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With thanks to commenter Krunoslav for the suggestion, we will kick off our new game with the theme “Best Curtain Line.”
Joyce DiDonato in the Royal Opera House Covent Garden’s 2011 production of Massenet’s opera.
Have you ever gotten some action at the opera? Had an assignation while in standing-room? Crept off to the toilet (or elsewhere) with a handsome man during a performance?
Born on this day in 1929 soprano and administrator Beverly Sills.
Anna Netrebko, Piotr Beczala and Paulo Szot star in this performance conducted by Fabio Luisi. Transmitted live on April 7, 2012.
Perhaps the idea here is to give Tennessee Williams’ 1947 play a renewed sense of visceral power that speaks to a younger audience? Maybe, but it doesn’t speak to me.
On this day in 1966 Jerry Herman‘s Mame opened at the Winter Garden Theatre, to run 1,508 performances.
Conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, starring Marina Poplavskaya, Jonas Kaufmann, Russell Braun and René Pape. Transmitted live on December 10, 2011.
Tell us: What’s your favorite Verdi performance?
Hasten thee to feed another quarter of conversation for The Talk of the Town!
Grand Tier Grab Bag
Grand Tier Grab Bag
My 600 performance life
My 600 performance life
Parterre Box acknowledges Riccardo Muti‘s 600th performance with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra by highlighting two of his favorite singers — under a different conductor.
Parterre Box acknowledges Riccardo Muti‘s 600th performance with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra by highlighting two of his favorite singers — under a different conductor.
Grand Tier Grab Bag
Life imitates art
Life imitates art
With Gustavo Dudamel in the spotlight at Parterre Box this week, Grand Tier Grab Bag foreshadows one of the New York Philharmonic’s upcoming operatic engagements.
With Gustavo Dudamel in the spotlight at Parterre Box this week, Grand Tier Grab Bag foreshadows one of the New York Philharmonic’s upcoming operatic engagements.
Grand Tier Grab Bag
Drink me
Drink me
Parterre Box answers the question, “how can a singer do both Tristan and Nemorino within a few month of each other?” with a clip of a recent role debut from Michael Spyres.
Parterre Box answers the question, “how can a singer do both Tristan and Nemorino within a few month of each other?” with a clip of a recent role debut from Michael Spyres.
Grand Tier Grab Bag
Otherwise occupied
Otherwise occupied
Parterre Box features a performance from two belcantisti who would rather you not think about their political affiliations.
Parterre Box features a performance from two belcantisti who would rather you not think about their political affiliations.
Grand Tier Grab Bag
Northern star
Northern star
Parterre Box previews an upcoming performance of Hercules with Ann Hallenberg in some very unique Baroque repertoire.
Parterre Box previews an upcoming performance of Hercules with Ann Hallenberg in some very unique Baroque repertoire.
Grand Tier Grab Bag
Tra voi belle
Tra voi belle
Following the announcement that she’ll make her Met debut next season, Grand Tier Grab Bag brings Italian soprano Erika Grimaldi to your attention with a duet from Manon Lescaut.
Following the announcement that she’ll make her Met debut next season, Grand Tier Grab Bag brings Italian soprano Erika Grimaldi to your attention with a duet from Manon Lescaut.
AVA met the challenge with a delightful, if necessarily truncated, video recital that allowed each singer to participate in the now-familiar Zoom platform.
Happy 87th birthday Dame Joan Collins!
Alain Altinoglu made his debut as music director of La Monnaie with this production.
Joan Sutherland is Donna Anna in this vintage telecast from March 16, 1978.
As the late Arlene Saunders had a very limited commercial discography and performed mostly in Europe, I thought some readers might be curious to hear more of her.
Born on this day in 1813 composer Richard Wagner.
From the Teatro dell’Opera di Firenze.
Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts Puccini’s final masterpiece.
Talk of the Town
The Talk of the Town
A favorite art song performance from Timothy Gray
A favorite art song performance from Timothy Gray
Wolfgang Holzmair‘s performance was amazing in its personal and intimate approach.
Wolfgang Holzmair‘s performance was amazing in its personal and intimate approach.
The Talk of the Town
A favorite art song performance from Peter Russell
A favorite art song performance from Peter Russell
William Parker‘s career launch coincided with the closet door fully opening for American male classical vocalists; the cruel irony is that Will was also an early AIDS casualty, gone in 1993 at 49.
William Parker‘s career launch coincided with the closet door fully opening for American male classical vocalists; the cruel irony is that Will was also an early AIDS casualty, gone in 1993 at 49.
The Talk of the Town
A favorite art song performance from feliks
A favorite art song performance from feliks
This song has always been one of my favorites.
This song has always been one of my favorites.
The Talk of the Town
A favorite art song performance from Remko Jas
A favorite art song performance from Remko Jas
The song recitals I remember most vividly were, unsurprisingly, the most vivid ones.
The song recitals I remember most vividly were, unsurprisingly, the most vivid ones.
The Talk of the Town
A favorite art song performance from Krunoslav
A favorite art song performance from Krunoslav
The staggeringly great Ukraine-born Jewish bass Mark Reizen sings “The Ebullient Kura Swirls” a/k/a “The Persian Love Song” by Moldova-born Jewish composer Anton Rubinstein.
The staggeringly great Ukraine-born Jewish bass Mark Reizen sings “The Ebullient Kura Swirls” a/k/a “The Persian Love Song” by Moldova-born Jewish composer Anton Rubinstein.
The Talk of the Town
A favorite art song performance from Ivy Lin
A favorite art song performance from Ivy Lin
Frida Leider is a major Wagnerian soprano who does not sound like a Wagnerian soprano.
Frida Leider is a major Wagnerian soprano who does not sound like a Wagnerian soprano.
Juan Diego Flórez sings the title role in this performance from 2017.
Trove Thursday goes mini-epic with Gustave Charpentier’s naturalistic slice-of-life of fin-de-siêcle Paris in a rare 1999 Renée Fleming performance of Louise co-starring Jerry Hadley, Samuel Ramey and Felicity Palmer.
On this day in 1959, the greatest musical of all, Gypsy, opened at the Broadway Theatre, to run 702 performances.
Sondra Radvanovsky, Kathleen Kim, Stephanie Blythe, Marcelo Álvarez and Dmitri Hvorostovsky star in this HD from December 8, 2012.
John Adams‘ opera as broadcast from De Nederlandse Opera in 2007.
On this day in 1978 tenor Rockwell Blake made his Met debut on tour in Minneapolis as Don Ottavio.
Eva Marton, Leonie Rysanek, Peter Hofmann, Leif Roar and John Macurdy star in this telecast from January 10, 1986.
A new series where we pit Zerbinetta against Zerlina, Caballé against Callas, Berg against Bellini in the ultimate operatic showdown.