Thoughts on Lieder by Konstantin Krimmel
“You’re your own boss.”
Recent Stories
When they go low
Nostalgic for bass month, Parterre Box offers excerpts from two young basses to watch: Giorgi Manoshvili and Patrick Guetti.
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 favorite art song performance from Niel Rishoi
Hans Hotter masterfully captures the poignancy of this sublime Brahms Lied.
Broadcast
Roméo et Juliette / Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
Vittorio Grigolo and Nino Machaidze sing the title roles in a live broadcast from Rome
Streamed April 28, 2026 at 2:00 PM
1 comment
La voix surhumaine
Barbara Hannigan mesmerizes as both a brilliant vocalist and a proficient opera conductor in a double bill of Strauss and La voix humaine with the New York Philharmonic.
A favorite art song performance from Arrigo
While refined, Lisa della Casa sings “Four Last Songs” deeply alert to the text and with effortless vocalization that sounds fresh and spontaneous.
By Arrigo
29 comments
The night is dark and full of terrors
Opera Baltimore concludes its season with a piercing semi-staged production of Pelléas et Mélisande.
A favorite art song performance from Belfagor
Funnily enough, I’m not remotely a Rachmaninov fan, but this performance by Galina Vishnevskaya in her considerable prime always gives me the chills.
By Belfagor
25 comments
Hustle your bustle
Opera San José‘s La Traviata has all the buzz and energy of a world premiere.
A favorite art song performance from Rowna Sutin
With youthful abandon, Ms. Feola interprets an old chestnut.
By Rowna Sutin
13 comments
Broadcast
La sonnambula / Metropolitan Opera
A performance recorded this fall in New York featuring Nadine Sierra and Xabier Anduaga
Streamed April 25, 2026 at 1:00 PM
32 comments
Broadcast
Der fliegende Holländer / Wiener Staatsoper
A live broadcast from Vienna starring Thomas Konieczny
Streamed April 25, 2026 at 1:00 PM
45 comments
Big man in town
A strong revival of Falstaff at the Los Angeles Opera proves a fitting farewell vehicle for Music Director James Conlon.
A favorite art song performance from Andrew Lokay
Mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton’s rendition of Jake Heggie‘s “Winged Victory: We’re Through,” vividly captures the song’s humor and energy.
Broadcast
Verdi Requiem / Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Myung-Whun Chung conducts Ailyn Pérez, Ekaterina Semenchuk, René Barbera, and Roberto Tagliavini in a live broadcast from Rome
Streamed April 24, 2026 at 2:00 PM
1 comment
Now sleeps the crimson petal
Gregory Spears’s Sleepers Awake mystifies and delights at Opera Philadelphia.
Come and Gandhi
Led by a mesmerizing Anthony Roth Costanzo, Satyagraha at the Paris Opera dispenses with historical particularities for something for more elusive.
Kuda, woulda, shoulda
A strong revival of Eugene Onegin at the Metropolitan Opera and a recital by Benjamin Bernheim offered the chance to hear “Kuda, kuda” twice in two days.
A favorite art song performance from Jamie Barton
This prompt of “favorite art song performance” seems just about as broad — and almost silly — a question as asking a painter what their favorite color is.
By Jamie Barton
18 comments
Breaking up is hard to do
Before her one-woman La voix humaine with the New York Philharmonic, Barbara Hannigan talks to Kevin Ng about her career, her artistry, and whether or not there’s a voice on the other line.
Trouble in paradise
The New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players‘s vivacious music making compensates for uninspired storytelling in their staging of Utopia, Limited.
Streamed April 23, 2026 at 1:30 PM
16 comments
A favorite art song performance from Leyla Gender-Bender
While I like both Erna Berger and Maria Stader’s versions, Erna Berger brings more drama to the rendition.
By Leyla Gender-Bender
51 comments