Maria Ewing sings Mozart Maria Ewing sings Mozart

Today is Mozart’s 266th birthday and I had already planned a Trove Thursday celebration when I learned that Maria Ewing had died on January 9.

Vierzig Letzte Lieder Vierzig Letzte Lieder

Quarantining during COVID dramatically increased my compulsion to collect and compare interpretations.

Shade in the shadow Shade in the shadow

Ombra Compagna, out today on Pentatone, spotlights Lisette Oropesa  in 10 of Mozart’s most challenging concert arias accompanied by Il Pomo d’Oro conducted by Antonello Manacorda.

Two on the Nile Two on the Nile

A pair of Hasse works: the all-male oratorio I Pellegrini al Sepolcro di Nostro Signore, plus the popular serenata Marc’Antonio e Cleopatra.

When a Met loves a woman When a Met loves a woman

The Met recently submitted another eye-roll inducing entry for the Woke Olympics with their Women’s History Month slate.

Fancy pants Fancy pants

A recent discussion here about Gianna Rolandi prompts Trove Thursday to present the American soprano in a rare trouser role in an even rarer opera, Cimarosa’s Gli Orazi e I Curiazi paired with Anna Caterina Antonacci.

One Moore night One Moore night

While the Met reruns over-familiar HDs, Trove Thursday offers a Puccini rarity: Edgar, the composer’s second opera, starring Latonia Moore and Marcello Giordani.

Five years later Five years later

Trove Thursday began on September 10, 2015, so today we celebrate the podcast’s fifth birthday with a diva-starry Aïda double-bill: Galina Vishnevskaya vies for her soldier-hero with Irina Arkhipova, then Jessye Norman wins the guy (but loses her life) in spite of Mignon Dunn.

Holding out for a hero Holding out for a hero

Trove Thursday finally welcomes Wagner’s Lohengrin arriving in a concert performance conducted by Georg Solti with Siegfried Jerusalem, Julia Varady, Eva Randová, Hermann Becht, Hans Sotin and Wolfgang Schöne.

Hymns and chaos Hymns and chaos

It’s Easter season, and that can mean only one thing for opera: It’s Cavalleria Rusticana time. And I, for one, couldn’t be more excited.

Singing through Singing through

A near-full house attended the Jessye Norman Memorial Celebration at the Met on Sunday afternoon, the auditorium packed with family, friends, colleagues, and fans of the late soprano, who passed away on September 30 of this year.

Thoroughly Modern Jessye Thoroughly Modern Jessye

A second Trove Thursday marking the recent passing of Jessye Norman focuses on the soprano’s catholic repertoire with three 20th century works: Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex; Berg’s Altenberg Lieder; and Franck’s Les Béatitudes.

Lone, wild, and strange Lone, wild, and strange

Trove Thursday presents Michael Fabiano in one of his specialties as the dashing hero of Il Corsaro torn between Tamara Wilson and Nicole Cabell.

First and foremost First and foremost

They say you never forget your first.

Suddenly spinto Suddenly spinto

When soprano Yihan Duan started to sing her aria, you could feel an almost electric charge that something special was happening.

A Norman conquest A Norman conquest

When I first heard of this broadcast my thought was to save it to celebrate Jessye Norman‘s 75th birthday in 2020.

Jessye Norman 1945-2019 Jessye Norman 1945-2019

The Grammy winning opera and concert singer is dead. She was 74.

Wait and see Wait and see

Erwartung and Bluebeard’s Castle returned to Lincoln Center Thursday night in a musically scintillating if theatrically mild double-bill by the New York Philharmonic.

An old-fashioned wedding An old-fashioned wedding

“Trove Thursday” presents a complete Prodanà Nevesta (aka Die Verkaufte Braut, of course) by Smetana plus extended excerpts from a broadcast of Spontini’s La Vestale in its rarely heard original French version.

Mr. Fabulous Mr. Fabulous

Michael Fabiano is a boss. This is a fact. 

Star-crossed Star-crossed

For more than 40 years, the magnificent opening image from Francis Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites has served as an icon for the Met.

Next to Norman Next to Norman

In addition to Jessye Norman, this event paid homage to the shamefully obscure soprano Sissieretta Jones—once billed as “The Black Patti.”

Very warm for mayonnaise Very warm for mayonnaise

The career of our beloved Renée Fleming deserves to continue… by whatever means necessary.

I put a spell on you I put a spell on you

Armide with a superbly grand Francophone heroine in Karina Gauvin and conducted by the always excellent Ivor Bolton.