Extraordinary conduct
Conductors, schlock, and 26-27, oh my! Make sure to weigh in on our next edition of The Talk of the Town.
Recent Stories
Broadcast
Das Rheingold / Berlin Philharmonic
Kirill Petrenko conducts the Berlin Philharmonic in a performance recorded in April
Streamed June 13, 2026 at 2:00 PM
10 comments
Broadcast
Der Rosenkavalier / Metropolitan Opera
Charles Mackerras conducts Felicity Lott, Angelika Kirschlager, and Simone Nold in a memorial broadcast from 2004
Streamed June 13, 2026 at 1:00 PM
15 comments
Lina Bruna Rasa should have made it to the Met
In the case of Lina Bruna Rasa, the reasons why she never sang at the Met are painfully clear.
By Remko Jas
57 comments
Broadcast
Napoli Milionaria / Teatro Comunale di Bologna
Nino Rota's opera in a live broadcast from Bologna.
Streamed June 12, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Comment
Sister, sister, oh so fair
Conductor Eun Sun Kim and soprano Elza van der Heever play to their strengths in a piercing revival of Elektra at San Francisco Opera.
Conchita Supervia should have made it to the Met
For vibrato fanciers, of course, discovering Supervia is like hitting the mother lode.
By TC
50 comments
Gertrud Grob-Prandl should have made it to the Met
Yes, the Met had Birgit Nilsson – so they let the volcano that was Gertrude Grob-Prandl‘s voice slip through their fingers.
By Leyla Gender-Bender
66 comments
Lux aeterna luceat eis
Grand Tier Grab Bag this week honors the late Limmie Pulliam with a bit of his Verdi Requiem.
Nun the wiser
Matthew Travisano has such doubts about Douglas Cuomo‘s opera recently seen at Opera Parallèle.
Bembo eruption
Supported by an ingenious production and strong performances, Antonia Bembo’s Ercole Amante makes a successful Paris Opera debut.
Eglise Gutierrez should have made it to the Met
So much color in this beautifully agile voice.
By Lou Ann Darras
78 comments
Broadcast
Carmen / Teatro alla Scala
La Scala's incoming Music Director Myung-Whun Chung leads Clémentine Margaine and Vittorio Grigolo in a live broadcast from Milan
Streamed June 8, 2026 at 2:00 PM
2 comments
Broadcast
Le nozze di Figaro / Gran Teatre del Liceu
Sara Blanch, Luca Pisaroni, Andrè Schuen, Julia Lezhneva, and Adriana González star in a live broadcast from Barcelona.
Streamed June 8, 2026 at 1:15 PM
4 comments
Don’t tell me the lights are shining any place but there
Opera Theater of St. Louis’s summer festival opened last night and Parterre Box is celebrating by launching a new feature: custom travel guides!
Lise with an “S”
Emma Hoffman reports on the glimmers of ecstatic artistry in Lise Davidsen‘s all-Schubert recital at Carnegie Hall with James Baillieu.
Mado Robin should have made it to the Met
I like to use this recording to annoy Mariah Carey fans by proving that whistle register doesn’t count.
Broadcast
Talestri, regina delle Amazzoni / Handel Festival - Halle
An opera by Maria Antonia Walpurgis live from the Handel Festival in Halle
Streamed June 6, 2026 at 2:00 PM
7 comments
Broadcast
Le nozze di Figaro / Dutch National Opera
Francesco Corti conducts Michael Nagl, Olga Kulchynska, Emily Pogorelc, Cecilia Molinari, and Björn Bürger in a performance recorded last month in Amsterdam
Streamed June 6, 2026 at 1:00 PM
4 comments
Broadcast
Götterdämmerung / Atlanta Opera
Roberto Kalb conducts Lise Lindstrom and Stefan Vinke in the conclusion of Atlanta Opera's Ring Cycle.
Streamed June 5, 2026 at 6:00 PM
25 comments
Three on a match
Elsa Dreisig, Jonas Kaufmann, and Malin Byström lead recent album releases.
Maria Kanyova should make it to the Met
I’m surprised that American soprano Maria Kanyova has never performed at the Met, even though she has loads of high-profile U.S. opera credits.
By WeillFan
48 comments
Not in Kansas anymore
Christopher Corwin speaks to rising bass-baritone Le Bu about his journey from Yancheng, China to the Met (with a stop in Wichita) and what important roles await him.
Barbara Hannigan should make it to the Met
The fact that Barbara Hannigan has never performed at The Metropolitan Opera is just plain dumb.
By Cornelia
48 comments