Hear her, what a song
Born on this day 99 years ago “Miss Show Business” Judy Garland.
Recent Stories
Salome
Starring Karita Mattila, Ildikó Komlósi, Kim Begley, Joseph Kaiser, and Juha Uusitalo, conducted by Patrick Summers. Production by Jürgen Flimm. From October 11, 2008.
Le nozze di Figaro
“Le Festival international d’art lyrique d’Aix-en-Provence ouvre son édition 2021 par son identité Mozartienne et dans un irrésistible mélange des genres avec Les Noces de Figaro mises en scène par Lotte de Beer.”
Joust in time
Zachary James builds on his early career experience as a musical theater performer to deliver a thoughtfully crafted, blessedly restrained Quixote/Cervantes.
Park and recreation
On this day in 1972 soprano Lucine Amara headlined the Met’s concert performance of Tosca in Van Cortlandt Park.
Capriccio
Starring Renée Fleming, Sarah Connolly, Joseph Kaiser, Russell Braun, Morten Frank Larsen, and Peter Rose, conducted by Sir Andrew Davis. Production by John Cox. From April 23, 2011.
The queen’s gambit
Lately I’ve been loving listening to Régine Crespin, prompting Trove Thursday to celebrate the great French soprano with private in-house recordings of two of her important non-Met North American appearances.
Tristan und Isolde
This production of the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence features Sir Simon Rattle leading the London Symphony Orchestra. Stuart Skelton and Nina Stemme are in the title roles, with Jamie Barton, Josef Wagner and Franz-Josef Selig. The production is by Simon Stone.
Alone time
Born on this day in 1912 soprano Christel Goltz.
Ariadne auf Naxos
Starring Deborah Voigt, Natalie Dessay, Susanne Mentzer, and Richard Margison, conducted by J____ L_____. Production by Elijah Moshinsky. From April 3, 2003.
Damask and depth
For the weeks between the announcement that the return of Wolf Trap Opera would, in part, take the form of a concert performance of Sweeney Todd and its opening at the Filene Center on Friday evening, I racked my brain: why Sweeney now?
Hit me with your best Szot
Happy 52nd birthday to baritone Paulo Szot.
Elektra
Starring Nina Stemme, Adrianne Pieczonka, Waltraud Meier, and Eric Owens, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen. Production by Patrice Chéreau. From April 30, 2016.
Meet my sweetie now
Born on this day in 1927 actress Janet Leigh.
Der Rosenkavalier
Starring Kiri Te Kanawa, Tatiana Troyanos, Judith Blegen, Luciano Pavarotti, Derek Hammond-Stroud, and Kurt Moll, conducted by J____ L____. Production by Nathaniel Merrill. From October 7, 1982.
La morte verdiana
An undeniable divide stands between the great idiomatic tradition of operatic performance and the current training models meant to prepare that tradition’s executants.
As good as it gets
Born on this day in 1936 actress Shirley Knight.
Ahknaten
Starring Dísella Lárusdóttir, J’Nai Bridges, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Aaron Blake, Will Liverman, Richard Bernstein and Zachary James, conducted by Karen Kamensek. Production by Phelim McDermott. From November 23, 2019.
Decline and fall
Born on this day in 1898 actress, singer and dancer Gertrude Lawrence.
Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny
Starring Teresa Stratas, Astrid Varnay, Richard Cassilly and Cornell MacNeil, conducted by J____ L_____. From November 27, 1979.
Love is the answer
Happy 51st birthday to triple (at least!) threat Audra McDonald.
Nixon in China
Starring Kathleen Kim, Janis Kelly, Robert Brubaker, Russell Braun, James Maddalena, and Richard Paul Fink, conducted by John Adams. Production by Peter Sellars. From February 12, 2011.
Good as hell
Born on this day in 1714 composer Christoph Willibald von Gluck.
The March King
Celebrating Independence Day didn’t seem like a great idea in recent years, but for hope-filled 2021 Trove Thursday offers El Capitan, John Philip Sousa’s best-known operetta.