No need to grin and bear it No need to grin and bear it

An exciting cast digs their claws into a heady production of La Calisto at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées.

<em>The Women</em> are like that <em>The Women</em> are like that

A stylish and funny Così fan tutte at LA Opera is a pretty glam affair, according to Patrick Mack.

It’ll all be Auger It’ll all be Auger

A perfect meeting of voice with composer occurred when Arleen Auger took part in the rediscovery of early works by Mozart.

Jailhouse Roccos Jailhouse Roccos

Chris’s Cache wraps up November with Régine Crespin’s Chicago Leonore; two rare Met Fidelios headed by Christa Ludwig and Hildegard Behrens; and a concert performance with Birgit Nilsson led by Leonard Bernstein, plus a final twist: excerpts of Carol Vaness in Leonore.

Everything sacred Everything sacred

Wrapping up Diva November, Chris’s Cache offers two sacred works that couldn’t be more unalike.

Edita Gruberova enters the 21st century Edita Gruberova enters the 21st century

The worst criticism perhaps was the gleeful Schadenfreude noting Edita’s voice wasn’t as under her command as it used to be.

Queen’s evidence Queen’s evidence

Trove Thursday’s belated contribution to last weekend’s Platinum Jubilee is a broadcast from Aldeburgh of Benjamin Britten’s Gloriana with Christine Brewer and Tom Randle as Elizabeth and Essex, an opera which premiered 69 years ago yesterday.

Reminiscences of Mozart Reminiscences of Mozart

The great Spanish mezzo soprano Teresa Berganza died on May 13 at the age of 89, so Trove Thursday salutes one of its favorites with a pair of dazzling rare live Mozart performances.

Witchy women Witchy women

You’d think after nearly 40 years of opera going I’d have seen almost everything.. .twice. Yet I found myself at LA Opera Tuesday night for a special presentation of George Frideric Handel’s Alcina which was my first live experience with one of his operas.

Quicksilver princess Quicksilver princess

Trove Thursday remembers Edita Gruberová with live recordings of two of the three operas I heard her perform at the Met: a 1985 Munich La Traviata with Neil Shicoff and Wolfgang Brendel conducted by Carlos Kleiber and an I Puritani from Vienna 1994 featuring two other artists who recently left us too soon: Marcello Giordani and Dmitri Hvorostovsky.

Shining through Shining through

Trove Thursday celebrates Christa Ludwig with live excerpts from 1955 through 1982.

To comfort you To comfort you

“Trove Thursday” features its two favorite baritones in a pair of comforting settings of the Requiem.

A touch of the stone A touch of the stone

“Trove Thursday” turns its Rossini-150 series to one of the composer’s least known but tastiest comic gems La Pietra del Paragone with Julia Hamari, Justino Diaz, Alessandro Corbelli, Claudio Desderi and Paolo Barbacini conducted by Roberto Abbado. 

Women on the verge Women on the verge

“Trove Thursday” offers Così fan tutte with Pilar Lorengar, Josephine Veasey, Lucia Popp, Luigi Alva and Kieth Engen with Georg Solti conducting.

Debuts and farewells Debuts and farewells

Arabella with Wolfgang Sawallisch conducting a prime-time 1980s Munich cast.

Saluting Kurt Moll Saluting Kurt Moll

“Trove Thursday” pays tribute to the great German bass Kurt Moll

Happy ending Happy ending

This week Trove Thursday endeavors to broaden his exposure with a bubbly performance of Il Marito Disperato starring Sylvia Geszty.

While you were sheeping While you were sheeping

To mark Mozart’s 260th birthday tomorrow, “Trove Thursday” offers his infrequently performed bucolic opera Il Re Pastore with the sublime Arleen Augér as its heroine and Edith Mathis as her shepherd-lover.

With honor With honor

Puccini’s Madama Butterfly with an unexpected heroine: the electrifying Julia Varady, seduced and abandoned by the suavely ardent Giacomo Aragall.

In witch we serve In witch we serve

Sunday afternoon’s intermittently involving concert performance of Handel’s Alcina at Carnegie Hall starred an unusually intense Joyce DiDonato as a powerful sorceress blinded by her romantic delusions.

Past perfect Past perfect

With much laying-on of fanfares and gift boxes our friends at Decca Classics have unleashed Luciano Pavarotti Edition 1: The First Decade on a weary and satiated public.

Room for improvement Room for improvement

It’s hard to think of a rare work by a great composer more tailor-made for a twenty-first century reexamination than Mozart’s Il Sogno di Scipione.