Ah, good. You’ve sobered up from the holiday and are ringing in the new year by avoiding Slack and cleaning out your inbox. Don’t worry. Procrastination is multitasking.

Speaking of slack, the big news of late is…

The Met’s new Aida

Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera

What can we say? We’d been hopeful that 2024 would end, if not on a high note, then one that was at least in tune. There was much cracking… and not the sandstone kind.

And some archaeologist in khakis stumbled out of his harness. Very Brent Everett and the Mummy!

Don’t Google that.

Intrigued? Well, honey, break out your shovel because even Lord Carnarvon wouldn’t touch this pile.

After a trillion years of devoted service, Windy City Operaman has retired his “On This Day” post series. Thank you, Dan :)

Parterre Box is neverthless delighted to introduce a new daily series—The Talk of the Town—curated by our readers and opera fans across the world.

Each month we ask for your favorite clips, recordings, and anecdotes to get people chatting, listening, and thinking.

This month it’s a favorite Mozart performance. Check out:

• In our first submission, from Windy City Operaman himself, Eleanor Steber stuns in a Così aria.
• Belle Raggio says, “No one in recording history short of Hermann Jadlowker could do these florid Mozart tenor roles like Michael Spyres.”
• Kevin Ng chose Dorothea Röschmann in Clemenza di Tito. “It’s daring, it’s risky, it’s ever so much fun.”
• From Patrick Lenaghan, a Magic Flute performance that best realizes the humanity and emotional depth that Mozart expressed not just in that opera, but in all his works.

That’s not all, of course. The rest is for you discover each and every day.

And by all means chime in! Your next friend (or foe) awaits in the Parterre Box comment section.

We were practically besieged from all sides with Puccini tributes in 2024, and Sony has now put their best tenor foot forward with Mr. Kaufmann and Puccini: Love Affairs that excerpts six of the composer’s most romantische duets and employs a different prima donna for each — highly creative programming considering that between Decca and Sony he’s already recorded all the Puccini arias for tenor you can think of. Can you hear the cash register ringing?

You’ll love our review by Patrick Mack. Especially where he has the temerity to liken Kaufmann’s technique to that of Jon Vickers!

Is that a gag or a drag, dear reader?

Broadcasts & Live chats

Oh, yes. 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