Questo e Quello
Incoming Met music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin “plans to open his first season with a new production of Verdi’s Aida starring Anna Netrebko and to start the following season with Ms. Netrebko as Strauss’s Salome.”
On this day in 1889 the Eiffel Tower officially opened in Paris.
The cher public (pictured) will surely all gather this evening to discuss the broadcast of the Met’s season premiere of Eugene Onegin.
Massenet’s La Navarraise in a live performance featuring Rita Gorr as Anita and George Shirley as Araquil.
Opera Philadelphia announced today that Lawrence Brownlee has joined the company as an Artistic Advisor.
On this day in 1966 Barbra Streisand starred on the Color Me Barbra special on CBS.
The Dallas Opera is delighted to announce that applications are now being accepted for a unique residential program designed to provide training and career support for distinctively talented women conductors.
Born on this day in 1936 composer Richard Rodney Bennett.
Happy 75th birthday bass Samuel Ramey.
This week brings another opera about which we’ve heard a lot but have had few opportunities to see onstage: The Fiery Angel by Sergei Prokofiev.
The New Amsterdam Opera Company presented a concert Forza (orchestra and chorus, yes; sets and costumes, no) at $35 a ticket.
Jacques Offenbach’s Les contes d’Hoffmann has had a bumpy ride to its pride of position in the current French repertoire.
In her debut solo album, Jamie Barton surrounds Gustav Mahler’s staples of the song repertoire, Rückert Lieder, with the less familiar Gypsy Songs of Antonin Dvorák and select songs by Jean Sibelius.
Born on this day in 1822 novelist Henry Murger.
Born on this day in 1894 soprano Viorica Ursuleac.
Settle in for an afternoon of opera seria, cher public, and chat as you will in the comments section of this post.
Our friends at Opera Depot are in a Wagnerian mood.
Born on this day in 1904 or thereabouts actress Joan Crawford.
Born on this day in 1808 soprano Maria Malibran.
Though none of the three performances of Anna Netrebko’s Traviata at La Scala was broadcast, an in-house in decent sound has surfaced.
“James Jorden always wanted to direct, but when he first moved to New York the closest he could get to the stage was in a low-paying job sweeping up bobby pins.”
Anna Caterina Antonacci delivered a tour de force of French diction, subtlety of phrasing, variation of vocal timbre, and white-hot stage acting.
“Trove Thursday” presents a recording of the rare L’Olimpiade featuring Joan Caplan and Rita Shane in the two leading castrato roles.
On this day in 1896 Giordano’s Andrea Chenier premiered in Milan.
Tell us: What’s your favorite Verdi performance?
Hasten thee to feed another quarter of conversation for The Talk of the Town!
