Éclatantes beautés!
On this day in 1889 Massenet’s Esclarmonde premiered in Paris.
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Peter Grimes
Anthony Dean Griffey sings the title role in John Doyle‘s notorious lemon of a production.
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).
Les Huguenots
From the Grand Théâtre de Genève under the baton of Marc Minkowski.
Take the long way home
Trove Thursday turns to another epic opera in which the personal and the political intertwine: Prokofiev’s War and Peace.
Princess Pat
Born on this day in 1925 soprano Patrice Munsel.
Ariadne auf Naxos
Majestic Jessye Norman in a legendary Met portrayal from 1987.
Halka
A production from the Poznan Opera at Polish National Opera, as performed September 20, 2019.
Hey there, good times!
Born on this day in 1922 actress Bea Arthur.
The Tempest
Conducted by the composer and starring Audrey Luna, Isabel Leonard, Alek Shrader, Alan Oke, and Simon Keenlyside. Transmitted live on November 10, 2012.
‘Lady’ Willpower
Lady M, an Online Fantasia on Verdi’s Macbeth, Heartbeat Opera’s creative and thought-provoking foray into the Zoom opera scene, left me feeling alternately pensive, hopeful and somewhat uneasy, in a good way.
World of Wunders: the solution!
Congratulations to kankedort who correctly identified 17 of 24 selections!
“They’re all gonna laugh at you”
On this day in 1988 the musical Carrie opened on Broadway, to run five performances.
Thaïs
A visually luxurious production from the Finnish National Opera and Ballet.
Werther
Jonas Kaufmann makes the gigantic stretch of playing a melancholy artist.
World of Wunders: last chance!
The competition to guess the identities of 24 sopranos singing “O hehrstes Wunder!” ends tonight, Monday May 11 at midnight EDT.
Eugene Onegin
Asmik Grigorian stars as Tatiana in this video from the Komische Oper Berlin, directed by Barrie Kosky.
A happy song
On this day in 1965 the Kander-Ebb musical Flora, the Red Menace opened at the Alvin Theatre to run 87 performances.
Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci
The classic double bill of potboilers, as telecast in 2015.
Don Carlos
Gregory Kunde heads this cast of this new production from l’Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège.
Mythos, mystery and grandeur
Reducing Antony and Cleopatra to the status of mere mortals makes their torrid, tragic love seem rather ho-hum.
Bargain basement
“Met’s Roller Coaster Season Dips Back Into Artistic Basement with Walküre“
The Opera House
On what would have been the last night of the 2019–20 Met season, Susan Froemke’s acclaimed 2017 documentary.
Stray ‘Cats’
I think that Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is the Williams play I have seen most often, on stage and through film. So, shall we share some observations on some of these experiences?