Idomeneo
David Bates conducts a live performance featuring Attilio Glaser, Emily Sierra, Jeanine De Bique, Elena Tsallagova, and Ya-Chung Huang from Vienna’s Theater an der Wien
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Tears dry on their own
Born on this day in 1935 tenor Luciano Pavarotti
Tosca
Xian Zhang conducts Aleksandra Kurzak, SeokJong Baek, and George Gagnidze in a live broadcast from New York
Peter Grimes
Michele Mariotti conducts Allan Clayton, Sophie Bevan, Simon Keenlyside, Clive Bayley, Jacques Imbrailo, and Catherine Wyn-Rogers in a live broadcast from Rome
The flip side of filth
To the extent that singers should be considered stewards of their repertoire, equating bad singing to whatever “verismo” is will only be to the detriment of verismo.
Cabinet drama
On this day in 1967 the Metropolitan Opera debuts of mezzo Teresa Berganza as Cherubino and baritone Tom Krause as Count Almaviva
But joys all want eternity
Maximalism was on the menu last weekend at the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Throat GOAT
Born on this day in 1924 soprano Leyla Gencer
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
Nosedive
It’s not so much that I hated the Met Opera’s Grounded. I’m just not convinced that it should have been an opera.
Count him in
On this day in 1986 baritone Thomas Hampson made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Count Almaviva
Easter vigilantes
Chris’s Cache celebrates an “Easter in October” gala with five special pirate recordings of Cavalleria Rusticana from the Met featuring four prima donnas whose Santuzze never got a Saturday broadcast and one whose did: Giulietta Simionato, Fiorenza Cossotto, Régine Crespin, Rita Hunter and Mignon Dunn.
Spento il figlio di Dolora
On this day in 1988 Dolora Zajick made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Azucena
Veni vidi vici
Mahler’s 8th Symphony is an enormous and enigmatic work.
It’s raining Mennonites
The music was at every point dramatically compelling, without seeming cheap or manipulative.
You see the corner of her eye twist like a crooked pin
On this day in 1965 mezzo-soprano Grace Bumbry made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Eboli
That I might climb the golden chair
Following cancelled debuts in New York, London, and Vienna, Anna Netrebko has finally made her debut as Abigaille in Berlin last week
Endowed by their creator
Born on this day in 1887 soprano Maria Jeritza
Don Carlo
Philippe Jordan conducts Joshua Guerrero, Roberto Tagliavini, Asmik Grigorian, Eve-Maud Hubeaux, Étienne Dupuis, and Dmitry Ulyanov in a broadcast of a recent performance from Vienna
Yannick pannick
The Metropolitan Opera chose the early August operatic doldrums in NYC to announce the renewal of Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s contract as music director through the 2029-30 season.
Heil macht mich dein Nah’n!
Happy 54th birthday tenor Brandon Jovanovich
The clown of God
Rigoletto is the perfect opera. The story is straightforward and powerful; none of the action occurs backstage or between scenes or twenty-seven years before curtain rise; and the ethical anvil lands not once but twice, on the title character singing, “La maledizione!” The curse!
There’s only color and light
Happy 83rd birthday director and designer Robert Wilson
Tosca
Xian Zhang conducts Aleksandra Kurzak, SeokJong Baek, and George Gagnidze in a live broadcast from New York