Questo e Quello
On this day in 1823 Gioacchino Rossini arrived in London.
A Birnam Wood of Macbeths and Ladys has come traipsing through New York this year.
On this day in 627, a Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeaeds Emperor Khosrau II’s Persian forces, commanded by General Rhahzadh, in the Battle of Nineveh.
One of the major complaints about the five year casting system (as well as the shared productions by different companies) is that operatic events are rarely surprises anymore.
On this day in 1882, Victorien Sardou‘s Fedora premiered in Paris with Sarah Bernhardt in the title role.
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg is a problematic opera—or, rather, it is an opera that has, in the last century or so, become problematic.
On this day 1955, Mighty Mouse Playhouse premiered on American television.
For many in New York and around the world, if the name William Christie appears on a concert or opera program, it’s a must-attend.
On this day in 1842, Glinka’s opera Ruslan and Lyudmila premiered in St. Petersburg.
Xavier Montsalvatge is best known in these parts for the songs of his “Antilles” period in the 1940s, the exquisite “Cinco Canciones Negras” and so on, making use of rhythms and melodies with a Caribbean flavor.
The New York City Opera Board has signed an agreement to transfer its name and intellectual property to NYCO Renaissance, Ltd.
Whenever opera-lovers are canvassed about what neglected operas they hunger to see revived, the resulting lists inevitably feature a goodly number of grand operas, those once wildly popular monstrosities–particularly by Meyerbeer–written primarily for Paris in the mid-19th century.
From our dear Junfger Marianne Leitmetzerin, and early example of the art of maestro James Levine (not pictured.)
On this day in 1949, Jule Styne‘s musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes opened at the Ziegfeld Theater.
On this day in 1940, sponsorship of the Metropolitan Opera’s Saturday afternoon broadcasts by The Texas Company (Texaco) began with Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro.
The Little Opera Theater of New York (LOTNY) is presenting a double-cast run of two of Floyd’s early one-acts, Slow Dusk and Markheim.
One of the nicest of parterrians, coloraturafan has launched an exciting new video project and he could use a little help from you, the cher public.
On this day in 1956, the musical Happy Hunting opened at the Majestic Theater.
On this day in 1890 Hector Berlioz‘s Les Troyens premiered in Karlsruhe.
Meredith Monk and her Vocal Ensemble (five singers besides Monk, plus three instrumentalists) are giving a program called On Behalf of Nature through Sunday at BAM’s Harvey Theater.
So, how quickly can you find the canard?
It’s that time of year again, cher public: those crisp short days when you decide to stay home and make all your gift selections from La Cieca’s Shoppe of Holiday Delights.
On this day in 1928 Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn‘s musical Whoopee premiered at the New Amsterdam Theatre.
“Marina Abramovic plans to start filming her ‘Seven Deaths’ project next summer, 25 years after she first conceived the idea of playing her heroine, the opera singer Maria Callas.”
Tell us: What’s your favorite Verdi performance?
Hasten thee to feed another quarter of conversation for The Talk of the Town!
