A touch of the stone A touch of the stone

“Trove Thursday” turns its Rossini-150 series to one of the composer’s least known but tastiest comic gems La Pietra del Paragone with Julia Hamari, Justino Diaz, Alessandro Corbelli, Claudio Desderi and Paolo Barbacini conducted by Roberto Abbado. 

Meeting Rigoletto Meeting Rigoletto

I have a confession to make. I have been taking Rigoletto for granted.

Talking to John Raitt, Part One Talking to John Raitt, Part One

How did you first grow interested in singing?

Too much, too soon Too much, too soon

Heartbeat is, after all, a company that loves to tinker.

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.

Prodigy Prodigy

Maria Callas’s most outstanding Adalgisa, out of all she partnered with, was Fiorenza Cossotto.

Sondra castle Sondra castle

By the end of the first act, it was clear to me that I was experiencing an artist performing at her absolute peak.

Come what May Come what May

At “Trove Thursday” it’s May Night, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s 1880 comic opera, in a recent broadcast from Moscow led by pianist-conductor Mikhail Pletnev.

Twist of fate Twist of fate

The Verdi Chorus celebrated their 35th anniversary with their spring concert weekend entitled The Force of Destiny last Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.

The finale countdown The finale countdown

Our Own JJ catches up with the tail end of the Met season.

Madness on the moors! Madness on the moors!

The new cast at the Met suggested an alliterative retitling of Lucia di Lammermoor was needed—perhaps Lost Loonies in Love or its Italian equivalent?

Songs of disappointment Songs of disappointment

b>Lawrence Brownlee, star tenor of stage and NFL games is a real “pillar of the community.”

The queen’s throat The queen’s throat

“Trove Thursday ” presents Heinrich Marschner’s Hans Heiling in a 2001 performance from Berlin featuring Alessandra Marc as the title character’s mom, the Queen of the Elves. 

Speaking ill of the dead Speaking ill of the dead

Plácido Domingo’s conducting reduced the score’s urgency to the lethargy of a jellyfish.

Burnished bass Burnished bass

I clearly remember the day I first heard the voice of Cesare Siepi.

Quantum leap Quantum leap

Like Julius Caesar before her, Anna Netrebko can rightly proclaim “Veni vidi vici” about her decisive Roman victory at the Metropolitan Opera where she took on her first-ever Tosca.

Season of the Witch Season of the Witch

Trove Thursday offers a pair of live broadcasts of Médée featuring two compelling mid-20th century divas—Inge Borkh in German and Eileen Farrell in Italian. 

Tragically Hippolyte Tragically Hippolyte

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

I want magic I want magic

Why, only now, Cendrillon is having its premiere at the Met is a puzzling question.

They live by night They live by night

A heady audience paid top price to pack Carnegie Hall Thursday for just 80 minutes of unstaged Wagner. 

The trouble with Norma The trouble with Norma

If one looks at trends in the last 40 or so years, the most successful Normas are mainly those who’ve made not just bel canto, but Bellini as a mainstay in their repertoire.

You’ve got to climb Mount Everest You’ve got to climb Mount Everest

On this day in 1975 soprano Beverly Sills made her official Metropolitan Opera debut as Pamira in L’assedio di Corinto. 

Bell de jour Bell de jour

Next week the Italian soprano Mariella Devia celebrates her 70th birthday so “Trove Thursday” salutes her with one of her earliest New York successes: Delibes’s Lakmé 

Cabal me by your name Cabal me by your name

It’s fortunate that the Met’s production of Luisa Miller featured the incomparable Piotr Beczala in the role of Rodolfo.