Questo e Quello
“You see, Elaine, Dimitrij was a simple country boy, you might say a cockeyed optimist…”
Overhearing preparations for the Salzburg Aïda.
Skirting the leafy, patrician Berkshires of Western Mass, and flush with wine coolers and white people, pastoral Tanglewood doesn’t much resemble the dark Nibelung settings of Norse myth.
Happy 50th birthday soprano Anne Schwanewilms.
Today’s conversation piece from Bayreuth: a revival of Tristan und Isolde with Stephen Gould and Petra Lang conducted by Christian Thielemann.
The cher public are invited to hear and comment upon the opening performance of the 2017 Bayreuth Festspiele, featuring a new production of Meistersinger directed by Barrie Kosky. Broadcasts from various sources begin between 9:45 and 10:00 AM EDT. (These daytime Bayreuth listening parties continue into next week.)
Born on this day in 1894 soprano Yvonne Printemps.
Placido Domingo, who, in 20 years of trying, has never yet got either the words or the rhythms right in the role of Siegmund, has been announced to conduct Die Walküre at Bayreuth next season.
The late-mid 1730s were transitional years for Handel, to put it nicely.
I wish to introduce our younger Parterrians to the magical Martha Mödl to commemorate the opening of the Bayreuther Festspiele which opens tomorrow afternoon.
Happy 49th birthday singer and actress Kristin Chenoweth.
Happy 45th birthday soprano Anja Harteros.
As if to usher in next week’s daily broadcasts from Bayreuth, this afternoon offers a choice between two Wagner operas: Lohengrin from the Vienna State Opera and Tannhäuser from Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Born on this day 1849 poet Emma Lazarus.
Happy 60th birthday actor Jon Lovitz.
This week’s “Trove Thursday” offers Benjamin Britten’s Death in Venice featuring Anthony Rolfe Johnson.
Born on this day in 1938 actress Natalie Wood.
Congratulations to our friends at the Bayerische Staatsoper for their successful application to real-time opera performances of face-swapping software!
Happy 91st birthday actress Helen Gallagher.
In May of last year tenor Piotr Beczala and soprano Anna Netrebko sang in Lohengrin for the first time under the baton of Christian Thielemann in his home house at the Staatskapelle Dresden.
On this day in 64 the Great Fire of Rome began under the Emperor Nero.
On 07 May 2007 the air inside Theater an der Wien crackled with anticipation before the premiere of Leos Janácek’s Z mrtvého domu (From the House of the Dead) in a production by Patrice Chéreau conducted by Pierre Boulez.
Happy 82nd birthday actress and singer Diahann Carroll.
Born on this day in 1911 dancer and actress Ginger Rogers.
Tell us: What’s your favorite Verdi performance?
Hasten thee to feed another quarter of conversation for The Talk of the Town!
