Some filth or dementia from Ryan Ellermann
Love it or hate it, you can’t deny it’s iconic!
By Ryan Ellermann
35 comments
Recent Stories
Broadcast
Ariadne auf Naxos / BBC Proms
Robin Ticciati conducts Rachel Willis-Sørensen, David Butt Philip, and Alina Wunderlin in a live performance from the Royal Albert Hall
Streamed August 19, 2026 at 2:00 PM
62 comments
Vox populi
In Bayreuth, a confident Magnus Vigilius and luminous Jennifer Holloway attempt to elevate Wagner’s populist Rienzi.
Some filth or dementia from Damian
I’ve only heard one performance that could be described as ‘filth.’
By Damian
61 comments
(A)nything (B)ut (C)armen
Calling from 2066, Brendan Latimer argues that the best way to save opera might be to just blow up the standard repertoire altogether.
Broadcast
Eugene Onegin / Santa Fe Opera
Keri-Lynn Wilson conducts Mattia Olivieri and Olga Kulchynska in a performance recorded earlier this summer at The Santa Fe Opera
Streamed August 17, 2026 at 8:00 PM
1 comment
What passion cannot Music raise and quell?
American Bach led a stirring rendition of Handel’s Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day, full of big questions and even bigger musical highlights.
Some filth or dementia from TildyDiva
I could not wrap what’s left of my mind around the concept of “filth and dementia” in opera
By TildyDiva
129 comments
An instrument of your peace
Philippe Sly is sublime as Messiaen’s Saint François D’Assise in Salzburg, though Romeo Castellucci‘s production could brush up on its catechism.
Some filth or dementia from Belle Raggio
Renée as Thaïs finding salvation while trudging through the parched Egyptian desert in off-the-shoulder La Croix atelier.
By Belle Raggio
154 comments
Da capo days of summer
San Francisco goes baroque with performances of Handel‘s Alcina, Tolomeo, and Rinaldo.
Lead balloon
At Wolf Trap Opera, a season-closing Tosca is weighed down by an incoherent setting during Italy’s Anni di piombo.
Some filth or dementia from HBadger
What to our wondering ears should appear, but a 40-track Jonas Kaufmann Christmas album?
Broadcast
La scala di seta / Rossini Opera Festival
Iurii Samoilov, Paolo Bordogna, and Hasmik Torosyan lead a live performance from Pesaro
Streamed August 13, 2026 at 2:00 PM
6 comments
Some filth or dementia from Michael Anthonio
Speaking of dementia in opera, all I can think of is the extraordinary reimagined production of Béla Bartók’s chamber opera Bluebeard’s Castle that I saw at Atlanta Opera in October 2022.
Broadcast
L’occasione fa il ladro / Rossini Opera Festival
Alessandro Bonato leads a live broadcast from Pesaro featuring Dave Monaco
Streamed August 12, 2026 at 2:00 PM
1 comment
Aryeh ready for a miracle?
Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen shows that he’s at the top of a crowded pack of countertenors in two recent New York performances with Philharmonia Baroque.
Bass desires
Alexander Köpeczi, currently plying leading roles in two operas in Santa Fe and, rumor has it, the life of one prominent soprano, is the object of this week’s Grand Tier Grab Bag.
Broadcast
Le siège de Corinthe / Rossini Opera Festival
Carlo Rizzi conducts Adrian Sâmpetrean, Vasilisa Berzhanskaya, and Matteo Roma in a live opening night broadcast from Pesaro
Streamed August 11, 2026 at 2:15 PM
102 comments
High and dry
Ilana Walder-Biesanz reports from The Santa Fe Opera, where Tobias Picker‘s latest opera falls short, a new Rodelinda scintillates, and sumptuous singing abounds across the entire repertoire.
Some filth or dementia from Moe Rear
That this performance of Verdi’s Lady Macbeth was recorded and preserved for posterity is beyond the pale.
By Moe Rear
167 comments
Broadcast
The Magic Flute / Santa Fe Opera
Harry Bicket conducts Josh Lovell, Joélle Harvey, and Jeni Houser in a performance recorded earlier this summer in Santa Fe
Streamed August 10, 2026 at 8:00 PM
3 comments
Who is the diva you were assigned at birth?
Richard Lynn would like to bring some operatic podcast episodes of The Sewers of Paris and Die Primadonnen to your attention.
Some filth or dementia from Ivy Lin
Dementia and filth in the same clip!