Garden party
Two of France’s leading Early Music ensembles recently visited New York City to perform music by some of the 17th century’s leading composers.
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Manon Lescaut
Jader Bignamini conducts Anna Netrebko, Davide Luciano, Joshua Guerrero and Evgeny Solodovnikov in a broadcast from Vienna.
Devil in the details
On this day in 1965 bass Nicolai Ghiaurov made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Méphistophélès
That which we call a Rosa
Rosa Feola, hailed last year for her Gilda at the Met, brought a level of vocal refinement and elegance to Juliet that substantially elevated the night’s proceedings.
More than stupendous
Born on this day in 1926 soprano Joan Sutherland
Mälkki way
When the New York Philharmonic announced Gustavo Dudamel as its next music director earlier this year, speculation arose immediately as to who would take his place out West when he leaves the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2026.
Mussel your way in
On this day in 1928 the American Premiere of Richard Strauss‘ Die ägyptische Helena at the Met.
Operalia 2023 Finals
Live from Cape Town, South Africa, the finals of the 2023 Operalia Competition
Dell’invito trascorsa è già l’ora
On this day in 1883 the Metropolitan Opera presented its very first traviata.
Parsifal
Pablo Heras-Casado conducts Andreas Schager, Georg Zeppenfeld, Elina Garanca, Derek Welton, and Jordan Shanahan in a recording from this summer’s Bayreuth Festival.
Baby steppes
In 1961 soprano Phyllis Curtin makes her Metropolitan Opera debut as Fiordiligi
X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X
Kazeem Abdullah conducts Will Liverman, Leah Hawkins, Raehann Bryce-Davis, Michael Sumuel, and Victor Ryan Robertson in a season premiere broadcast from New York
A noi duce fa l’amor
On this night in 1924 Tullio Serafin made his Met debut conducting Elisabeth Rethberg and Giovanni Martinelli in Aida.
Keeper of the dumpster fire
To get right to the point, the performance did not come together despite some good elements and was a major missed opportunity.
Les ‘Filles’ mal gardées
Two problematic 1990s Donizetti daughters
New kid in town
On this day in 2005 mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato made her Met debut as Cherubino
Tuckered out
This Sunday marked a muted return of the Richard Tucker Foundation Gala, which had the dubious distinction of the fourth edition not to feature a prizewinner and perhaps the first not to provide complete orchestral and choral accompaniment for its performers.
Order of the angels
Born on this day in 1923 soprano Victoria de los Angeles
Soar, losers
Chopping up the action and dutifully showing each plot point may work in a film but in an opera, where every piece of marginal dialogue must be set to music, it feels like a chore.
Das Rheingold
Alain Altinonglu conducts Gábor Bretz, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Anett Frisch, Scott Hendricks, and Nicky Spence live from Brussels.
Rotten Eggs
In this vulgar world, there is no situation that can’t be limned with a power ballad.
Simple gifts
On this day in 1944 the Aaron Copland/Martha Graham ballet Appalachian Spring had its premiere in Washington DC.
Backstage buzz
A word to cher public from backstage at the box