Master of the house
Incoming Met music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin “plans to open his first season with a new production of Verdi’s Aida starring Anna Netrebko and to start the following season with Ms. Netrebko as Strauss’s Salome.”
Metropolitan Opera
The mothership and mecca of opera in America—and home base for Parterre Box.
Broadcast: Idomeneo
Settle in for an afternoon of opera seria, cher public, and chat as you will in the comments section of this post.
She has immortal longings in her
All right, folks, if you’re going to troll La Cieca, you might try just a little subtlety.
Reunited
There is much to say about the similarities between the plot of Fidelio and the ancient myth of Orpheus.
Water, logged
So, how excited are you to read another piece about the Mary Zimmerman Rusalka?
Plummeting in love
The Met’s current production of Verdi’s La Traviata is something of a mixed bag.
Crazy in love
I am, perhaps instinctively, skeptical of those who commit suicide.
Apathy greets announcement of Metropolitan Opera’s 2017-2018 season
An authentically reactionary revival of Franco Zeffirelli‘s sacred production of Puccini’s Tosca is the highlight of the Met’s 2017-2018 season, staged by Sir David McVicar.
Reminder: predict the Met’s 2017-2018 casting and win big!
The Met Casting for 2017-2018 competition closes at 10:00 AM tomorrow (Wednesday).
The leggy movie
This Met’s second production of Berg’s 1935 opera was the hot topic of November 2015.
The right box
Let’s call this meeting to order. My name is Patrick and I’m a boxset-aholic.
Purists
Someone—a deranged purist no doubt—heckled Javier Camarena from the balcony of the opera house for withholding the infamous high F during “Credeasi, misera.”
Broadcast: Rigoletto
La Cieca (pictured) invites you all to enjoy and comment upon this afternoon’s broadcast of Rigoletto, already in progress.
Sleeping with the fishes
With a cast of stellar singers and uneven direction by Mary Zimmerman, Dvorák’s Rusalka debuts in a new production at the Metropolitan Opera.
White blossoms scorched by the sun
While some once-popular Met operas have fallen into neglect in the past quarter century, Rusalka has returned regularly since its 1993 premiere.
Public enemy
Mary Zimmerman explains (more or less) “what’s wrong with opera audiences?”
It’s a Mantua’s world
Verdi’s Rigoletto returned to the Met Friday in the stilted “Las Vegas” production by Michael Mayer, with mostly competent singing from a good-looking cast.
Not my dragoon
The Metropolitan Opera’s revival of Carmen began with a bit of drama Thursday night when tenor Rafael Davila replaced Marcelo Álvarez.
Met’s loss is our Margaine
“Clémentine Margaine will make her Met debut in the title role of Bizet’s Carmen this Thursday, January 19.”
Caved
The Met has canceled its new production of La forza del destino, which was to have been directed by Calixto Bieito.
You give me fever
Mortality is ugly—it smells, it makes uncomfortable noises, it takes its time; and then there is the overwhelming sense of dread and helplessness.
A little off the top
Beaumarchais clearly delighted in this unobtrusive realm.
And I pity any girl who isn’t she tonight
Soprano Pretty Yende (soon to be a Met Rosina) guests on Stephen Colbert’s Late Show at 11:35 this evening.
Stone soup
“A case of histronic personality disorder a deux.”
I’ll take the fall
The days are getting shorter, but you can keep the prattle going this fall’s Talk of the Town! You will, you can, you must join in the discussion about: Great mezzo soprano performances (October),
Gained in translation (November), Teleport me back to… (December).
Win a Free Ticket to Opening Night at the Met!
Quinn Kelsey and Lise Davidsen star in the Met's new Macbeth. We're giving away one ticket, so screw your courage to the sticking place and enter now!
