French tickler
The concert presented by Opera Lafayette at the Alliance Française last Friday and Saturday was devoted to music of witty, short-lived Emmanuel Chabrier, notably Une Éducation Manquée.
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Vivre sa vivandière
On this day in 1840 Donizetti’s La fille du Regiment premiered in Paris.
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!
How fatal was my sdegno!
I think we can all agree that this Anna Pirozzi is the real thing!
“I will applaud your discretion when you leave”
There was a bit of a foofaraw over on Facebook yesterday involving two of your doyenne’s favorite people, in alphabetical order Christine Goerke and Norman Lebrecht.
Come una mosca prigioniera l’ali batte il piccolo cuor!
“Ana María Martínez will sing her first Met performances of Cio-Cio-San in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly on February 19 and 22, replacing Hei-Kyung Hong, who is ill,” says the Met press office.
I don’t sleep, I dream
Bellini blossomed over us like a love fest.
Ah, cruel! La bronchite s’accompagne d’une toux profonde!
“Madame Anna Netrebko, souffrant d’une bronchite aiguë, ne sera pas en mesure d’assurer le rôle de Leonora pour la représentation du spectacle Il Trovatore ce jeudi 11 février.
Ah! Manon, mi tradisce
Our Own Chris Corwin (not pictured) has taken a peek at the current guesses for the “Sola perduta” quiz and notes that fewer than half of the selections offered have been correctly identified.
A soaring instrument
Happy 89th birthday soprano Leontyne Price!
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).
Politically deflect
“A few weeks after the opening night of Otello in New York, The Washington Post convened a group of African–American opera singers to discuss the issue.”
Ye gods and little fishes
On this day in 1893 Verdi’s Falstaff premiered in Milan.
When this cruel war is over
Jarrett Ott is a star. That is the only surprise takeaway from the well-intended snore, Cold Mountain.
Out of the passerine
Here’s a lesser piece by a great composer, single-handedly “rescued” for our generation by Angela Gheorghiu.
Apotheosis
On this day in 1895 the Petipa staging of Tchaikovsky’s ballet Swan Lake premiered in St Petersburg.
My secret love’s no secret any more
On this day in 1792 Cimarosa’s Il Matrimonio Segreto premiered in Vienna.
La commedia comincia
Hello, hello, cher public? You called, I can’t hear a thing.
Competition is always a good thing
On this day in 1935, the “Monopoly” board game went on sale for the first time.
La deserta donna
La Cieca hopes the cher public won’t let poor Manon Lescaut get too lonely out there in the bayou or the heath or whatever it is, because you’ll want stay close to listen to our latest Identification Quiz, 15 sopranos in full hysterical wail.
Clamori e canti di battaglia, addio!
On this day in 1887 Verdi’s Otello premiered in Milan.
Glitter, glitter on the wall
A vibrant burlesque, this adult iteration of the classic fairytale manages to arch its back against the past while crawling toward the future.
Love hears, love knows, love answers
This week “Trove Thursday” brings a rare in-house recording of a visit to the Metropolitan Opera House by the Staatsoper Hamburg presenting Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress with a deluxe cast
Not nobody, not nohow!
“Mr. Luisi won praise replacing Mr. Levine time after time, particularly in a costly version of Wagner’s Ring cycle—though, perhaps in a sign of the situation’s delicacy, the two conductors have never met in person.”