Tableau vivant Tableau vivant

On this day in 1964 the Metropolitan Opera opened its season with a new production of Lucia di Lammermoor.

Street scene Street scene

In his attempts to be clever, and to overstuff Leopoldstadt with a dictionary’s worth of marginalia, Tom Stoppard never lingers on a character or storyline long enough to develop it into something worth caring about.

Light my pyre Light my pyre

On this day in 1976, the Metropolitan Opera opened its season with a revival of Il trovatore starring Luciano Pavarotti, Renata Scotto, Shirley Verrett and Matteo Manuguerra.

It’s going to cost you It’s going to cost you

Cost of Living, the Pulitzer Prize–winning play by Martyna Majok now on Broadway, overflows with complexity. It begins with the title.

Laugh, laugh, I nearly died Laugh, laugh, I nearly died

Whoever thought Verdi’s Il trovatore needed an injection of humor to make it complete?

It ain’t easy being green It ain’t easy being green

Born on this day composer Giuseppe Verdi (1813) and soprano Leyla Gencer (1924).

Why are there so many songs about rainbows? Why are there so many songs about rainbows?

On this day in 1987 the Metropolitan Opera premiered a new production of Das Rheingold.

Theodora Theodora

Handel’s oratorio features Julia Bullock, Joyce DiDonato, Jakub Józef Orlinski and Ed Lyon.

Approaching Valhalla Approaching Valhalla

Gianandrea Noseda leads seasoned Wagnerians in Andreas Homoki’s stark production of Die Walküre for Zurich Opera.

Stellar Dalis Stellar Dalis

Born on this day in 1925 versatile mezzo-soprano Irene Dalis.

Sweet Thursday Sweet Thursday

Here are another half-dozen past Trove Thursday highlights ahead of my new parterre box live-recording series launching a week from now.

When divas collide When divas collide

On this day in 1989 Dolora Zajick and Aprile Millo faced off in Aida at the Metropolitan Opera.

Take the long way Rome Take the long way Rome

David McVicar’s 2017 production of Tosca returned to the Met on Tuesday night, with an able and watchable, if not transcendent cast.

Lakmé Lakmé

Léo Delibes’ opera, streamed from the Opéra Comique in a production staged by Laurent Pelly and featuring Sabine Devieilhe.

Bad moon rising Bad moon rising

Born on this day in 1887 soprano Maria Jeritza.

Talking about a revolution Talking about a revolution

People turn up at a cancer hospital on the worst day of their lives. In I’m Revolting, a moving and often unsettling world premiere from Atlantic Theatre Company, playwright Gracie Gardner dissects the fears and motivations of patients and their caregivers with surgical precision.

Renegade princess Renegade princess

Yulia Matochkina will make her Met role debut as Eboli in Verdi’s Don Carlo, replacing Anita Rachvelishvili.

Crossing over Crossing over

On this day in 1996 Mirella Freni took on the title role in the Metropolitan Opera’s new production of Fedora.

Tosca Tosca

The Puccini evergreen, featuring Aleksandra Kurzak, Michael Fabiano and Luca Salsi.

If they could turn back time If they could turn back time

Yuval Sharon at Boston Lyric Opera has brilliantly found an interpretative middle ground for La bohème by presenting the acts in reverse order.

Infanticide is painless Infanticide is painless

Sondra Radvanovsky‘s mean, moody, magnificent Medea fascinated the cher public as the season kicked in at the end of September.

Rome wasn’t built in a day Rome wasn’t built in a day

On this day in 1968, the Metropolitan Opera debuted a new production of Tosca (the company’s first since 1917!) featuring Birgit Nilsson and Franco Corelli.

Together again for the first time Together again for the first time

On this day in 1966 Birgit Nilsson and Franco Corelli sang Turandot in the new Metropolitan Opera house at Lincoln Center where, according to reports, they were louder than ever.

Exotic asphyxiation Exotic asphyxiation

Both the mise-en-scène and the musical direction amplified the absolute worst tendencies of the Opéra Comique’s Lakmé in the most tasteless and baffling ways.