Nice piece of <i>Tales</i> Nice piece of <i>Tales</i>

Les Contes d’Hoffmann is something of a puzzle in which some of the pieces are missing and others been altered to fit since Offenbach died before he could complete and revise the work.

Direct messaging Direct messaging

Happy 67th birthday opera director Peter Sellars

We’re the kids in America We’re the kids in America

Needing a Mozart palate-cleanser after the recent misbegotten Marriage of Figaro, I went back more than two decades for a Houston Così fan Tutte featuring then-rising Americans Christine Goerke, Joyce Di Donato, Richard Croft, and Nathan Gunn as the confused lovers.

Wedding bell blues Wedding bell blues

On this day in 1835 Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor premiered in Naples

Star of the shoji screen Star of the shoji screen

My vision may have been slightly blurry at the end.

In the John In the John

On this day in 1985 baritone Giuseppe Taddei made his belated Metropolitan Opera debut as Falstaff

Les Contes d’Hoffmann Les Contes d’Hoffmann

Marco Armiliato conducts Benjamin Bernheim, Erin Morley, Pretty Yende, Clémentine Margaine, Vasilisa Berzhanskaya, and Christian Van Horn in a live opening night broadcast from New York

Self-flagellation Self-flagellation

One moral is that Eugene O’Neill may just not be opera fodder.

Suite for three baritones Suite for three baritones

Baritone day!

Grounded Grounded

Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts Emily D’Angelo, Ellie Dehn, Ben Bliss, and Greer Grimsley in an opening night broadcast of Jeanine Tesori and George Brant‘s new opera from the Met

Cult classic Cult classic

Sylvia Korman previews The Listeners, the latest and most ambitious opera by Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek that opens this week at Opera Philadelphia with tickets for just $11

You interest me You interest me

Born on this day in 1907 bass Nicola Moscona

Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers

Happy 83rd birthday soprano Anna Tomowa-Sintow

Turandot Turandot

James Conlon conducts a raved about performance from Los Angeles earlier this spring featuring Angela Meade, Russell Thomas, Guanqun Yu, and Morris Robinson

Baron life Baron life

Happy 73rd birthday baritone Alessandro Corbelli

Chair force 1 Chair force 1

Andrew Lokay discusses the real world of warfare behind Jeanine Tesori and George Brant‘s Grounded, which opens the Met season on Monday.

Acting is rè acting Acting is rè acting

Boston Lyric Opera’s shows, of late, are often going to war with their texts.

O donna fatale O donna fatale

Happy 90th birthday actress Sophia Loren

Stella, Stella for star! Stella, Stella for star!

Ahead of its September 24 Metropolitan Opera premiere, Chris’s Cache provides three Les Contes d’Hoffmann each with just one soprano as its heroines, as well as unusually interesting Antonia acts.

Plus Blanche que la blanche hermine Plus Blanche que la blanche hermine

Born on this day in 1918 mezzo-soprano Blanche Thebom (some sources say 1915)

Lucine Amara 1925-2024 Lucine Amara 1925-2024

The dependable American soprano, a fixture of the midcentury Metropolitan Opera, died on September 6

Take the A415 train Take the A415 train

They used to say of the island of Crete that it produces more history than can be consumed locally.

Non son l’umile ancella Non son l’umile ancella

“[W]omen are interesting and important in real life. They are not an afterthought of nature, they are not secondary players in human destiny, and every society has always known that.” — Margaret Atwood, February 2017

Sola e lontana Sola e lontana

Happy 53rd birthday soprano Anna Netrebko