Cradle song Cradle song

While seasonally-awkward streams of Messiah abound, Trove Thursday turns instead to Berlioz’s exquisite L’Enfance du Christ from francophone forces including Stéphanie d’ Oustrac, Bernard Richter, Edwin Crossley-Mercer and Nicolas Testé (for once, sans sa femme).

Like an angel passing through my room Like an angel passing through my room

Tonight at the Met should have welcomed Barrie Kosky’s production of Prokofiev’s The Fiery Angel; in its absence Trove Thursday steps in with a recent broadcast featuring this summer’s breakout star Ausrine Stundyte as the enigmatic Renata.

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.

Nooks and crannies Nooks and crannies

Nathan Hull was an operatic Quixote who did not go it alone, but inspired bands of optimists, giving proper employment to the many worthy New Yorkers mad enough to study voice and pleasure rare elsewhere to those of us thrilled to take it in.

Teeth like razors Teeth like razors

A broadcast of Weill and Brecht’s pungent Die Dreigroschenoper

Green-eyed monster Green-eyed monster

Last night should have seen my favorite of this season’s revivals but instead Trove Thursday must step up with Jean-Marie Leclair’s irresistibly captivating Scylla et Glaucus conducted by Christophe Rousset.

Kebabs in the Persian Room Kebabs in the Persian Room

Ester, Liberatrice del Popolo Ebreo was presented in concert on Thursday night by Salon/Sanctuary Concerts in the Brotherhood Synagogue on Gramercy Park, in proper time for Purim.

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 bad and the beautiful The bad and the beautiful

“Trove Thursday” offers Offenbach’s irreverent La Belle Hélène featuring the beauteous Véronique Gens.

Dido it again Dido it again

“Trove Thursday” presents Purcell’s remarkably concise Dido and Aeneas in a pair of fascinatingly different interpretations.

Miss me blond Miss me blond

From the technical standpoint San Francisco Opera’s Billy Budd was pretty much flawless.

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.

The old song and dance The old song and dance

The most disappointing performance in 30 otherwise glorious years of William Christie and Les Arts Florissants visiting New York City.

Kitchen confidential Kitchen confidential

Since 1985, from the Chicago Symphony at Carnegie Hall to the Welsh National Opera visiting BAM and from Chicago Lyric to New York City Opera to the Met, I’ve never encountered a bad Falstaff—or one that didn’t astound and delight me. 

Dames Dames

A double-barreled “Trove Thursday” birthday salute to Renée Fleming who turns 60 today.

May contain nuts May contain nuts

Mark Morris’ saucy, psychedelic The Hard Nut has returned to the Brooklyn Academy of Music yet again this week for its 27th Christmas since the ballet premiered in Brussels

Telling the glory of God Telling the glory of God

“The heavens are telling” begins the famous chorus that ends the first section of The Creation. 

Center ring Gandhi Center ring Gandhi

BAM brings us a political opera featuring… literal balancing acts.

The man who would be nymph The man who would be nymph

Sometimes the fates conspire, preventing an artist from recording the role for which he is his generation’s touchstone.

Making out like a bandit Making out like a bandit

“Trove Thursday” turns for the third of Verdi’s four Schiller adaptations to a recent I Masnadieri with risen stars Lisette Oropesa and Russell Thomas.

Pretty little lyres Pretty little lyres

While one sympathized with Matthew Aucoin’s urge to add his voice to the Orpheus canon it was difficult to figure out how his work complemented Gluck’s.

Tragically Hippolyte Tragically Hippolyte

I had my head in my hands groaning in disbelief instead of joining in the general applause around me. 

The girl next door The girl next door

>Verdi’s marvelous yet neglected Luisa Miller finally returns to the Met later this month after an absence of a dozen years so “Trove Thursday” provides a preview.

The love that dare not yawp its name The love that dare not yawp its name

Matthew Aucoin’s Crossing depicts Walt Whitman’s experience serving wounded soldiers in a DC infirmary and chronicles the period’s tragic effects.