Questo e Quello
Music Director James Levine (pictured, left) is obviously feeling well enough that he can get back to favorite pastime, i.e., making sure nobody else has a success except him.
After viewing Stefan Herheim’s production of Rusalka, I’ve got a new category: “regie slick.”
For all those Mad Scene lovers out there, here is a video of some great Mad Scenes in opera.
They say that Boston, despite many cultural distinctions, ain’t no opera town, and for some decades—generations?—this has been true. But tides of change will break, even on the shores of the Hub.
On this day in 1966, the Metropolitan Opera House opened at Lincoln Center in New York City with the world premiere of Samuel Barber‘s opera Antony and Cleopatra.
La Cieca has just heard that Joseph Kaiser, due to unforeseen circumstances, will not be able to participate in Sunday’s Voce recital.
Perhaps to whet the appetite for the Met’s opening night just one week from now, Jungfer Marianne Leitmetzerin presents a gala performance of Le nozze di Figaro (with a cast headed by Teresa Stratas) from the Paris Opera.
One of the things that made François Girard’s 2013 production of Parsifal at the Met so compelling was the way he tried to make the tale of suffering and temptation relevant to a contemporary audience.
Walking away from Theatre Châtelet this afternoon, I felt as though my relationship with France and its notoriously perplexing people and culture had at long last reached some degree of depth.
On this day in 1923 Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin.
On this day in 1968, the television newsmagazine program 60 Minutes premiered on CBS-TV.
Big changes in San Francisco’s Norma.
On this day in 1814, Francis Scott Key composed the poem “Defence of Fort McHenry,” which was later set to music and became the United States’ national anthem.
Which highly respected opera professional has been making a lot of childish scenes lately (even devising a fake identity on parterre.com!) in order to sow discord between two ex-clients?
The Metropolitan Opera just announced that 22 positions from its administrative staff of 254 have been eliminated as part of a company-wide program of cost cutting.
Valerian Ruminksi, that bass-baritone who shot off his mouth all over Facebook about a drag queen’s manicure and got fired from a prestigious gig with Opera Lyra—remember him?
On this day in 1846, Elizabeth Barrett eloped with Robert Browning.
Now that you know how to obtain same-day tickets to the Met, cher public, all that remains is deciding which operas you intend to see.
On this day in 1609, Henry Hudson discovered Manhattan Island and the indigenous people living there.
“[Renée Fleming] also proved herself skilled at musical comedy at times…. As for those aforementioned comic moments, she revealed her own fondness for Joseph Canteloube’s Folk Songs from the Auvergne.”
On this day in 1846, Elias Howe was granted a patent for the sewing machine.
I fall on my knees before this new live recording
issued by the San Francisco Symphony.
Born on this dayin 1905: film producer Joseph E. Levine (not pictured).
Tell us: What’s your favorite Verdi performance?
Hasten thee to feed another quarter of conversation for The Talk of the Town!
