You’ve held your breath long enough. Welcome to the inaugural issue of parterre*inbox, a weekly-or-whenever digest of our our pettiest performance reviews, our finest features, breaking news, and brainrot commentary on opera… such as it is today.

First things first: a ticket giveaway! You and your trade can win free entry to tenor Piotr Beczala’s Carnegie Hall recital on December 9th. The program of song includes a number of –skys and –offs and schs and –czs. It also includes Grieg, but that’s not very funny, is it?

Il trovatore may be famous for its melodramatic plot and unlikely mistaken identities, but surely even Verdi and Cammarano couldn’t have imagined the chaos of a performance featuring two Manricos and two Leonoras. Kevin Ng reviews the Met’s latest.	Photo: Ken Howard
Washington National Opera’s second full-run offering of the season, a new production of Verdi’s perennially appealing Macbeth, premiered last Wednesday at the Kennedy Center. Read Alex Baker’s take.	Photo: Scott Suchman
We, for one, would love a John Hughes-esque La bohème reboot. Until then, we have the Met’s warm bath of holiday nostalgia (most recently with Ailyn Pérez). Annie Levin performs the seasonal rite.	Photo: Marty Sohl
The Manchurian Candidate proves to be a daring and timely commentary on political power in America now, just as it had been before the 2016 election. Seokyoung Kim checks out Austin Opera’s 2024 production.	Photo: Erich Schlegel
After an uneven gala performance of Tosca on Tuesday, we’re not sure what the Met means by “celebrating Puccini.” But with a cast including Lise Davidsen, Quinn Kelsey, and debutant Freddie De Tommaso, there’s much to report. Won’t you hold Harry Rose’s hand while he jumps screaming into the void?	Photo: Marty Sohl

Do you subscribe to our sibillant podcast, Chris’s Cache? Well why not? It features operatic gems, secret live recordings, and honestly a little filth… from the collection of Christopher Corwin.

Most recently you’ll have missed:

• a bit of fun in two Il Viaggio à Reims with the likes of Michael Spyres, Marina Rebeka, Patrizia Ciofi, and more…
• three live recordings of Strauss and Hofmannsthal’s fanciful if knotty masterpiece, Die Frau ohne Schatten…
• a La Wally avalanche of complete performances of Catalani’s opera featuring Renata Tebaldi, Magda Olivero, Carol Neblett, Stefka Evstatieva, and Eva-Maria Westbroek in the title role.

Don’t miss an episode. Subscribe on:

Apple Podcasts

YouTube

iHeartRadio

The Met announced the appointment of DanieleRustioni to the position of Principal Guest Conductor for a three-year term. Could thisherald more change in the years ahead?	Photo: Jonathan Tichler/Metropolitan Opera
A requiem for thecountry? Michael Steinberg on Riccardo Muti, fascism, and who speaks through thecollective voice of the Verdi Requiem.	Photo: Jeff Fusco

*** LIVE Chats ***

In the spirit of AOL circa 1998, parterre hosts live chats during broadcasts and livestreams.

Are you an opera newbie lookin’ to listen and learn? Or maybe an overly articulate know-it-all wanting to
indulge your fantasy of an anonymous 12-way with people who couldn’t possibly understand you?

Well that must suck. But you’re welcome to join us anyway. ?

Do you have questions, tips, suggestions, gripes, or story ideas?
Email us if you must: [email protected]

Ciao for now!
Nick Scholl
Publisher, parterre box