Janet Baker should have made it to the Met
The divine Dame Janet Baker never sang at the Metropolitan, sadly for American audiences.
By Darby Fegan
88 comments
Recent Stories
Broadcast
La traviata / Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
Ermonela Jaho, Dmitry Korchak, and Amartuvshin Enkhbat star in a live broadcast from Rome
Streamed June 21, 2026 at 1:00 PM
1 comment
I’ll take the fall
The days are getting shorter, but you can keep the prattle going this fall’s Talk of the Town! You will, you can, you must join in the discussion about: Great mezzo soprano performances (October),
Gained in translation (November), Teleport me back to… (December).
Super rich kids
Wolf Trap Opera triumphs in a fizzy, fun Cenerentola.
Dorothy Maynor should have made it to the Met
We had to wait for Marian Anderson to break the color barrier at the Met and many great Black opera singers never had a chance there.
By Rowna Sutin
29 comments
Broadcast
Peter Grimes / Royal Ballet and Opera
Allan Clayton sings the title role in a performance recorded last month in London.
Streamed June 20, 2026 at 1:00 PM
9 comments
Broadcast
Adriana Lecouvreur / Teatro San Carlo
A live broadcast from the Teatro San Carlo in Naples starring Aleksandra Kurzak, Brian Jagde, and Elīna Garanča.
Streamed June 20, 2026 at 1:00 PM
19 comments
Leyla Gencer should have made it to the Met
Leyla Gencer had a long European career but never sang at the Met.
By Arrigo
140 comments
Robust possibilities
After success at the Met as Turandot and before a historic Medea, soprano Anna Pirozzi talks to Harry Rose about her voice, her repertoire, and where her “second explosion of career” is taking her.
Rubber soul
Video Artists International brings us back to a time when opera was carried over the airwaves by great voices—and a tire company.
A game of hoarse
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s concert Rigoletto hits some vocal turbulence
Hina Spani should have made it to the Met
A full century after her heyday, Argentine soprano Hina Spani still moves us thanks to her vivid recordings and the savants who have cherished and shared them.
By Peter Russell
64 comments
Frau Miina-Liisa will es werde Nacht
Parterre Box features soprano Miina-Liisa Värelä, making her title role debut in Die Walküre in Munich next week, in a performance of Tristan und Isolde from 2021.
Broadcast
La Damnation de Faust / Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Marianne Crebassa, Julien Dran, and John Relyea star in a live broadcast of Berlioz's opera from Rome.
Streamed June 15, 2026 at 2:00 PM
9 comments
Anna Caterina Antonacci should have made it to the Met
The one who got away was Anna Caterina Antonacci, a thrilling performer.
By Last Castrato
68 comments
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
Extraordinary conduct
Conductors, schlock, and 26-27, oh my! Make sure to weigh in on our next edition of The Talk of the Town.
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.