A summer of solace
From Christian martyrs to naughty fairies, Teatro Nuovo will explore the tragic and comic sides of 19th century Italian Opera.
Recent Stories
A bird in a gilded age
Happy 44th birthday to Broadway’s Laura Benanti.
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).
Le jour de gloire
On this day in 1989, soprano Jessye Norman sang “La Marseillaise” at the Place de la Concorde, Paris, to celebrate 200th anniversary of the French Revolution.
Grown deep like the rivers
June is long gone. It was truly a month of excellence and exuberance here in San Francisco, coupled with cozy and inviting weather, as if to make up for the extended winter.
The men who rule Ramrod
It’s been eight decades since darling Aix-en-Provence was under attack—its last formal invasion, at least by non-operagoers, was in 1942 during the German occupation of southern France. But on Friday, the town was besieged once again by its annual festival, with two dazzling premieres that examined the cruel and constructive dimensions of war and revolution.
Northern star
Born on this day in 1895 soprano Kirsten Flagstad.
Stravinsky in the streets, Dostoevsky in the sheets
The Aix festival organized two back-to-back evening concerts dedicated to the Russian masters. One was an embarrassment of Slavic riches, the other… well, just an embarrassment.
A lady with a song
Born on this day in 1920 or so actor Yul Brynner.
To hum it may concern
Happy 54th birthday tenor Jonas Kaufmann.
Quat’sousical the musical
With unrest and looting nearby as France learned collectively that minority lives should matter, Marseille-adjacent Aix-en-Provence could be forgiven for the heavy-handedness of launching its 75th anniversary summer Festival with a new French translation of the ultimate carnival of social tension, The Threepenny Opera.
“A lie who always speaks the truth”
Born on this day in 1889 writer, filmmaker and designer Jean Cocteau.
Murder’s never perfect
On this day in 1944 the film noir Double Indemnity directed by Billy Wilder was released in Baltimore, Maryland
An improbable farce
On this day in 1941 Noel Coward‘s play Blithe Spirit premiered in London.
The good girl
Born on this day in 1916 actress Olivia de Havilland.
Accidentally like a martyr
Chris’s Cache previews Donizetti’s Poliuto, with a broadcast starring Sondra Radvanovsky, Gregory Kunde and Gabriele Viviani, along with Les Martyrs, the opera’s French grand opera revision, with Leyla Gencer, Mario di Felici and Renato Bruson.
Traubel in mind
On this day in 1956 Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical Pipe Dream closed at Shubert Theater, NYC, after 245 performances.
Star of eve
Born on this day in 1901 baritone and film star Nelson Eddy.
Sax education
On this day in 1846 Adolphe Sax received a patent for what would become his greatest invention.
Looking for Trouble
The ailing and grief-stricken Pinkerton was shown to give his son a diary about his time in Nagasaki, and as Trouble read it, he (and the audience) was taken back in time as the story came to life, similar to the use of Pensieve in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4).
High flying bird
Born on this day in 1932 soprano Anna Moffo.
Blond ambition
This showcase concert gave notice that countertenor Hugh Cutting is among the most promising artists of his generation.
Glorious excess
Despite the ever-increasing media coverage of San Francisco’s “doom loop,” June 2023 will be forever remembered as the time where San Francisco was the opera capital of the United States.
How often I think of the past!
On this day, The Ziegfeld Follies of 1924 opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre with a cast including Billie Burke, W. C. Fields, Will Rogers, Vivienne Segal, Ethel Shutta and Louise Brooks.