I was so beguiled by Erika Baikoff when I saw her perform at the Sag Harbor Song Festival back in September. Such a lovely and musical voice that just flows and when she sang this, she got mid-note applause during the final sustained B.
Sometimes–to negotiate the High Gee!s, as it were–you just need to call in Edda Moser.
Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Paris 1980: Georg Solti, Lucia Popp, José Van Dam, Gundula Janowitz, Gabriel Bacquier, Frederica Von Stade.
Sing High, Sing Low – My favorite Fiordiligi
I’ve shared this before but this is one of the most perfect pieces of Mozart singing and acting I’ve ever come across.
At the time of the recording’s release, Kathleen Battle was getting established.
Instead of giving laurels to a performance already praised since a long time, my choice will be Don Giovanni, Metropolitan Opera, May 2023.
Musically speaking, Così fan tutte is my favorite opera by Mozart, but not necessarily in terms of its dramaturgy
Eleanor Steber shows us how it’s done.
Edita Gruberova as Donn’Anna — “Crudele? Ah no, mio bene … Non mi dir”
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson sings Mozart’s great K 523, ‘Abendempfindung an Laura’ live at Ravinia with Peter Serkin, August 2004
For many opera lovers of the Baby Boomer generation, German bass Kurt Moll (1938-2017) was Sarastro, exuding wisdom and kindness through his unaffected bearing and incomparably rich, homogeneous sound.
Così is an almost post-modern opera, in that it mocks the bourgeois construction of ‘love’ as a socially-sanctioned precursor to matrimony.
On 23 July 1986, almost certainly more people simultaneously experienced a Mozart aria than ever had before or since when Arleen Auger sang at Andrew and Fergie‘s wedding.
No one in recording history short of Hermann Jadlowker could do these florid Mozart tenor roles like Michael Spyres
It’s daring, it’s risky, it’s ever so much fun.
“D’Oreste d’Ajace” – Carol Vaness
Ponnelle directing and Böhm conducting Le Nozze di Figaro with Prey, Freni, Fischer-Dieskau, Te Kanawa, and Ewing leading the cast. A classier performance of the piece can hardly be imagined.
Fritz Wunderlich‘s singing is so wonderful and effortless that no further commentary is needed.
This took a lot of thought and consideration and there are just TOO many to choose from. But when it comes to vintage performances…
cher public is reminded one final time to contribute to our new regular feature before it launches on Wednesday
All members of cher public are reminded to submit their most à propos recommendations to start our new regular feature off with gusto
parterre box is launching a new daily feature that puts your favorite things front and center!
The days are getting shorter, but you can keep the prattle going this fall’s Talk of the Town! You will, you can, you must join in the discussion about: Great mezzo soprano performances (October),
Gained in translation (November), Teleport me back to… (December).
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