Nothing makes me feel better than Hänsel und Gretel
I was first exposed to Hänsel und Gretel as a child, likely via The Metropolitan Opera’s 1982 PBS telecast.
By Weill Fan
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Recent Stories
Broadcast
Ariodante / Paris Opera
A performance of Handel's opera recorded in Paris earlier this month with Cecilia Molinari, Jacquelyn Stucker, Sabine Devieilhe, and Christophe Dumaux
Streamed October 25, 2025 at 2:00 PM
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Broadcast
Eine Nacht in Venedig / Wiener Volksoper
Johann Strauss's operetta live from the Vienna Volksoper
Streamed October 25, 2025 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).
Broadcast
Tosca / Royal Ballet and Opera
Anna Netrebko makes her formal return to the Anglophone stage in a performance recorded last month in London with Freddie De Tommaso and Gerald Finley
Streamed October 25, 2025 at 1:00 PM
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School gyrls
What Opera Lafayette’s Dido and Aeneas lost in gravitas it gained in charm and specificity.
“By boycotting us, you are killing art”
Brendan Latimer sits down with Francesca Zambello and members of the cast of Washington National Opera’s production of Aïda to discuss the complicated legacy of one of Verdi’s most beloved works and the tricky business of “inventing the truth.”
Six appeal
Grand Tier Grab Bag highlights two “Final Trios” from Der Rosenkavalier recorded just two days apart from one another.
Nothing makes me feel better than Toti Dal Monte in Madama Butterfly
My comfort opera after all these years remains Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, even with its sociologically problematical presentation of Japanese culture.
By Moe Rear
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Undoing of woman
Anthony Hüseyin‘s eclectic recital in Berlin explores femicide in opera through a queer, nonbinary lens.
Nothing makes me feel better than Beckmesser’s serenade
Beckmesser’s serenade never fails to amuse, particularly when sung by Thomas Allen in this ROH recording from 1997 under the late Haitink with Tomlinson, Gustafson, Winbergh, and Lippert.
By fletcher
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Broadcast
La bohème / Metropolitan Opera
Juliana Grigoryan and Freddie De Tommaso lead a live performance from New York
Streamed October 21, 2025 at 7:25 PM
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Up the creek and over the hill
Matthias Goerne‘s Die schöne Müllerin at Carnegie Hall offers a hoary and excessive collection of mannerisms and vocal tics that served the artist more than the music itself.
The open wound that will never heal
In his new production that opens at San Francisco Opera this weekend, Matthew Ozawa is creating a Parsifal for the cancel culture age.
Nothing makes me feel better than Anna Tomowa-Sintow in Capriccio
The color, power, and character are all there in this recording.
By Timothy Gray
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Broadcast
Don Giovanni / Metropolitan Opera
A live broadcast from New York conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Streamed October 20, 2025 at 7:25 PM
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Avec la victoire, l’instant du bonheur
Buoyed by a strong cast, The Metropolitan Opera continues its autumn bel canto streak with a winning revival of Donizetti’s La fille du regiment.
Nothing makes us feel better than Parsifal and Fedora
Parsifal puts Monsieur to sleep when he most needs it. He has probably listened to more versions than actually exist.
By Camille & Monsieur Camille
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Broadcast
Rodelinda / Garsington Opera
Lucy Crowe and Tim Mead lead a performance recorded at Garsington Opera this summer
Streamed October 18, 2025 at 1:00 PM
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Nothing makes me feel better than L’italiana in Algeri
This may be a rather trite choice, but I genuinely believe that Rossini comedies make the ultimate comfort operas.
By Leyla Gender-Bender
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Broadcast
La fille du régiment / Metropolitan Opera
A live broadcast from New York starring Lawrence Brownlee and Erin Morley
Streamed October 17, 2025 at 7:25 PM
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Psychic gestures
Rolando Villazón opens up about his production of La sonnambula, how he develops characters, and what makes opera dance.
The scorned mother of us all
Seeing Sondra Radvanovsky as Medea at Lyric Opera of Chicago sprawled across the floor, soaked in her children’s blood, is proof that we’re witnessing an utterly haunting singer-actor.
Nothing makes me feel better than Acis and Galatea
This sequence of two arias is perfectly judged to calm the jangled or melancholic spirit.
By rapt
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