Ernani Ernani

Starring Angela Meade, Marcello Giordani, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, and Ferruccio Furlanetto, conducted by Marco Armiliato. Production by Pier Luigi Samaritani. From February 25, 2012.

Bring your daughter to the slaughter Bring your daughter to the slaughter

Still under the spell of the recent stream of the Met’s 1983 Les Troyens (finally!), Trove Thursday offers an important musical and mythic antecedent to Berlioz’s epic work: Gluck’s Iphigénie en Aulide, as well as Iphigenia in Aulis, Wagner’s 1847 reworking of the earlier composer’s first French tragédie.

Isn’t it bliss? Isn’t it bliss?

On this day in 1973, the Prince-Sondheim musical A Little Night Music opened at the Shubert Theatre, to run 601 performances.

Eugene Onegin Eugene Onegin

Starring Renée Fleming, Ramón Vargas, and Dmitri Hvorostovsky, conducted by Valery Gergiev. Production by Robert Carsen. From February 24, 2007.

Put a ‘Ring’ on it Put a ‘Ring’ on it

The eventually reopened Metropolitan Opera promises a swift return to its status quo ante as a farm team for the English National Opera, sharing the London company’s new Ring cycle directed by vieillard terrible Richard Jones.

The Makropulos Case The Makropulos Case

With Laura Aikin, Ludovit Ludha, Thomas Ebenstein, Margarita Gritskova, Markus Marquardt and Heinz Zednik.

More than a diva More than a diva

Happy 87th birthday soprano Renata Scotto.

The Queen of Spades The Queen of Spades

Starring Galina Gorchakova, Elisabeth Söderström, Plácido Domingo, Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Nikolai Putilin, conducted by Valery Gergiev. Production by Elijah Moshinsky. From April 15, 1999.

Gold dust Minnie Gold dust Minnie

Giacomo Puccini’s La fanciulla del West may have its detractors (Stravinsky referred to it as a “horse-opera’) but you will not find me among them.

Forging forward, instruments in hand Forging forward, instruments in hand

Whatever you think of Angela Gheorghiu, she epitomizes a star sound, the kind of voice that’s recognizable within three seconds, and she definitely knows her way around a performance.

Dreaming of the queen Dreaming of the queen

Born on this day in 1927 soprano Régine Crespin.

Il Trovatore Il Trovatore

The Met kicks their off Dmitri Hvorostovsky Week with a performance also starring Sondra Radvanovsky, Dolora Zajick and Marcelo Álvarez, conducted by Marco Armiliato. Production by Sir David McVicar. From April 30, 2011.

Sissy that Walküre Sissy that Walküre

The tiny but mighty Divas In Drag Italian Opera Company returns with a true Gaysamtkunstwerk.

Starry heavens Starry heavens

From the Bayerische Staatsoper, an all-Beethoven program featuring Edwin Crossley-Mercer and Lise Davidsen.

Lo Spippolo Lo Spippolo

Born on this day in 1921 actress Giulietta Masina.

La Rondine La Rondine

Angela Gheorghiu is Magda de Civry at the San Francisco Opera, 2007.

Carmen Carmen

With Anita Rachvelishvili, Piotr Beczala, Erwin Schrott, Vera-Lotte Boecker. Musical Direction: Andrés Orozco-Estrada. Production: Calixto Bieito.

Pretty in pink Pretty in pink

Born on this day in 1953 Broadway diva Christine Ebersole.

Carmen Carmen

Starring Angela Gheorghiu, Waltraud Meier, Plácido Domingo, and Sergei Leiferkus, conducted by James Levine. Production by Franco Zeffirelli. From March 25, 1997.

Salome Salome

Live from La Scala with Elena Stikhina, Wolfgang Koch, Gerhard Siegel and Linda Watson. Zubin Mehta Riccardo Chailly conducts.

Go west Go west

On this day in 2020 a restudied production of West Side Story opened on Broadway.

Don Giovanni Don Giovanni

Starring Carol Vaness, Karita Mattila, Dawn Upshaw, Jerry Hadley, Samuel Ramey, Ferruccio Furlanetto and Kurt Moll, conducted by James Levine. Production by Franco Zeffirelli. From April 5, 1990.

Young Toscanini Young Toscanini

For your afternoon delight: the campy 1988 Franco Zeffirelli biopic starring C. Thomas Howell, Elizabeth Taylor and the decidedly un-campy singing of Aprile Millo.

Three by three Three by three

I’ve got some new software and messing around with it today I had the insane notion that a vocal ID quiz featuring the Rosenkavalier trio might be fun.