Chat: Hansel and Gretel
Welcome, parterrians, to your Christmas Eve chat beginning at 1:00 PM.
Questo e Quello
“I never travel without my parterre box”
On this night in 1951 Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors premiered on television.
There arose such a clatter
With Christmas Eve 2016 falling on a Saturday, the Met offers contrasting orchestral splendors at noon and 6 p.m.
Evergreen
Happy 70th birthday soprano Edita Gruberova (with music for the holidays.)
Ed Rosen
Legendary opera fan and producer of opera recordings Ed Rosen has died.
Inspiration is an awakening
Born on this day in 1858 composer Giacomo Puccini.
All she wants to do do do is dance
On this day in 1921 Jerome Kern’s Sally starring Marilyn Miller was produced by Florenz Ziegfeld on Broadway.
Brevity is the soul of wit
Tonight’s chat features the enshortened English language version of The Magic Flute the Met has put forth as their annual Christmas entertainment for the kiddies.
Mahlerei
strong>Christian Gerhaher does not appear at first to sing but rather to speak on pitches, telling stories, explaining words by lingering on them or biting them off short.
1,521 nights only
On this day in 1981 Harry Krieger and Tom Eyen‘s musical Dreamgirls opened at the Imperial Theater.
Money can’t buy me amor
The chairman of the Presidential Inaugural Committee took to the cable waves this morning to reassure the American people that Andrea Bocelli did not, repeat not, turn down the President-elect’s offer to sing at the January 20 event.
Himself when young
This week features Roger Norrington leading a December 2006 performance of Berlioz/ Enfance du Christ from Berlin
The impresaria
Born on this day in 1900 soprano and Glyndebourne founder Audrey Mildmay.
His puzzler was sore
On this day in 1966 How the Grinch Stole Christmas, based on the story by Dr. Seuss, aired for the first time on CBS.
There’s no place like dome
On this day in 1965 the Astrodome opened.
Chat: Salome
Welcome to La Casa della Cieca for the matinee of Salome starting at the Met at 1:00 pm on Saturday, cher public. Please be sure to read the notice after the jump.
But you don’t really care for music, Du ja?
“Hallelujah” will kick off this year’s annual holiday concert in The Imperial City, presumably sung by the event’s headliners, Vesselina Kasarova and Angela Denoke.
Wave theory
Scribe/saxophonist Will Robin (not pictured) surveys some of the many women who are making opera these days.
I love criticism just so long as it’s unqualified praise
Born on this day in 1899 composer, playwright and actor Noel Coward.
Diva, unfiltered
How many books have been published about Anna Maria Sofia Cecilia Kalogeropoulou Meneghini Callas, great operatic goddess of the dark arts?
Trifecta of horror
Jackie Evancho! Andrea Bocelli! Donald Trump! I mean, what else do you want, a Zuni fetish doll eviscerating Karen Black?
I had a vision of love
On this day in 1918 Puccini’s Il Trittico premiered at the Metropolitan Opera.
Wo ist Salome?
Kirsten Chambers will make her Met debut in the title role of this evening’s performance of Strauss’s Salome, replacing Patricia Racette, who is ill.
I’ll take the fall
The days are getting shorter, but you can keep the prattle going this fall’s Talk of the Town! You will, you can, you must join in the discussion about: Great mezzo soprano performances (October),
Gained in translation (November), Teleport me back to… (December).