Recent Stories
Maestro Wenarto achieves video number 1,500 with this opéra comique take on the immortal “Habanera” from Carmen.
La Cieca (pictured, left) celebrated her birthday early this year when she unexpectedly received the perfect gift—the following press release.
Heavens, what with breakdown of the site a couple weeks ago, the Regie quiz has been forgotten for all too long!
“Rufus Wainwright Talks Opera Prima Donna and Why the Genre’s ‘Not for Sissies'”
La Cieca thinks it would be fun for the cher public to play George Steel (or, given the difficulty of the task, Superman) and devise an upcoming season for NYCO.
Still going strong after (approximately) 1,500 YouTube appearances, Our Own Maestro Wenarto celebrates the anniversary of his birth today.
“With Anjelica Huston, Parker Posey and Yoko Ono dotting the crowd at BAM Sunday afternoon, the New York City Opera’s premiere of Prima Donna offered more diva presence offstage than on.”
On Saturday I attended the premiere performance of a new production of Ariadne auf Naxos at the Festspielhaus in Baden-Baden, Germany. It was Renée Fleming’s debut in the title role…
Tell us: What’s your favorite Verdi performance?
Hasten thee to feed another quarter of conversation for The Talk of the Town!
Grand Tier Grab Bag
Grand Tier Grab Bag
Don’t cry because it’s over
Don’t cry because it’s over
Grand Tier Grab Bag hearkens back to the days when Sondra Radvanovsky — who is singing no Verdi at all next season — seemed like the Verdi soprano of reference.
Grand Tier Grab Bag hearkens back to the days when Sondra Radvanovsky — who is singing no Verdi at all next season — seemed like the Verdi soprano of reference.
Grand Tier Grab Bag
Rizzin’ to the occasion
Rizzin’ to the occasion
Parterre Box features the Met’s current Eugene Onegin, Iurii Samoilov, in a performance of Rossini ahead of a return to Pesaro this summer.
Parterre Box features the Met’s current Eugene Onegin, Iurii Samoilov, in a performance of Rossini ahead of a return to Pesaro this summer.
Grand Tier Grab Bag
When they go low
When they go low
Nostalgic for bass month, Parterre Box offers excerpts from two young basses to watch: Giorgi Manoshvili and Patrick Guetti.
Nostalgic for bass month, Parterre Box offers excerpts from two young basses to watch: Giorgi Manoshvili and Patrick Guetti.
Grand Tier Grab Bag
Nailin’ the coughin’
Nailin’ the coughin’
Rosa Feola, still scheduled for a run of performances as Violetta in New York this spring, is the subject of this week’s Grand Tier Grab Bag.
Rosa Feola, still scheduled for a run of performances as Violetta in New York this spring, is the subject of this week’s Grand Tier Grab Bag.
Grand Tier Grab Bag
Landing the plane
Landing the plane
With Nixon, Klinghoffer, and Andris Nelsons on the mind, Parterre Box offers a recording of the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s recent John Adams outing.
With Nixon, Klinghoffer, and Andris Nelsons on the mind, Parterre Box offers a recording of the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s recent John Adams outing.
Grand Tier Grab Bag
Le galant tireur
Le galant tireur
American tenor Charles Castronovo performs a bit of Weber’s Der Freischütz ahead of the opportunity to hear Berlioz‘s take on the score at Carnegie Hall next week.
American tenor Charles Castronovo performs a bit of Weber’s Der Freischütz ahead of the opportunity to hear Berlioz‘s take on the score at Carnegie Hall next week.
“Ich zeige dem Publikum, was sie sehen sollen, und nicht, was sie sehen wollen, schließlich sind Oper und Theater kein Dienstleistungsgewerbe.”
It’s Sunday, and that means it’s time for your weekly intermission feature, a chance to discuss off-topic and general interest subjects.
This 2010 DVD
of Brecht and Weill’s Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny from Madrid assumes pride of place among the available video versions of the opera.
The weekly Saturday afternoon chat continues today, cher public.
“Thomas Hampson to Sing at Groundbreaking Ceremony for Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture on Feb 22; President Barack Obama Will Deliver Remarks”
Mariella Devia will augment her already vast bel canto repertoire next year with the role of roles: Bellini’s Norma.
La Cieca is starting a new series of Words Critics Need to Stop Using.
The guest soloist at the the Wiener Opernball was just introduced as “Rumäniens Antwort auf Anna Netrebko, Angela Gheorghiu.”
Talk of the Town
The Talk of the Town
A favorite Verdi performance from Arrigo
A favorite Verdi performance from Arrigo
My favorite Verdi performance is Claudio Abbado Don Carlo opening of the Scala.
My favorite Verdi performance is Claudio Abbado Don Carlo opening of the Scala.
The Talk of the Town
A favorite Verdi performance from Peter Russell
A favorite Verdi performance from Peter Russell
The purely musical performance preserved here is thrilling, ratcheted to a higher intensity than the Deutsche Grammophon studio recording
The purely musical performance preserved here is thrilling, ratcheted to a higher intensity than the Deutsche Grammophon studio recording
The Talk of the Town
A favorite Verdi performance from TC
A favorite Verdi performance from TC
Victoria de los Ángeles has always been my Violetta of choice, a portrayal that never ceases to move me.
Victoria de los Ángeles has always been my Violetta of choice, a portrayal that never ceases to move me.
The Talk of the Town
A favorite Verdi performance from Anna Netrebko
A favorite Verdi performance from Anna Netrebko
I feel that the best years of Maria Callas’s vocalità, when we hear such a unique freedom and generosity in her singing, were captured in her early recordings.
I feel that the best years of Maria Callas’s vocalità, when we hear such a unique freedom and generosity in her singing, were captured in her early recordings.
The Talk of the Town
A favorite Verdi performance from Armerjacquino
A favorite Verdi performance from Armerjacquino
Before the screams of horror begin, it says ‘favorite’, not best.
Before the screams of horror begin, it says ‘favorite’, not best.
The Talk of the Town
A favorite Verdi performance from Remko Jas
A favorite Verdi performance from Remko Jas
Elisabeth Grümmer was, of course, very good at Wagnerian prayers, but she also shines in this Verdi prayer.
Elisabeth Grümmer was, of course, very good at Wagnerian prayers, but she also shines in this Verdi prayer.
The comprimario tenor, veteran of 2,928 performances at the Met, died earlier today. He was 82.
“This is the highest number of performances for a conductor in a single week in Met history.”
“New York City Opera performed La Traviata at BAM Sunday afternoon. That’s who, what, where and when. But this was a performance without a ‘why’.”
Will robots replace prompters? Will random number generators replace stage directors?
Congratulations and thanks to all the many, many parterriani who participated in the second annual Bühnenweihfestspielkrieg…
“Less than 24 hours after the death of pop-star Whitney Houston, the color-blind casting of Violetta Valery…. gave the 159-year old opera a jolt of relevance.”
“No tenors, no arias, no orchestra pit, no plot. Can You, My Mother really be called an opera?”
Yes, the plot of Luisa Miller is a novella, and a pleasantly juicy one at that.
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