Erste Brautnacht
Nearly three years after the premiere of François Girard’s Lohengrin at the Met, Parterre Box looks back at the production with a duet from Piotr Beczala and Elena Stikhina.
Recent Stories
The best thing I saw in 2025 was Amartuvshin Enkhbat
I wasn’t alive during the golden age of Verdi baritones like MacNeil, Warren, or Gobbi, but hearing Amartuvshin Enkhbat live in an opera house must be the next best thing.
By Mr. Fabulous
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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).
Lucky those people who are so anxious to believe
A high-drama Vanessa by the Boston Symphony Orchestra offers something to believe in.
Dad, I’m seria
Sir Simon Rattle and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra strike (almost) all the right notes in their new recording of Mozart’s Idomeneo.
Music is a woman
Dan Johnson on the unique voice of Hildegard composer Sarah Kirkland Snider — and why some music could only ever be written by a woman.
The best things I saw in 2025 were vocal recitals
I’m going with four outstanding, deeply personal NYC recitals
By Krunoslav
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The best thing I saw in 2025 was In a Grove
I had the pleasure of going with some members of the Pittsburgh Opera to the PROTOTYPE Festival in New York at the start of the year- almost unfortunate it was so early on in 2025 because it set my expectations for the year so high!
Broadcast
Vanessa / Boston Symphony Orchestra
Jennifer Holloway, Samantha Hankey, and Anne Sofie von Otter lead a live broadcast of Barber's opera from Boston
Streamed January 10, 2026 at 8:00 PM
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Streamed January 10, 2026 at 1:00 PM
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Broadcast
I puritani / Metropolitan Opera
A live broadcast of the new production of Bellini's opera live from New York
Streamed January 10, 2026 at 1:00 PM
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The best thing I saw in 2025 was Festen
It’s a dazzling, shocking, and entertaining 100 minutes – one of the best new operas I’ve seen.
Broadcast
Madama Butterfly / Metropolitan Opera
Ailyn Pérez sings the title role in a live broadcast from New York
Streamed January 9, 2026 at 7:55 PM
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Left of Center
Washington National Opera is leaving the Kennedy Center, according to The New York Times
Settling scores
Tobias Kratzer digs beneath the surface of Strauss‘s Intermezzo in an excellent new DVD from Deutsche Oper Berlin.
The best thing I saw in 2025 was Sunset Boulevard
I still don’t think Sunset Boulevard is a top-tier musical but it was by far the most memorable vocal performance I saw in 2025.
Tabled for now
Ahead of the return of Louise to the Opéra National de Lyon, Parterre Box features Elsa Dreisig in a much more famous French opera.
Doublet trouble
A messy new I puritani at the Met is a historic and historical disappointment.
The best thing I saw in 2025 was Elina Garanča in Aïda
Elina Garanča scaled the vocal and dramatic summits of the Judgement Duet and Scene in the May series of Aïda.
By La Grunow
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The offal truth
“Call me traditional, but I want to see a silver platter!”
The best thing I saw in 2025 was Der Freischütz
A staged Freischütz is rare enough in itself to be the highlight of any opera season, but it was in Christoph Marthaler‘s Antwerp production that I connected with the characters and felt the story for the first time.
By Remko Jas
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Broadcast
Die schweigsame Frau / Berlin Staatsoper Unter den Linden
Christian Thielemann conducts a performance recorded this summer in Berlin
Streamed January 3, 2026 at 2:00 PM
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Broadcast
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay / Metropolitan Opera
The new opera by Mason Bates and Gene Scheer in a performance recorded in New York last fall
Streamed January 3, 2026 at 1:00 PM
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The best thing I saw in 2025 was Breaking the Waves
Houston Grand Opera’s 2025 Breaking the Waves was absolutely my highlight of the year!