Denise Duval should have made it to the Met Denise Duval should have made it to the Met

I decided I’d take ‘never made it to the Met’ as an excuse to submit a post about why French soprano Denise Duval (1921-2015) is special to me.

By June 01, 2026 at 6:00 AM
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Recasting the mold Recasting the mold

Kennedy Center could not have predicted just how aptly Saturday evening’s rescheduled recital of 2020 Marian Anderson Award winner, baritone Will Liverman, would respond to the moment.

By November 10, 2020 at 3:57 PM
5 comments
Operas on the verge of a nervous breakdown Operas on the verge of a nervous breakdown

It’s a pity that Francis Poulenc took so long to getting around to compose his operas.

By July 10, 2017 at 9:00 AM
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C’est la chanson des rêveurs qui s’étaient arraché le coeur C’est la chanson des rêveurs qui s’étaient arraché le coeur

Sandrine Piau‘s lovely recital with pianist Susan Manoff at The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society on February 14 entered around the themes of sleep, dreams and waking. 

By February 20, 2017 at 8:06 AM
10 comments
Dream a little dreamboat

Deutsche Grammophon has a new hunk on the market, ignoring the fact that he’s been around for twenty years. Ildebrando d’Arcangelo has been steadily building a career since the early 90s, getting a reputation as a reliable, intelligent artist with a supple bass-baritone. He has a lengthy career of singing with the greats under his…

By September 28, 2011 at 10:27 AM
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“Parade” passes by

“Parade” is defined simply by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as “a pompous show.” Fitting enough, then, that the triple bill titled Parade: An Evening of French Music Theatre recorded at the Met on March 16, 2002 consists of Erik Satie’s ballet Parade, Francis Poulenc’s Les Mamelles de Tirésias, and Maurice Ravel’s L’Enfant et les Sortilèges. These…

By August 27, 2010 at 10:34 AM
10 comments