The Ghosts of Versailles
Starring Teresa Stratas, Hakan Hagegard, Gino Quilico, Graham Clark, Marilyn Horne and Renée Fleming, conducted by James Levine. From January 10, 1992.
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Die Vögel
A new production of the 1920 Walter Braunfels opera, conducted by Ingo Metzmacher and directed by Frank Castorf.
Happy Halloween!
“Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night may become Paul Lynde when the wolfbane blooms and the moon is full and bright.”
Boris Godunov
Starring Ekaterina Semenchuk, Aleksandrs Antonenko, Oleg Balashov, Evgeny Nikitin, René Pape, Mikhail Petrenko and Vladimir Ognovenko, conducted by Valery Gergiev. From October 23, 2010.
Several explosions of incandescent gas
On this day in 1938, Orson Welles directed and narrated a radio adaptation of War of the Worlds.
Nixon in China
Starring Kathleen Kim, Janis Kelly, Robert Brubaker, Russell Braun, James Maddalena and Richard Paul Fink, conducted by John Adams. From February 12, 2011.
No time for commedia
Trove Thursday celebrates the centenary of Stravinsky’s Pulcinella not with the frequently heard orchestral suite but with the complete score in a broadcast featuring appropriately Italian forces including Anna Caterina Antonacci, Francesco Meli and Alex Esposito conducted by Daniele Gatti.
Win a Free Ticket to Opening Night at the Met!
Quinn Kelsey and Lise Davidsen star in the Met's new Macbeth. We're giving away one ticket, so screw your courage to the sticking place and enter now!
Norma viene
On this day in 1956 Maria Callas made her Met debut as Norma.
Simon Boccanegra
Starring Adrianne Pieczonka, Marcello Giordani, Plácido Domingo and James Morris, conducted by James Levine. From February 6, 2010.
Bel canto, from a distance
I’ll just note that Cameron and I listened separately; we didn’t compare notes; and on our own, came up with the same list of top three singers… none of whom were among the actual winners.
Room at the top
Happy 93rd birthday songstress Cleo Laine.
Agrippina
Starring Brenda Rae, Joyce DiDonato, Kate Lindsey, Iestyn Davies, Duncan Rock and Matthew Rose, conducted by Harry Bicket. From February 29, 2020.
Atlantis in Atlanta
“Once upon a time / Lived a foolish king. / Mocking Death, his crime, / Pure chaos he bring.”
“Life can’t die. It’s a contradiction.”
Born on this day in 1922 actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist and civil rights activist Ruby Dee.
A couple of misfits
Diana Damrau and Joseph Calleja presented an uneven program in a lavish setting this weekend in the most recent entry in the Met’s concert series.
Don Carlo
Starring Renata Scotto, Tatiana Troyanos, Vasile Moldoveanu, Sherrill Milnes and Paul Plishka, conducted by James Levine. From February 21, 1980.
Friend me a tenor
A particularly heartbreaking aspect of the pandemic shutdown has, of course, been helplessly watching rising artists have their careers plunged into indefinite silence. But for a few bold souls who are willing to try new things, the moment has also opened doors.
That element of electric excitement
On this day in 1959 mezzo-soprano Giulietta Simionato made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Azucena.
Der Rosenkavalier
Starring Renée Fleming, Elina Garanca, Erin Morley, Matthew Polenzani, Marcus Brück and Günther Groissböck, conducted by Sebastian Weigle. From May 13, 2017.
Will wonders never cease?
Born on this day in 1927 Broadway and cabaret legend Barbara Cook.
Le Comte Ory
Starring Diana Damrau, Joyce DiDonato, Susanne Resmark, Juan Diego Flórez, Stéphane Degout and Michele Pertusi, conducted by Maurizio Benini. From April 9, 2011
Diana Damrau and Joseph Calleja Live in Concert
“Soprano Diana Damrau and tenor Joseph Calleja, both longtime Met stars known for holding nothing back onstage, are sure to pull out all the stops for this performance.”
I turned when evening shadows fall
Happy 41st birthday to visionary Yuval Sharon.