Carmen
Daniele Rustioni conducts Angel Blue, Aigul Akhmetshina, Piotr Beczala, and Kyle Ketelsen in a live broadcast from New York
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Polish rider
“The mystery of her voice gripped my soul,” Sharpless tells Pinkerton at the beginning of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. One could say the same thing of Aleksandra Kurzak’s remarkable portrayal of the title role, the main reason to catch the Met’s latest revival.
Jackie, oh
Happy 90th birthday mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne
The school for music lovers
Angel Island seemed a piece with two simultaneous goals: to musically interpret the poetry of Angel Island detainees and to educate its audience on the history of Asian and particularly Chinese immigration to America.
He has come, he has come
On this day in 1958 Samuel Barber‘s Vanessa had its world premiere at the Met
Médée
Michele Gamba conducts the opening night of Cherubini‘s opera live from Milan with Marina Rebeka, Stanislas de Barbeyrac, Nahuel di Pierro, Martina Russomanno, and Ambrosine Bré
Parapetual indulgence
On this day in 1900 Puccini’s Tosca premiered in Rome
La bohème
A broadcast from New York featuring Elena Stikhina, Stephen Costello, Kristina Mkhitaryan, Adam Plachetka, and Krzysztof Baczyk conducted by Marco Armiliato
Maestro to the pit
On this day in 1976 conductor Sarah Caldwell made history (and her Metropolitan debut)
Clog dance
On this day in 1918 Pietro Mascagni and Giovacchino Forzano’s Lodoletta had its United States premiere at the Metropolitan.
Madama Butterfly
Xian Zhang conducts Aleksandra Kurzak, Elizabeth DeShong, Matthew Polenzani, and Davide Luciano live from New York
The Lehmann tetralogy
On this day in 1934 soprano Lotte Lehmann made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Sieglinde.
Early onset dementia
Nothing says “diva” like an insane recital program.
Vincitor de’ secoli
Happy 89th birthday baritone Sherrill Milnes.
A woman scorned
Marc-Antoine Charpentier and Thomas Corneille’s Médée is a monument of the 17th century French baroque lyric tragedy.
Old masterpiece
Born on this day in 1902 impresario and opera manager Rudolf Bing
Siam giunte, F.B. Pinkerton
Before some important Madama Butterfly sopranos dominate the American scene in early 2024, Chris’s Cache offers live recordings of four vintage Cio-Cio-Sans, plus a brand new one: Renata Scotto; Galina Vishnevskaya, Anna Moffo, Gilda Cruz-Romo–and Sonya Yoncheva.
Queen Lear
Born on this day in 1926 soprano Evelyn Lear.
Seer and be seen
On this day in 1955 contralto Marian Anderson made her historic Metropolitan Opera debut
Nabucco
Daniele Callegari conducts Liudmyla Monastyrska, Maria Barakova, SeokJong Baek, George Gagnidze, Dmitry Belosselskiy in a broadcast from New York.
Make no Miss Stake
Born on this day in 1412 martyr and saint Jeanne d’Arc. How many theatrical, cinematic, operatic interpretations of her life?
Voici l’opéra
On this day in 1875 the Palais Garnier was inaugurated in Paris
Meine Sängerin, auf!
Born on this day in 1937 soprano/mezzo-soprano Grace Bumbry.
Carmen
Daniele Rustioni conducts Angel Blue, Aigul Akhmetshina, Rafael Davila, and Kyle Ketelsen in the first broadcast of the Met’s new production