The Talk of the Town
I love Tabori—his staging of Bluebeard’s Castle and Erwartung are among my five favorite opera performances of all time.
Ha ha ha, so gorgeous!
A Baroque Valentine’s with Opera Lafayette | Feb | DC & NYC
Celebrate love in all its guises with tender ballads, amorous duets, cheeky verses, and bawdy drinking songs plus food, cocktails and wine.
The production is based on the Elisabeth Fritzl story, and it really made me reconsider this opera’s fairy tale storyline.
I never thought an opera production could be this well done.
Les Camilles both agree on this one. And WHY? You ask??!
Barbara Hannigan‘s Lulu is the greatest live performance I’ve seen.
Who are the rats? Why are their tails getting longer? Is Lohengrin a rat trying to free himself from a maze?
At every turn, the preconceived notion of Trovatore was denied, right down to the boxing during the ballet.
With Cesare’s old-school rules of war set spinning by Cleopatra’s Bollywood-inspired manipulations, a Da Capo aria has never felt more dangerous
Barrie Kosky’s incredible production widened and universalized the ending.
The opening of John Dexter‘s production of The Dialogues of the Carmelites (originally produced in English) is one of the most arresting and memorable images I have ever seen.
In a lifetime of opera going I suppose I have seen many transformative productions, but this recent one seems, in the light of the increasing disaster enfolding this country, uncannily pertinent.
I saw this production in HD, and it really shocked me because I was used to the cackling mezzo witch, guardian angels, and gingerbread figures.
My first reaction in 1974 wasn’t good. The production was full of stairs, and I was afraid Montserrat Caballé would fall at any moment.
My experiences with live performances of Handel’s operas/oratorios has been hit or miss, mostly miss.
I came to The Rake’s Progress with a huge “Show Me” chip on my shoulder.
Lotte De Beer‘s astonishing reading of Aïda at the Paris Opera was a victim both of Covid and the culture wars.
Death is the prima donna in this opera, and Herheim doesn’t let you forget it.
For me, one of the greatest recordings is the Von Karajan Il trovatore. You have four incredible singers in their top form.
I take such comfort in the assumption that someone or something will save us from injustice and the lust for power.
It’s such a joyous score, full of Italian warmth and humanity. Verdi’s late-stage, evergreen score is a constant source of joy.
I have been utterly fascinated by the wildly intriguing choices of “comfort operas” these past few days. For me, Così fan tutte is my absolute first choice.
This is not exactly a comfort “opera” as it is from Handel’s late oratorio Theodora which is sometimes staged as an opera.
Die ägyptische Helena isn’t even an opera I love so much as a whole.
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.
