroek in the title role.

on October 30, 2024 at 9:00 AM
E la Raina vede il cavalier E la Raina vede il cavalier

Inspired by Harry Rose’s recent fine polemic about verismo performance practice, Chris’s Cache offers one of Opera Orchestra of New York’s most exciting evenings: Zandonai’s Francesda da Rimini from 1973 with Raina Kabaivanska, Placido Domingo, and Matteo Manuguerra.

on October 22, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Fear itself Fear itself

Lately I’ve been preoccupied with Verdi and Il trovatore in particular anticipating the opera’s return to the Met later this month for the first time since 2018, this unusual deep-dive Chris’s Cache (on my birthday) is the result.

on October 14, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Easter vigilantes Easter vigilantes

Chris’s Cache celebrates an “Easter in October” gala with five special pirate recordings of Cavalleria Rusticana from the Met featuring four prima donnas whose Santuzze never got a Saturday broadcast and one whose did: Giulietta Simionato, Fiorenza Cossotto, Régine Crespin, Rita Hunter and Mignon Dunn.

on October 08, 2024 at 9:00 AM
We’re the kids in America We’re the kids in America

Needing a Mozart palate-cleanser after the recent misbegotten Marriage of Figaro, I went back more than two decades for a Houston Così fan Tutte featuring then-rising Americans Christine Goerke, Joyce Di Donato, Richard Croft, and Nathan Gunn as the confused lovers.

on September 26, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Stella, Stella for star! Stella, Stella for star!

Ahead of its September 24 Metropolitan Opera premiere, Chris’s Cache provides three Les Contes d’Hoffmann each with just one soprano as its heroines, as well as unusually interesting Antonia acts.

on September 19, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Back over the rainbow bridge Back over the rainbow bridge

“Let’s start at the very beginning” of Kent Nagano’s pioneering complete Ring project which was recently discussed here in depth in Montagu James’s review of Die Walküre.

on September 11, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Stage animal control Stage animal control

Following Gundula Janowitz and Janet Baker, Chris’s Cache sends birthday greetings to another favorite diva—Karita Matilla—with a quartet of broadcasts.

on September 05, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Letter rip Letter rip

One of the goals of both Trove Thursday and now Chris’s Cache has been to share pirate recordings of the valuable NYC groups that have presented concert operas over the decades.

on August 29, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Interplanet Janet Interplanet Janet

Chris’s Cache celebrates the 91st birthday today of Janet Baker, one of my favorite singers.

on August 21, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Spyres of ascension Spyres of ascension

Chris’s Cache steps up with a recording of Michael Spyres in Lohengrin, as well as with a capture of Spyres in the title role of a 2017 La Clemenza di Tito.

on August 15, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Fête-a-fête Fête-a-fête

Rameau is in the news—at least in France!

on August 08, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Utterly unique, occasionally off-putting Utterly unique, occasionally off-putting

Chris’s Cache wishes Gundula Janowitz a happy 87th birthday today with three early live broadcasts of a favorite soprano in works by Pergolesi, Haydn, and Schumann.

on August 02, 2024 at 9:00 AM
The servant of two last names The servant of two last names

“In over nine years you’ve never posted an opera by Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari,” no one has ever said.

on July 25, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Written in the tsars Written in the tsars

Not so many live primetime Bolshoi Opera performances were recorded, but when the company went on tour it always brought its very best singers, and often pirates were there to capture them.

on July 18, 2024 at 9:00 AM