Questo e Quello
Happy 62nd birthday playwright, actor and diseuse Charles Busch.
Idomeneo proved enormously moving while a much more complicated Così fan Tutte went for shallow romantic hijinks stripping that work of its darkly ambiguous disturbing view of love.
dell’ arte Opera Ensemble continued its exploration of love and money by mounting Massenet’s Manon
Falstaff, Verdi’s totally unexpected, final, great comedic roar.
Happy 77th birthday actress Valerie Harper.
“When you’re really quiet, you can hear the tinkling when they stop.”
On this day in 1986 the Charles Strouse / Stephen Schwartz / Teresa Stratas musical Rags opened on Broadway.
Soprano Daniela Dessì has died of cancer. She was 59.
Those of you looking forward to enjoying a Broadway play based on the life of Kathleen Battle, starring Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o, will have to go on waiting.
Born on this day in 1918 novelist Jacqueline Susann.
Finally we know what Brian Kellow used to do at Opera News: proofreading.
“And what, after all, is this ‘love’ everyone keeps singing about and dying for?”
On this day in 1848 the New York Herald reported the discovery of gold in California.
As promised, “Trove Thursday” offers Don Quichote chez la duchesse, a second nearly unknown opera based on Cervantes’ towering literary masterpiece.
On this day in 1920, Amendment XIX to the United States Constitution was ratified.
A sneak preview of perhaps the most intriguing track on Anna Netrebko’s forthcoming Verismo CD.
I was hopeful that my next operatic engagement would offer greater rewards: Norma at the Edinburgh Festival.
On this day in 1876 Wagner’s Götterdämmerung premiered at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus.
On this day in 1876 Wagner’s Siegfried premiered at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus.
I am happy to finally add Les contes d’Hoffmann to the playlist in a Salzburg performance from 2003 with Neil Shicoff in one of his parade roles.
On Saturday night, dell’ arte Opera Ensemble presented a lean performance of La Traviata.
Happy 73rd birthday mezzo-soprano Hanna Schwarz.
Born on this day in 1904 baritone and teacher Martial Singher.
Florence Foster Jenkins, a new film directed by Stephen Frears, celebrates a true amateur.
Tell us: What’s your favorite Verdi performance?
Hasten thee to feed another quarter of conversation for The Talk of the Town!
