Chantons sous la pluie
Walking away from Theatre Châtelet this afternoon, I felt as though my relationship with France and its notoriously perplexing people and culture had at long last reached some degree of depth.
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Mold Acquaintance
On this day in 1923 Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin.
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).
Tick tick tick
On this day in 1968, the television newsmagazine program 60 Minutes premiered on CBS-TV.
Key signature
On this day in 1814, Francis Scott Key composed the poem “Defence of Fort McHenry,” which was later set to music and became the United States’ national anthem.
Blind jealousy
Which highly respected opera professional has been making a lot of childish scenes lately (even devising a fake identity on parterre.com!) in order to sow discord between two ex-clients?
Leaner in
The Metropolitan Opera just announced that 22 positions from its administrative staff of 254 have been eliminated as part of a company-wide program of cost cutting.
French tips
Valerian Ruminksi, that bass-baritone who shot off his mouth all over Facebook about a drag queen’s manicure and got fired from a prestigious gig with Opera Lyra—remember him?
Light tomorrow with today
On this day in 1846, Elizabeth Barrett eloped with Robert Browning.
Vital statistics
Now that you know how to obtain same-day tickets to the Met, cher public, all that remains is deciding which operas you intend to see.
The great big city’s a wondrous toy
On this day in 1609, Henry Hudson discovered Manhattan Island and the indigenous people living there.
These are the jokes, folks
“[Renée Fleming] also proved herself skilled at musical comedy at times…. As for those aforementioned comic moments, she revealed her own fondness for Joseph Canteloube’s Folk Songs from the Auvergne.”
A girl’s best friend
On this day in 1846, Elias Howe was granted a patent for the sewing machine.
Stella di Gowanus
West coast story
I fall on my knees before this new live recording
issued by the San Francisco Symphony.
“Hebrews and Sodomites: Greetings!”
Born on this dayin 1905: film producer Joseph E. Levine (not pictured).
Magda Olivero 1910-2014
The legendary Italian soprano Magda Olivero has died.
All right, God, you have my attention
Norman Lebrecht announces that Deborah Voigt , “one of the leading Brünnhildes of our time,” will join Rufus Wainwright to sing arias from Prima Donna (5) and will then join him in a duet of “If I Loved You” from Carousel and… oh, I just can’t.
Bomb scare
The appeal of Ariadne auf Naxos (for me anyway) is the acknowledgment that underneath it all, opera (and all other forms of “high art”) is really show business.
Venez, cher public! Qui vous arrête?
Jungfer Marianne Leitmetzerin delves into the very recent past indeed to present Donizetti’s La Favorite in a concert performance starring Elina Garanca and Juan Diego Flórez.
Where no man has gone before
On this day in 1966, the television series Star Trek premiered.
“Specialist subject, the bleeding obvious”
“Jonathan Miller‘s Carmen for Mid Wales Opera has no sexual electricity, complains Rupert Christiansen“
Chopped
La Cieca’s old, old, old friends at Opera Depot (not pictured) are offering 50% off on their entire collection of CDs and MP3s… but only for the next 48 hours!