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.

“Oh, thoughtless crew! Ye know not what ye do!” “Oh, thoughtless crew! Ye know not what ye do!”

One wonders whether an obsession with metrics and measurement has the potential to create arts organizations that are more preoccupied with finding systems that quickly and efficiently tick the Arts Council’s boxes than with creating meaningful, impactful art.

Boys of the baroque Boys of the baroque

In less than 10 days two outstanding countertenors, Franco Fagioli and Jakub Józef Orlinski, visited London.

Mahlerei Mahlerei

strong>Christian Gerhaher does not appear at first to sing but rather to speak on pitches, telling stories, explaining words by lingering on them or biting them off short.

Farinelli from heaven Farinelli from heaven

My impossible wish would be to hear one of the great castrati who dominated opera for most of the 18th century.

Belief in a higher power Belief in a higher power

The behavioral phenomenon of limerence has been described as “an involuntary potentially inspiring state of adoration and attachment to a limerent object involving intrusive and obsessive thoughts, feelings and behaviors from euphoria to despair, contingent on perceived emotional reciprocation.”

Brit star! would I were steadfast as thou art! Brit star! would I were steadfast as thou art!

Rule Britannia? Often during the Olympics that famous number from Thomas Arne’s 1740 Alfred echoed in my ears.