A favorite art song performance from Jamie Barton A favorite art song performance from Jamie Barton

This prompt of “favorite art song performance” seems just about as broad — and almost silly — a question as asking a painter what their favorite color is.

Hercules conquers Carnegie Hercules conquers Carnegie

William Guanbo Su and Ann Hallenberg are compelling in The English Concert’s presentation of Handel‘s Hercules at Carnegie Hall.

Breaking the box Breaking the box

Jacquelyn Stucker talks to Kevin Ng about repertoire, tearing down the Fach system, and what it takes to make music from baroque to George Benjamin her own.

Frick in the sheets Frick in the sheets

The Jupiter Ensemble with Lea Desandre and Anthony Roth Costanzo offers sleek and sexy HIP inaugurates the Frick Collection’s new Stephen A. Schwartzman Auditorium

Aged in oak Aged in oak

When the birthdays start to pile up in the double digits in big round numbers, you start to examine your past and review what you have done with your life.

I would they had changed voices too! I would they had changed voices too!

Chris’s Cache follows up its Gounod R&J installment with a widely varied quintet of additional Romeos and Juliets

Miracle on 64th Street Miracle on 64th Street

Only connect! So sayeth E.M. Forster (via Margaret Wilcox) in Howard’s End.

A woman scorned A woman scorned

Marc-Antoine Charpentier and Thomas Corneille’s Médée is a monument of the 17th century French baroque lyric tragedy.

Myth and meaning Myth and meaning

Two short theatrical works and one sacred piece from the beguiling oeuvre of the guy who didn’t write Louise

I had too much to dream last night I had too much to dream last night

Trove Thursday previews next week’s BBC Proms presentation of Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius with a 2008 broadcast conducted by Colin Davis with Sarah Connolly, Ben Heppner and Gerald Finley.

Mainly in the plain Mainly in the plain

I wonder why many New Yorkers have been led to believe that the only Handel conductor in the world is Harry Bicket.

Making her garden grown Making her garden grown

Joyce DiDonato admits that she is “a problem solver, a dreamer, and—yes I’m a belligerent optimist.”

A place in the shade A place in the shade

Next Wednesday is the composer’s 337th birthday, so Trove Thursday previews this spring’s most enticing Handel performance with two very different live versions of his delightful Serse,.

Listening to Bernard Haitink Listening to Bernard Haitink

In the month and a half leading to Bernard Haitink’s passing on October 21, my AirPods constantly channeled a musical festival of sorts centered on the Dutch giant’s expansive discography. 

“Jonathan loved him as his own soul” “Jonathan loved him as his own soul”

Trove Thursday celebrates Pride with a Bible-based homoerotic sort-of opera not by the guy who wrote “Depuis le jour”: Charpentier’s David et Jonathas with Mark Padmore, Laurent Naouri and Jaël Azzaretti led by Emmanuelle Haïm.

Dies irae, dies illa Dies irae, dies illa

Trove Thursday offers Mozart’s Requiem with Lucia Popp, Christa Ludwig, Peter Schreier and Walter Berry conducted by James Levine from the 1981 Salzburg Festival.

Significant mother Significant mother

As Phaedra’s tragic, all-consuming passion for her stepson Hippolytus has fascinated artists for centuries, Trove Thursday offers two of its lesser-known musical settings: Pizzetti’s opera Fedra with Régine Crespin and Lorraine Hunt Lieberson performing the cantata Phaedra, Britten’s final vocal work.

Drag me to hell Drag me to hell

My first-ever Met Sunday opera brought the welcome return of Gluck’s sublime Orfeo ed Euridice in an enchanting afternoon that combined elegant conducting, joyous dancing and Jamie Barton’s extraordinary hero.

The boys of summer The boys of summer

“Trove Thursday” turns to a quintet of baritone/bass voices: Matthias Goerne, Simon Keenlyside, Georg Nigl, Thomas Quasthoff and René Pape performing works by Pfitzner, Sibelius, Adams, Martin and Schubert.

Final chorus Final chorus

The news of Nicholas McGegan’s retirement came as quite a shock to me.

The wedding singers The wedding singers

Caramoor imported the venerable West-Coast period orchestra Philharmonia Baroque to perform Atalanta, an obscure pastoral work by Handel.

Rome if you want to without anything but the love we feel Rome if you want to without anything but the love we feel

“Trove Thursday” marks Monteverdi’s 450th birthday with a rare broadcast of his towering final work L’Incoronazione di Poppea.

Abendstern Abendstern

“Trove Thursday” celebrates the thrilling Finnish soprano Karita Matilla in the ultimate diva role.

Goodbye, gorgeous! Goodbye, gorgeous!

Can a surfeit of pleasure become—in the end—unsatisfying?