Questo e Quello
You know what they all said: “At this rate, she’ll never make it to 50.”
On this day in 1791 Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito premiered in Prague.
Happy 75th birthday actress Raquel Welch.
On this day in 1609 navigator Henry Hudson became the first European to discover the island of Manhattan.
Jonas Kaufmann’s new Puccini album (the new one on Sony, not the repackaged one on Decca) is being previewed by NPR.
Born on this day in 1910 actress and television personality Kitty Carlisle.
Dmitri Hvorostovsky has withdrawn from three performances of Verdi’s Il Trovatore at the Met this season, on October 7, 10, and 17.
In celebration of the impending retirement of San Francisco Opera’s head honcho David Gockley, La Cieca proposed a quick midweek competition, with a first prize of not having dinner with San Francisco Opera’s head honcho David Gockley.
“Those kids in Bushwick have this opera thing figured out.”
On this day in 44 BC Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt declared her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion.
What better way to prepare for the exciting impending season than to salute our sponsor for September, Carnegie Hall?
On this day in 1878, the first female telephone operator, Emma Nutt (not pictured) started work in Boston.
Manuela Hoelterhoff is retiring from Bloomberg News.
The production by Sebastian Baumgarten is the type of regietheater that’s not a rethinking or reconstruction, but just a hot mess.
Homer, inspired by many a muse, sang not of sequels to his Iliad.
Since the 1916 version of Ariadne auf Naxos which we all know and love had its premiere at Wiener Staatsoper, it seems most appropriate to bring you this 1967 performance from the same venue, with a legendary cast at its zenith.
On this day in 1056 Empress Theodora became ill, dying suddenly a few days later, without children to succeed the throne, ending the Macedonian dynasty.
Anna Netrebko adds yet another veristic aria to her burgeoning repertoire: “L’altra notte in fondo al mare” from Boito’s Mefistofele.
Born on this day in 1797 author Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin Shelley.
In just two years, Brooklyn’s LoftOpera has rapidly established itself as a bracing, essential addition to New York City’s musical life.
This video everything: transgender muses, planted hecklers, Offenbach, serendipitous allusions to Caitlyn Jenner, reassigned music and the origin of the world.
According to an ancient American legend, on this day in 1896 the Chinese-American dish chop suey was created in New York City by the Cantonese chef of Chinese Ambassador Li Hung-Chang.
“She was literally mobbed by matinee girls of Berlin, and it required the efforts of a dozen policemen to rescue Miss Farrar from her young admirers.”
On this day in 1850 Richard Wagner‘s romantic opera Lohengrin premiered at Weimar, conducted by Franz Liszt.
Tell us: What’s your favorite Verdi performance?
Hasten thee to feed another quarter of conversation for The Talk of the Town!
