The remains of the gay
This year’s earth-shaking advance in gay cinema apparently was the first inclusion of same-sex couples in “Christmas rom-coms.”
Recent Stories
Crossing over
Without furnishings to distract them, the cast prowled the stage with sinister energy, exchanging significant looks and deadly secrets as though fearing Nihilists behind every drapery.
I’ll take the fall
The days are getting shorter, but you can keep the prattle going this fall’s Talk of the Town! You will, you can, you must join in the discussion about: Great mezzo soprano performances (October),
Gained in translation (November), Teleport me back to… (December).
A paradoxical voice
Born on this day in 1938 mezzo-soprano Tatiana Troyanos.
Le nozze di Figaro
The Met’s new “All Renée All the Time” format kicks off with a performance from November 11, 1998 starring Herself, Cecilia Bartoli, Susanne Mentzer, Dwayne Croft, and Bryn Terfel, conducted by James Levine.
Times after times
Despite the ongoing pandemic and the political upheaval, the Prototype Festival is back, and it is bigger and more accessible than ever before.
You aren’t any good to me dead
The Murder of Halit Yozgat by Ben Frost and Petter Ekmann is flavorsome in its use of sound, vocal and otherwise, to explore the elements of the story, to keep you tied in, and guessing.
Electrifying
On this day in 1934 soprano Lotte Lehmann made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Sieglinde.
Il Trovatore
Starring Sondra Radvanovsky, Dolora Zajick, Marcelo Álvarez, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, and Stefan Kocán, conducted by Marco Armiliato. From April 30, 2011.
Siegfried
From the Vienna State Opera: Adam Fischer conducts Christian Franz, Linda Watson, Tomasz Konieczny, Herwig Pecoraro and Jochen Schmeckenbecher.
Top of the world
Happy 86th birthday baritone Sherrill Milnes.
Maria Stuarda
Starring Elza van den Heever, Joyce DiDonato, Matthew Polenzani, Joshua Hopkins, and Matthew Rose, conducted by Maurizio Benini. From January 19, 2013.
Jamie & Julia
As Julia Child, Jamie Barton is clearly having the time of her life.
Il Barbiere di Siviglia
Performance from April 26, 2007. Maurizio Benini; Joyce DiDonato (Rosina), Claudia Waite (Berta), Lawrence Brownlee (Count Almaviva), Russell Braun (Figaro), John Del Carlo (Dr. Bartolo), Samuel Ramey (Don Basilio).
Daughter of Wotan
Happy 65th birthday soprano/mezzo-soprano Waltraud Meier.
Cavalleria Rusticana / Pagliacci
Starring Eva-Maria Westbroek, Jane Bunnell, Marcelo Álvarez, George Gagnidze; Patricia Racette, Marcelo Álvarez, George Gagnidze, and Lucas Meachem, conducted by Fabio Luisi. From April 25, 2015.
It was a very good Lear
Born on this day in 1926 soprano Evelyn Lear.
From Lear to eternity
Ninety-five years ago, Evelyn Lear was born on January 8 in Brooklyn, and Trove Thursday remembers the soprano with one of her earliest successes: Schreker’s Die Gezeichneten co-starring her husband Thomas Stewart, Helmut Krebs and Franz Crass.
I want them to see my soul
On this day in 1955 contralto Marian Anderson made her historic Metropolitan Opera debut.
Die Walküre
Adam Fischer leads Christopher Ventris, Ain Anger, Waltraud Meier, Linda Watson and Tomasz Konieczny.
Les Pêcheurs de Perles
Starring Diana Damrau, Matthew Polenzani, Mariusz Kwiecien, and Nicolas Testé, conducted by Gianandrea Noseda. From January 16, 2016.
Rusalka
Tomás Hanus conducts Piotr Beczala, Olga Bezsmertna, Jongmin Park, Elena Zhidkova and Monika Bohinec.
Out of frame
In the past when I’ve read through the scads of year-end best lists, there have always been a few titles that I just didn’t “get” but there were more than usual in 2020.