Recent Stories
Simone Young is back at it with Michael Spyres, Vida Mikneviciute, Tomasz Konieczny, Catherine Foster, Georg Zeppenfeld, and Christa Mayer in a slightly delayed broadcast from Bayreuth
Pelléas and Mélisande are not transparent to themselves. Which means: they each have an unconscious.
Happy 61st birthday mezzo-soprano Olga Borodina
Simone Young conducts Tomasz Konieczny, Olafur Sigurdarson, John Daszak, Christa Mayer, Christina Nilsson, Okka von der Damerau, and Ya-Chung Huang in a live broadcast from the 2024 Bayreuther Festpiele
Happy 83rd birthday conductor Riccardo Muti
Happy 72nd birthday soprano Carol Vaness
Tell us: What was the best of 2025?
Parterre Box concludes the thrilling first year of Talk of the Town by inviting your lightning rod opinions on several more categories of operatic argumentation.
Grand Tier Grab Bag
Grand Tier Grab Bag
Erste Brautnacht
Erste Brautnacht
Nearly three years after the premiere of François Girard’s Lohengrin at the Met, Parterre Box looks back at the production with a duet from Piotr Beczala and Elena Stikhina.
Nearly three years after the premiere of François Girard’s Lohengrin at the Met, Parterre Box looks back at the production with a duet from Piotr Beczala and Elena Stikhina.
Grand Tier Grab Bag
Tabled for now
Tabled for now
Ahead of the return of Louise to the Opéra National de Lyon, Parterre Box features Elsa Dreisig in a much more famous French opera.
Ahead of the return of Louise to the Opéra National de Lyon, Parterre Box features Elsa Dreisig in a much more famous French opera.
Grand Tier Grab Bag
My heart belongs to daddy
My heart belongs to daddy
This week, Parterre Box shares Quinn Kelsey and Jennifer Rowley in a duet from a Verdi opera rumored to be returning to New York this time next season.
This week, Parterre Box shares Quinn Kelsey and Jennifer Rowley in a duet from a Verdi opera rumored to be returning to New York this time next season.
Grand Tier Grab Bag
Mediterranean crossings
Mediterranean crossings
Grand Tier Grab Bag anticipates Elina Garanca‘s upcoming Zwischenfach pivot by sharing her in some other not-quite-mezzo repertoire opposite Brian Jagde.
Grand Tier Grab Bag anticipates Elina Garanca‘s upcoming Zwischenfach pivot by sharing her in some other not-quite-mezzo repertoire opposite Brian Jagde.
Grand Tier Grab Bag
Ritorna un’altra volta
Ritorna un’altra volta
Parterre Box anticipates Ailyn Peréz‘s upcoming New York performances of Madama Butterfly with the Puccini role most closely associated with her
Parterre Box anticipates Ailyn Peréz‘s upcoming New York performances of Madama Butterfly with the Puccini role most closely associated with her
Grand Tier Grab Bag
My sister’s keeper
My sister’s keeper
Grand Tier Grab Bag highlights La Scala’s opening night prima donna Sara Jakubiak with an excerpt of her Chrysothemis recorded last year.
Grand Tier Grab Bag highlights La Scala’s opening night prima donna Sara Jakubiak with an excerpt of her Chrysothemis recorded last year.
I suspect Carolina Uccelli was tough.
The 2024 Bayreuther Festpiele continues with Nathalie Stutzman conducting Klaus Florian Vogt, Günther Groissböck, Elisabeth Teige, Irene Roberts, Markus Eiche, and Siyabonga Maqungo in a slightly delayed broadcast from the Grünen Hügel
Happy 56th birthday soprano Anne Schwanewilms
“In over nine years you’ve never posted an opera by Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari,” no one has ever said.
Born on this day in 1894 soprano Yvonne Printemps
Semyon Bychkov conducts the opening performance of the 2024 Bayreuther Festpiele with Andreas Schager, Camilla Nylund, Günther Groissböck, Christa Mayer, Olafur Sigurdarson, and Birger Radde
John Brancy, Deepa Johnny, Anthony León, Mariana Flores, and Alex Rosen lead a recent performance from Aix-en-Provence conducted by Leonardo García Alcarón
This July, Munich played host to hordes of football fans in town for the European Championship—and arguably the two finest working sopranos today.
Talk of the Town
The Talk of the Town
The best thing I saw this year was Das Rheingold
The best thing I saw this year was Das Rheingold
Tobias Kratzer‘s production of Das Rheingold at the Bayerische Staatsoper was a resounding success.
Tobias Kratzer‘s production of Das Rheingold at the Bayerische Staatsoper was a resounding success.
The Talk of the Town
The best thing I saw in 2025 was Stiffelio
The best thing I saw in 2025 was Stiffelio
Looking back, this Stiffelio in Piacenza is the one I cherish the most.
Looking back, this Stiffelio in Piacenza is the one I cherish the most.
The Talk of the Town
The best thing I saw in 2025 was Amartuvshin Enkhbat
The best thing I saw in 2025 was Amartuvshin Enkhbat
I wasn’t alive during the golden age of Verdi baritones like MacNeil, Warren, or Gobbi, but hearing Amartuvshin Enkhbat live in an opera house must be the next best thing.
I wasn’t alive during the golden age of Verdi baritones like MacNeil, Warren, or Gobbi, but hearing Amartuvshin Enkhbat live in an opera house must be the next best thing.
The Talk of the Town
The best things I saw in 2025 were vocal recitals
The best things I saw in 2025 were vocal recitals
I’m going with four outstanding, deeply personal NYC recitals
I’m going with four outstanding, deeply personal NYC recitals
The Talk of the Town
The best thing I saw in 2025 was In a Grove
The best thing I saw in 2025 was In a Grove
I had the pleasure of going with some members of the Pittsburgh Opera to the PROTOTYPE Festival in New York at the start of the year- almost unfortunate it was so early on in 2025 because it set my expectations for the year so high!
I had the pleasure of going with some members of the Pittsburgh Opera to the PROTOTYPE Festival in New York at the start of the year- almost unfortunate it was so early on in 2025 because it set my expectations for the year so high!
The Talk of the Town
The best thing I saw in 2025 was Festen
The best thing I saw in 2025 was Festen
It’s a dazzling, shocking, and entertaining 100 minutes – one of the best new operas I’ve seen.
It’s a dazzling, shocking, and entertaining 100 minutes – one of the best new operas I’ve seen.
Born on this day in 1921 tenor Giuseppe Di Stefano
Raphaël Pichon conducts Pene Pati, Karine Deshayes, Marianne Crebassa, Lea Desandre, Emily Pogorelc, and Nahuel di Pierro in a recent performance from Aix-en-Provence
Happy 64th birthday mezzo-soprano Susan Graham
Born on this day in 1909 soprano Licia Albanese
Born on this day in 1936 soprano Ursula Schröder-Feinen
Antonio Pappano conducts Christopher Maltman, Christopher Purves, Sean Panikkar, Marina Prudenskaya, Kiandra Howarth, and Wiebke Lehmkuhl in a performance recorded in London last fall