It ain’t necessarily hojotoho It ain’t necessarily hojotoho

Operawire.

No one can ever say I didn’t sing No one can ever say I didn’t sing

Born on this day in 1868 soprano Florence Foster Jenkins.

Anna one, Anna two Anna one, Anna two

Trove Thursday offers Bellini’s La Sonnambula with Anna Moffo (San Francisco 1960) and Anna Netrebko (Vienna 2006).

Berlin wall Berlin wall

Why did I mostly want to close my eyes and just listen?

L’oiseau d’or L’oiseau d’or

Born on this day in 1821 mezzo-soprano, pedagogue and composer Pauline Viardot.

Muh booklet Muh booklet

“Will no one shed a tear for obsolescent analog technology?”

Wheeling: Summer of 1914 Wheeling: Summer of 1914

Born on this day in 1914 soprano Eleanor Steber.

It’s the Minnesinger not the song It’s the Minnesinger not the song

Tannhäuser pales beside the other great Wagnerian operas in the degree to which it has innovated the Regisseur’s vocabulary for set design and dramaturgy.

There is no spoon There is no spoon

Can a work with indisputably great music fail to add up to a successful opera? I puzzled over that Sunday during Teatro Nuovo’s essential concert staging of Rossini’s La Gazza Ladra at SUNY Purchase.

“Rhythm is born in all of us” “Rhythm is born in all of us”

Born on this day in 1911 actress, dancer and singer Ginger Rogers.

Moody “Blue” Moody “Blue”

The Glimmerglass Festival premiered a searing examination of race, identity, and the fraught relationship between communities of color and law enforcement. Blue, with a score by Jeanine Tesori and libretto by Tazewell Thompson.

When off-off was on to something When off-off was on to something

Promenade is a powder keg but the powder may not be as explosive as it hints.

Flower girl Flower girl

Happy 40th birthday to Broadway’s Laura Benanti.

Leading the people Leading the people

Happy Bastille Day!

Primavera Primavera

Born on this day in 1924 tenor Carlo Bergonzi.

Venusberg in furs Venusberg in furs

Le Gateau Chocolat will make his Bayreuth Festival debut in a new production of Tannhäuser on July 25.

Ah tweet mystery of life Ah tweet mystery of life

“…newfound celebrity on Twitter, where she is beloved by some of opera’s most ardent fans.”

Overnight sensation Overnight sensation

Born on this day in 1895 soprano Kirsten Flagstad.

Town of nets Town of nets

The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, broadcast live from Aix-en-Provence, begins at 2:00 PM.

21st century blues 21st century blues

Will idea-free “think” pieces by millennials (among others) kill opera?

To live and die in L.A. To live and die in L.A.

Trove Thursday presents a double dose of the Verdi Messa da Requiem performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Clean cut Clean cut

Born on this day in 1931 actor and crooner Tab Hunter.

Bold faced names Bold faced names

It’s good to see our old friends at Mad Libs are commissioning contemporary classical music.

Golden boy Golden boy

Happy 50th birthday tenor Jonas Kaufmann.