Spaced out Spaced out

Before Wednesday I don’t remember gasping when I entered a concert venue.

Somewhere in Egypt Somewhere in Egypt

We open in a war room that resembled nothing so much as a parking garage. Amneris’s boudoir was certainly recognizable as such but I’d be hard-pressed to pinpoint the location of the Triumphal Scene other than the inside of a large discothèque.

The most dangerous dame The most dangerous dame

Happy birthday Dame Joan Collins, who is 89 years young today.

The girl with the million dollar face The girl with the million dollar face

Happy 80th birthday to actress, photographer and activist Barbara Parkins.

Lucia di Lammermoor Lucia di Lammermoor

Riccardo Frizza conducts Nadine Sierra (Lucia), Javier Camarena (Edgardo), Artur Rucinski (Enrico) and  Christian Van Horn (Raimondo.)

There wouldn’t be signs big enough There wouldn’t be signs big enough

On this day in 1959, Ethel Merman bellowed “Sing out, Louise!” into a Broadway theater for the first of 702 times, as the world’s greatest musical (per La Cieca) sprang forth.

Como crosses over Como crosses over

I feel that any singer attempting crossover would do well to listen to Perry Como to hear how it should be done.

Reviving a pharaoh Reviving a pharaoh

The Met brought back 2019 smash Akhnaten last night, with nearly the exact same cast and creative team, and with nearly the same knockout effect of three years ago.

Goddess of Pop Goddess of Pop

Happy 76th birthday to mean, moody, mononymous Cher.

Akhnaten Akhnaten

A return of the Philip Glass classic, live from the Met.

The many faces of Perry Como The many faces of Perry Como

To give an idea of how well Perry Como was able to “assume” different vocal identities, here he is doing his mega #1 1953 hit, “Don’t Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes.”

The Multiverse of Morley The Multiverse of Morley

A Trove Thursday Mega-Post © featuring the wonderful American soprano Erin Morley in Orff’s Carmina Burana and Richard Strauss’s Brentano Lieder, plus extended live excerpts from Handel’s Orlando, Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail, and Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots.

“I lost control” “I lost control”

Happy 74th birthday model, singer and actress Grace Jones.

Perry Como: a Postscript Perry Como: a Postscript

In observation of the 110th birthday of Perry Como, May 18, 1912.

Resisting the recognizable Resisting the recognizable

It was Matthew Jocelyn’s libretto, with its disorientingly deconstructive approach to its source text, that gave Brett Dean’s Hamlet its identity.

Room temperature Room temperature

It’s maybe not a surprise that Carmen is neither a good vocal nor temperamental fit for Isabel Leonard.

The two faces of Karita The two faces of Karita

An evening with Finland’s most famous opera star.

Rachel, Rachel Rachel, Rachel

It’s nice to see Sony Classical backing a serious operatic soprano and not some crossover refugee from Britain’s Got Talent or another syrupy Christmas album from the world’s reigning Heldentenor.

Your lifelong membership is free Your lifelong membership is free

Born on this day in 1931 actor Robert Morse.

“I sang before I could walk” “I sang before I could walk”

Born on this day in 1918 soprano Birgit Nilsson.

“Acting in the movies is just like ditch-digging” “Acting in the movies is just like ditch-digging”

Born on this day in 1909 actress Margaret Sullavan.

Songbird Songbird

Happy 86th birthday to soprano and actress Anna Maria Alberghetti.

Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

Performance from November 4, 2021

The lady who dared The lady who dared

Born on this day in 1903 actress Billie Dove.