Der Rosenkavalier
A performance recorded last month and reviewed here featuring Véronique Gens, Niamh O’Sullivan, Regula Mühlemann, and Peter Rose
Recent Stories
Change my mind about what makes a legendary artist
My contention here is more general than just a critique of an opera, a composer, or a singer. I argue that one cannot be a truly legendary artist unless one sings NEW MUSIC.
By Leyla Gender-Bender
291 comments
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).
Talk it out
Mere days remain to make your voice heard for this summer’s The Talk of the Town!
Votre liberté ne sera pas ravie!
What better a way to honor Independence Day than with a bit of French-American partnering?
Sing out strong
Pride weekend events at San Francisco Opera and Festival Opera are fabulous starts to the Bay Area summer
Pride before the fall
Opera Parallèle’s Harvey Milk Reimagined offers a fragmented portrait lacking the depth or coherence needed to honor Milk’s legacy
Change my mind about Parsifal
Parsifal just gives me the creeps – a muddy maundery concoction that wallows in faux religiosity, a creepy view of sin, and naïve redemption.
By Belfagor
201 comments
An old-fashioned girl
Perhaps it was the heatwave or the contentment of just having been able to hear her live again, but I went a bit overboard for this week’s Chris’s Cache in assembling an extravagant bouquet of Emőke Baráth, a favorite baroque diva.
Prêtre a manger
parterre box serves up an amuse-bouche of Natalie Dessay as Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd in Strasbourg!
Change my mind about Mario Lanza
I just don’t get why anyone takes Mario Lanza seriously as “the tenor of the century” and so forth.
By Krunoslav
132 comments
The turning point
The Comet/Poppea at this summer’s Running AMOC* festival at Lincoln Center is a thrilling, startling, deeply moving experience
This summer I’m reading The Reign of Patti
The ultimate in Diva worship – where she can do no wrong.
By Belle Raggio
80 comments
Cavalleria Rusticana & Pagliacci
Daniele Rustioni leads a verismo double bill recorded in Munich last month
Stiffelio
A performance recorded earlier this month in Dortmund with Angelo Villari and Pretty Yende
This summer I’m reading I promessi sposi
Nothing helped me understand Verdi better than Alessandro Manzoni‘s I promessi sposi.
By Harry Rose
90 comments
Don Giovanni
Konstantin Krimmel plays the title role in a live broadcast from Munich
Konstantin companion
parterre box highlights the livestreamed opening of this year’s Munich Opera Festival with a bit of tonight’s Don Giovanni, Konstantin Krimmel, in another Mozart opera
Turkish sound bath
A brilliant L’italiana in Algeri in Rome has Larry Wolff once again thinking about “singing Turks”
The Queen of Spades
A live video broadcast from Vienna starring Anna Netrebko and Yusif Eyvazov
This summer I’m reading Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes
I first read Edith Hamilton‘s classic book on Greek mythology about sixty years ago.
By Moe Rear
38 comments
Up an Octavia
The operatic offerings of Boston Early Music Festival — Keiser‘s Octavia and Telemann‘s Pimpinone and Ino — are delectable discoveries
This summer I’m reading a juicy diva autobiography
What better beach read than a juicy diva autobiography?
By Richard Lynn
65 comments