Special handeling
A veritable festival of baroque vocal music featuring two of Handel’s English works, Israel in Egypt and L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, as well as Rameau’s Hippolyte et Aricie.
Recent Stories
Swan of Busseto
Born on this day in 1813 composer Giuseppe Verdi
I’ll take the fall
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).
Inside of you there are two Marias
“The first two images of Angelina Jolie as famed diva Maria Callas in Pablo Larraín’s upcoming biopic Maria have been revealed”
They’re projecting
I love it, truly, just not that much.
Baritonal shift
On this day in 1986 baritone Thomas Hampson made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Count Almaviva.
Sloe-eyed vampa
On this day in 1988 Dolora Zajick made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Azucena
Il trittico
Philippe Jordan conducts Michael Volle, Joshua Guerrero, Anja Kampe, Eleonora Burrato, Michaela Schuster, Ambrogio Maestri, and Serena Sáenz in Tatjana Gürbaca‘s new production from Vienna.
An experience in musical drama
On this day in 1965 mezzo-soprano Grace Bumbry made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Eboli
Son can you play me a memory?
It’s a warning that could strike fear in even the heartiest theatergoer.
Licht und Tag
Born on this day in 1887 soprano Maria Jeritza
Well done, sister suffragette
Happy 100th birthday actress Glynis Johns
Queer and dangerous and exciting
Zack Woolfe of The New York Times remembers James Jorden
Nabucco
Daniele Callegari conducts George Gagnidze, Liudmyla Monastyrska, Maria Barakova, SeokJong Baek in the second of 14 (yes, 14!) performances of Verdi’s opera at the Met this season
James Jorden, 1954-2023
The writers of the Box and James’s friends are saddened to announce the death of the inimitable founder of Parterre Box
Aida
Nicola Luisotti conducts Marina Rebeka, Elina Garanca, Yusif Eyvazov and Gabriele Viviani in a live broadcast from the Staatsopen Unter den Linden.
Cosa umana non sono
On this day in 1968 soprano Marion Lippert made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Turandot. Six years later her Met farewell in the same role.
Turn and face the strange
How appropriate that the Met should present this supposedly “Jewish” opera after many in the audience had just spent twelve days immersed in the genuine article over the High Holy Days.
Do or dye
On this day in 1966 baritone Walter Berry made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Barak
There is nothing like a dame
Happy 88th birthday Julie Andrews
Ohne Ziel, ohne Rast
Instead of following the story, we in the audience spend most of the evening thinking “What?? Why is that happening?”
Les Martyrs
Donizetti’s Les Martyrs in a broadcast from Vienna with Roberta Mantegna, John Osborn, and Mattia Olivieri
I’ll cheer each toot
On this day in 1791 Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte premiered in Vienna