For a girl from central Europe For a girl from central Europe

On this day in 1957 soprano Martha Mödl made her Metropolitan Opera debut as the Siegfried Brunnhilde.

The key of dreams The key of dreams

My sister Julie celebrates an important birthday later this month which reminded me—as I also recalled I visiting her while she was living in Prague—that I should unearth Bohuslav Martin?’s Julietta with Lucia Popp and Dénes Gulyás for this week’s Trove Thursday.

Vierzig Letzte Lieder Vierzig Letzte Lieder

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

Attila Attila

Today’s offering is an electric performance of Verdi’s early potboiler Attila conducted by Giuseppe Sinopoli with Nicolai GhiaurovPiero Cappuccilli and the weirdly exciting (or is it the other way around?) Mara Zampieri.

Minnie happy returns Minnie happy returns

Puccini’s Girl closes out the 20th century and gallops into the 21st.

Peak performance Peak performance

“Trove Thursday” ushers in February with Catalani’s La Wally with a mountain-top cast of Renata Tebaldi, Renata Scotto, Mario del Monaco, Giangiacomo Guelfi and Giorgio Tozzi conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini.

Z to A Z to A

Today’s offering is an electric performance of Verdi’s early potboiler Attila conducted by Giuseppe Sinopoli.

For me and my Gaul For me and my Gaul

I first went bonkers for Bellini’s masterpiece during the previous century when the Met remounted it for Joan Sutherland.

Hello from the other side Hello from the other side

A woman reads from the Bible. There is a dance scene in a tavern. The discovery of blood gives away the protagonist.

Head over heels Head over heels

I guess you have spoken: “Bring us insane divas in operas we already know!”

Victorious, happy and glorious Victorious, happy and glorious

Even before Italian diva Mariella Devia had completed the stunning high D natural that capped her miraculous portrayal of Elisabetta in Donizetti’s Roberto Devereux Thursday evening at Carnegie Hall, tens, then hundreds of those in attendance leapt to their feet to shout their acclaim.

June, moon

Last year, La Cieca dedicated a blog post to a production of Salomé scheduled to take place in the Palais Opéra in Liège, with two surprising late career debuts by June Anderson as Salomé and Kammersängerin Mara Zampieri as Hérodiade. Now, a year later, I could not resist La Cieca’s request for a review, especially…