La donna del lago
Starring Joyce DiDonato, Daniela Barcellona, Juan Diego Flórez, John Osborn and Oren Gradus; Conducted by Michele Mariotti. Transmitted live on March 14, 2015.
Recent Stories
“Tragedy personified”
Born on this day in 1755 actress Sarah Siddons.
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).
Rusalka
A 2018 production from Des Moines Opera featuring Sara Gartland, Jill Grove and Zachary James.
Don Pasquale
Beverly Sills‘ one and only Met telecast: Don Pasquale in the company of Alfredo Kraus, Håkan Hagegård and Gabriel Bacquier. Transmitted live on January 11, 1979.
Susannah
Soprano Patricia Racette stars in director Michael Cavanagh’s haunting vision of this uniquely American tragedy, with conducting from Karen Kamensek.
Red, white and blue
Happy Independence Day to all US-based members of the cher public!
Don Giovanni
As an alternative to the Met’s abysmal production, let’s watch Peter Mattei and Malin Byström star in a socially distanced studio performance from 2020.
Die Liebe der Danaë
The “unjustly neglected late opera by Richard Strauss” (but aren’t they all?) as performed by the American Symphony Orchestra.
With one look
Happy 73rd birthday to Broadway diva Betty Buckley.
Carmen
Starring Anita Hartig, Anita Rachvelishvili, Aleksandrs Antonenko and Ildar Abdrazakov; conducted by Pablo Heras-Casado. Transmitted live on November 1, 2014.
Lucio Silla
“Echoing the twilight and melancholy pages of the score, director Tobias Kratzer draws on gothic and contemporary imagery from film and television.”
Do that slow drag
With the Fourth of July approaching, Trove Thursday turns to a quintessentially American opera with the broadcast of the world premiere—some 60 years after its composition—of Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha with Alpha Floyd, Seth McCoy and Simon Estes conducted by Robert Shaw.
Tap roots
On this day in 1929 impresario Florenz Ziegfeld presented a youngster named Ruby Keeler in the title role of the Gershwins’ musical Show Girl.
The Nose
Starring Andrey Popov, Alexander Lewis and Paulo Szot; conducted by Pavel Smelkov. Transmitted live on October 26, 2013.
Going the distance
Opening tonight at the Teatro Real in Madrid, a staged but socially distanced version of La traviata.
Lucia di Lammermoor
Lisette Oropesa, Javier Camarena and Artur Rucinski star in this performance from the Teatro Real, Madrid.
Prodigal sun
June on parterre box was a month of Egyptian sun gods and some very enthusiastic video watching.
The climax of Mildred’s life
Born on this day in 1892 author James M. Cain.
Die Walküre
Starring Hildegard Behrens, Jessye Norman, Christa Ludwig, Gary Lakes, James Morris and Kurt Moll; conducted by James Levine. From April 8, 1989 at the Metropolitan Opera.
Wild horses
This video recording of Il trovatore is sensational for all the right and wrong reasons simultaneously.
“I’m not alone, I’m free”
Born on this day in 1917 songstress and activist Lena Horne.
La Fille du Régiment
Starring Pretty Yende, Stephanie Blythe, Kathleen Turner, Javier Camarena, and Maurizio Muraro; conducted by Enrique Mazzola. Transmitted live on March 2, 2019.
A necessary luxury
One of the greatest pleasures of our continuing Katharine Hepburn series for me has been rediscovering how marvelous she can be.