Questo e Quello
Yusif Eyvazov just let slip what we must assume is a very long-term project indeed for himself and Anna Netrebko: the title roles in Tristan und Isolde.
She makes it into a mash-up of Cours-la-Reine and “A Great Lady Has An Interview.”
In what will surely be a fever dream for critics and diacritics alike, Renée Fleming sings Björk with the New York Philharmonic next season.
On this day in 1968 mezzo-soprano Fiorenza Cossotto made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Amneris.
On this day in 1959 soprano Leonie Rysanek made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Lady Macbeth.
Helga Dernesch is the singer whom I largely credit for rekindling my love for opera.
“I think some things should be cast with certain physical types, and the role of Otello is one of them.”
A beautiful concert of 18th century sacred music arrived at Weill Recital Hall performed by the soulful Polish Wunderkind Jakub Jósef Orlinski.
Of course, Stemme had the character’s frenzied fury at her father’s murderers in hand, but she had far more nuance—at times this Elektra was seductive, sympathetic, loving, even humorous in her bitterness.
On this day in 2006 tenor Jonas Kaufmann made his Metropolitan Opera debut in La traviata.
Born on this day in 1887 poet and librettist Gertrude Stein.
Some Bizet work for Saturday afternoon.
Happy 82nd birthday soprano Martina Arroyo.
The top ten parterre box stories for January 2019.
There are, on rare occasions, moments in a live performance where some intangible symbiotic relationship between audience and performer creates an instant that borders on the sublime.
Stefan Herheim‘s intensely enjoyable “barocke Muppet-Show” take on Handel’s opera starts streaming at 1:00 PM today on OperaVision.
On this day in 1893, the premiere of Puccini’s Manon Lescaut in Turin.
I was shocked to realize I hadn’t seen Don Giovanni at the Met since Michael Grandage’s stultifying production opened in 2011.
For the conclusion of its tribute to the late Montserrat Caballé, “Trove Thursday” offers Dvorak’s Armida.
On this day in 1974 Verdi’s I Vespri Siciliani had its first Metropolitan Opera house performance.
The arrest of an important gay opera star and his husband on a serious criminal charge is undoubtedly news and almost certain to be interest to regular readers of parterre box.
That’s Luca Pisaroni behind the mask, star of tonight’s Met season premiere of Don Giovanni, broadcast at 7:25 PM.
Academy of Vocal Arts’ Rusalka—surprisingly, only their second venture in many years into the Slavic repertoire—left a divided impression.
The chaos is nonstop, the comedy is broad and physical, and requires a large ensemble of singers who can execute Rossinian polysyllabic patter while taking pratfalls.
Tell us: What was the best of 2025?
Parterre Box concludes the thrilling first year of Talk of the Town by inviting your lightning rod opinions on several more categories of operatic argumentation.
