Regal and distinguished beauty
On this day in 1936 the Metropolitan Opera opened its season with a revival of Die Walküre featuring the debut of contralto Kerstin Thorborg.
Kirsten Flagstad
35 pieces since 2010 — in 5 roles, at 3 companies, most often at Metropolitan Opera.
35
pieces
5
roles
3
companies
17
years
By role
Role Brunnhilde
Role Elsa
Maurice Abravanel was a great opera conductor
Based on exactly one recording, Maurice Abravanel is my favorite opera conductor.
By Remko Jas
45 comments
Role Fricka
A ‘Ring’ for the rest of us
I was once accused—by my own mother, mind you!—of having too many recordings of Verdi’s Aida. The blistering audacity of that recrimination did get me to thinking: How many recordings of Aida is too many? I mean, you’ve got the old classic you cut your teeth on. Then there’s he one where the tenor and […]
Role Isolde
A favorite Wagner performance from Nick Scholl
Well, I had a favorite—Sabine Kalter. But 15 years later, I changed my mind. It was Sabine Kalter.
The right box
Let’s call this meeting to order. My name is Patrick and I’m a boxset-aholic.
Il core vi dono
With February 14th falling on a Sunday, there will be no Valentine’s Day Met performance this year.
The music lovers
The curious things about accepted wisdom is that sometimes it’s correct.
Role Leonore
Wishin’ and hopin’ and thinkin’ and prayin’
Eli Jacobson inaugurates parterre box’s new “Perspectives on the Aria” feature with a deep dive into Leonore’s “Abscheulicher!” from Beethoven’s Fidelio which returns to the Metropolitan Opera tomorrow with the Met’s current dramatic soprano star Lise Davidsen as Leonore.
Unchained melody
When a new production of Fidelio premiered at the Met in 1960, the opera had been absent from the repertoire since 1951, the post-war return of Kirsten Flagstad as a still effective Leonore and led by Bruno Walter. In the period between the two productions a new generation of singers had begun to make their […]
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).