Djinn and tonic
Odyssey Opera in Boston, which loves to open its season with a concert performance of some forgotten work, gave La Reine de Saba in Jordan Hall Saturday night.
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Dramatic A.R.C.
Imagine you are at Disneyland, and there’s an Anthony Roth Costanzo ride.
Marquis name
For opening night of the new LA Opera season Placido Domingo decided to return to one of his best Verdi showcases, Don Carlo, only this time as the baritone, Rodrigo the Marquis di Posa, instead of the title character.
Dark shadows
Those who want a rethought Lucia to allow the heroine more sense of agency will be especially confounded at Laurent Pelly’s reading.
The rivals
Born on this day Cornell MacNeil and Ettore Bastianini (both in 1922) and Pablo Elvira (in 1938).
The art of the steel
This Sony Classical set of live performances covers a golden quarter century in the singing and staging of Wagner. Birgit Nilsson shared it with many other legends, and many of them appear on these discs.
Elle is other people
Soprano Patricia Racette is superb in La Voix Humaine, a work that she makes absolutely her own.
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!
“Aristocratic sensibility and simplicity”
Born on this day in 1907 soprano Jarmila Novotná.
The vergin queen
Legendary diva Joan Sutherland in her “breakthrough” year of 1961: a live performance of I puritani from Palermo in 1961.
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).
Grand tourists
Soprano Ashley Marie Robillard and mezzo Siena Licht Miller evoke a journey to Paris, Venice, Berlin, and London.
Terror in the aisles
“To be fair I think it was only on one screen. . . . And more importantly I’ve seen it and it’s terrible.”
Mon cœur s’ouvre à sa voix
A “spy” unaffiliated with parterre box whispers to La Cieca that yesterday’s dress rehearsal of Samson et Dalila at the Met was sung by Nancy Fabiola Herrera.
Touch the sky
It would be hard to imagine a more apt and poignant metaphor for the ambitious O18 Festival than the world premiere of Lembit Beecher and Hannah Moscovitch’s Sky on Swings.
“The silky-toned Miss Verrett makes the most of the situation”
On this day in 1968 mezzo-soprano Shirley Verrett made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Carmen.
Do get me wrong
Celebrating its third anniversary and next week’s Met opening, “Trove Thursday” offers a sumptuous banquet of the third and final chapter of divas in the “wrong language.”
The royal family
On this day in 1971 Sir Rudolf Bing opened his final season at the Met with a revival of Don Carlo.
Royalty
Happy 91st birthday actress Rosemary Harris!
Huge disappointment
“Due to illness, Bryan Hymel will be replaced by Yosep Kang in the role of Raoul de Nangis.”
Congas on the Roof
In Hatuey, composer Frank London and librettist Elise Thoron have created something that crosses boundaries from cabaret romance to flashback historical pageant to revolutionary thriller.
The shades of it all
Happy 47th birthday soprano Anna Netrebko!
Better call Fall
A gaggle of our parterre critics (not pictured) had what the kids call a “kiki” recently and “spilled the tea” (as the middle-aged folks say) about their greatest expectations for the New York fall season.
Very warm for mayonnaise
The career of our beloved Renée Fleming deserves to continue… by whatever means necessary.
