Hammer time
Welcome, cher public, to the real-time chat for the Saturday afternoon broadcast of Il Trovatore, starting at 1:00 PM ET.
Recent Stories
She could go on singing
Happy 47th birthday mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato.
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).
Well, you see, grandma was playing up on the roof…
“James Levine, the longtime Metropolitan Opera music director whose health struggles recently brought him to the verge of retirement from that position, has canceled a series of concerts with the Philadelphia Orchestra next week.”
Chat: Manon Lescaut
Welcome, cher public, to the real-time chat (or at least commentary) for tonight’s Met premiere of Manon Lescaut, starting at 7:55 PM ET on Listen Live.
Il core vi dono
With February 14th falling on a Sunday, there will be no Valentine’s Day Met performance this year.
Every little thing she does is magic
Ms. Guy goes into detail about what made Sills a “magic” performer, recounting reactions of people across an extraordinarily broad socio-economic spectrum who discovered their love of opera and singing through her.
“You can’t make a soufflé rise twice”
Born on this day in 1884 writer and socialite Alice Roosevelt Longworth.
The name’s the same
Three weeks ago “Trove Thursday” presented Mozart’s Lucio Silla and today we have Bach’s—Johann Christian Bach’s, that is.
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.
Vivre sa vivandière
On this day in 1840 Donizetti’s La fille du Regiment premiered in Paris.
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!
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.