Look to your laurels
A Strauss rarity receives a ravishing concert performance at Seattle Opera.
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Broadcast
Porgy and Bess / Metropolitan Opera
The Gershwins' opera in a live broadcast from New York
Streamed January 24, 2026 at 1:00 PM
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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).
The best thing I saw in 2025 was Christina Nilsson in Aïda
Christina Nilsson‘s successful Met debut as Aïda was for me one of the shining highlights of the 2025 season.
By Moe Rear
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Broadcast
Idomeneo / Teatro Comunale di Bologna
Antonio Poli, Francesca Di Sauro, Mariangela Sicilia, and Salome Jicia lead a live broadcast from Bologna
Streamed January 23, 2026 at 2:15 PM
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Irish blessing
Lise Davidsen‘s first Isolde is only one of the highlights of Tristan und Isolde at the Liceu in Barcelona.
The best thing I saw in 2025 was The Queen of Spades
Garsington’s new production of The Queen of Spades, directed by Jack Furness, had better become a house staple.
You’re as cold as ice
A classic German fairytale gets a modern update at the Staatsoper Berlin.
The best thing I saw in 2025 was Manon
I had the pleasure of attending Manon starring Lisette Oropesa and Benjamin Bernheim at Opernhaus Zürich this past October.
By Mario C
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The revolutionary costume for today
The 20th anniversary revival of Richard Foreman and Michael Gordon‘s What to Wear at the PROTOTYPE Festival showcases a fabulous ensemble.
When her ship comes in
Anticipating the titanic arrival of Lise Davidsen‘s Isolde in New York in March, Parterre Box is thrilled to share a bit of her debut opposite Clay Hilley recorded in Barcelona last week.
The best thing I saw this year was Pittori fiamminghi
Part of the annual Festival Illica honoring the city’s native son Luigi Illica, the performance offered a precious opportunity to hear a rare score by an even rarer composer in a gorgeous medieval piazza.
The best thing I saw in 2025 was Robinson Crusoé
“When there’s so much to get right, unsurprisingly a lot can and, as we all know, does go wrong.”
Stealing fire
Esa-Pekka Salonen and The Los Angeles Philharmonic serve a feast for all five senses.
I wanna be the one to walk in the sun
Two recent Paminas feature in concerts at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall.
The best things I saw in 2025 were Nina Stemme and Les Arts Florissants
I can’t say 2025 was my best operagoing year; apart from a superb Fille du régiment, most of my good nights at the opera were decidedly mixed affairs.
By Cornelia
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Broadcast
Manon / Wiener Staatsoper
Benjamin Bernheim and Kristina Mkhitaryan lead a live video broadcast from Vienna
Streamed January 17, 2026 at 1:00 PM
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Broadcast
Carmen / Metropolitan Opera
A live broadcast from New York starring Aigul Akhmetshina and Michael Fabiano
Streamed January 17, 2026 at 1:00 PM
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Swing and miss
The oddball pairing of Bernie Williams and Jonathan Tetelman doesn’t quite knock it out of the park at Carnegie Hall.
The best thing I saw in 2025 was St. John the Baptist
What do you get when you blend innovative 17th century composition, 1970s family drama, and one of the most sordid tales of the New Testament?
By Sasha Jernakoff
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Nun the wiser
Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Hildegard gives the Middle Ages the Bridgerton treatment at the Prototype Festival.
The best thing I saw this year was Das Rheingold
Tobias Kratzer‘s production of Das Rheingold at the Bayerische Staatsoper was a resounding success.
Strangeness in the proportion
A pairing of rarities makes for an inspired evening with the Brooklyn Art Song Society.
The best thing I saw in 2025 was Stiffelio
Looking back, this Stiffelio in Piacenza is the one I cherish the most.
By Placido Carrerotti
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