À la russe
On this day in 1920 the Metropolitan Opera presented the company’s first performance of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin.
Recent Stories
Falstaff
Another broadcast of one of the Met’s finest revivals of the season.
The girl next door
On this day in 1977 soprano Ileana Cotrubas made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Mimì.
O, swear not by the moon
“For this evening’s performance of Norma (March 22, 2023), Norma will now be sung by Helena Dix, replacing Sonya Yoncheva.”
The Finnish line
On this day in 1990 soprano Karita Mattila made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Donna Elvira in a new production of Don Giovanni.
This is the part when I break free
Following the great success of its new piece The Factotum, Lyric Opera of Chicago returned to the tried and true with the audience-pleaser Carmen in an equally tried and true 20-year old Lyric production that has stood the test of time.
Soho meets Sybil
On Friday, MCal Performances—the performing arts organization based at University of California, Berkeley—presented the US premiere of South African multi-disciplinary artist William Kentridge’s Sybil, with music composed and conceived by Nhlanhla Mahlangu and Kyle Shepherd.
“Flute-like Santos-Dumont notes”
On this day in 1908 soprano Ellen Beach Yaw made her debut and only performance at the Metropolitan Opera as Lucia di Lammermoor.
Veil song
On this day in 1901 the Metropolitan Opera presented the company premiere of Reyer’s Salammbô.
Diva moment
Angela Meade, reportedly flown in at the very last minute to take on the role of Norma, absolutely triumphed, pulling out all the stops to deliver a commanding performance that should, indeed, go down in history.
Valentine’s massacre
On this day in 1884 the Metropolitan Opera presented its first performance of Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots.
Lohengrin
“I greatly enjoyed the musical interpretation as a whole, even if I felt that many of the singers seemed a little lost, mismatched, or out-of-place in François Girard’s production.”
Demimondaine
On this day in 1993 Tiziana Fabbricini made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Violetta.
Spook music
On this day in 1967 the Metropolitan Opera presented the world premiere of Marvin David Levy‘s Mourning Becomes Electra.
Falstaff
“In its current Met revival, happily, Falstaff has everything it needs.”
Moody ‘Blue’
Originally scheduled for a D.C. premiere in spring 2020 but thwarted by the pandemic, Washington National Opera was finally able to present composer Jeanine Tesori and librettist Tazewell Thompson’s Blue at the Kennedy Center last Saturday.
Citizen of the world
Mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron showed herself unafraid to move the expectations of classical music forward, linguistically, thematically, and culturally.
If it makes you happy
Protean Anna Netrebko has booked her first performances of Ponchielli’s La Gioconda .
Dove sono i bei momenti
On this day in 1991 soprano Renée Fleming made her Metropolitan Opera stage debut as Countess Almaviva.
Someday she’ll come along, the girl I love
In Richard Strauss’s Arabella, the heroine is consumed with finding the right man—der Richtige—but who is the right Arabella?
Happy, happy solo woman
There’s nothing unusual about casting a woman in Solomon‘s titular role.
Helen is always willing
On this day in 2007 the Metropolitan Opera presented a new production of Die Ägyptische Helena.
Radically giddy
Verdi’s Falstaff is a brilliantly written opera: funny, with a complex ability to operate across minutely shifting registers of farce and lyricism. It needs, ideally, a production and cast capable of executing both comedy and drama, irony and sincerity—often concurrently. In its current Met revival, happily, Falstaff has everything it needs.