“An earthquake of unprecedented intensity and duration”
On this day in 1897 Gustav Mahler became director of the Wiener Hofoper.
Recent Stories
“What gets me…!”
What gets me, La Cieca snaps, is not so much that Levine bit off more than he could chew, because that’s old news.
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 cat didn’t come back
“Along with every other music journalist in New York, I was blindsided by this news. If ever there was a company that appeared the picture of fiscal and artistic good health, it was Gotham.”
Trapped in the web of love
Which operatic character could be best described as a spider?
The stale, cold smell of morning
On this day in 1982 the musical Cats opened at the Winter Garden Theater, to run 7,485 performances.
Lady on demand
If you had told me 20 years ago that at some point in the future I would have over 550 of the Metropolitan Opera’s performances, audio and video, at my command with the touch of a button I would say my eulogy had just been read and I’d been taken to my reward.
Beside the River Seine
On this day in 1889 the Moulin Rouge opened in Paris.
For the ladies
“The anvil scene is enlivened for female members of the audience by the importation of lusty non-singing blacksmiths.”
Out here in the dark
This is the tenth season of the Met’s HD broadcasts, not that I would know it.
Battle of the network tsars
For all their orchestral and vocal attractions, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s 15 operas are rarities in the West.
Head over heels
I guess you have spoken: “Bring us insane divas in operas we already know!”
Number one with an axe
Here you are, cher public, your ten most popular parterre box postings (by numbers of pageviews) for the week of September 27-October 3, 2015.
Sack the entire washing-up staff
On this day in 1969 the first episode of Monty Python’s Flying Circus aired on BBC One.
Joseph Gordon-Who?
This weekend Il Trovatore outgrossed the The Walk, a new IMAX film directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ben Kingsley.
Go hollanderize it for some other dame
Born on this day in 1880 journalist and author Damon Runyon.
One is as one does
On this day in 1970 the musical Coco closed at the Mark Hellinger Theater after 333 performances.
The Friday afternoon news dump in excelsis
“Met Music Director James Levine has decided to lighten his workload by removing the new production of Berg’s Lulu from his schedule so that he may focus his energies completely on Wagner’s epic drama Tannhäuser.”
Cavalier treatment
“Roberto Aronica will sing Cavaradossi in the first five performances of Puccini’s Tosca at the Met this season—October 16, 21, 24 matinee, 29, and November 2—replacing Massimo Giordano, who is ill.”
Storm warning
Forget the hurricane preparations for a few hours this afternoon and enjoy the live webcast of Les Contes d’Hoffmann from the Komische Oper Berlin, starting at 12:55 PM.
Mlle. Destinn in huff
“The Kaiser’s Royal Opera of Berlin, which has been a hotbed of jealous intrigue ever since the invasion of American singers began a few years ago, is agitated afresh.”
In Hollywood, if you don’t have happiness you send out for it
Happy 77th birthday critic and interviewer Rex Reed.
A quell’amor ch’è palpito
Yes, obviously it’s La traviata, but where?
Fine dell’opera
Gotham Chamber Opera is ceasing operations and will be closing.