A favorite Donizetti performance from Last Castrato A favorite Donizetti performance from Last Castrato

La Favorita is my favorita. Whether it’s Favorita or Favorite, I love them both.

on April 03, 2025 at 6:00 AM
A favorite Donizetti performance from Darby Fegan A favorite Donizetti performance from Darby Fegan

Fiorenza Cossotto in her prime had few equals, particularly in the Italian repertoire

on April 02, 2025 at 6:00 AM
A favorite Donizetti performance from Lisette Oropesa A favorite Donizetti performance from Lisette Oropesa

Donizetti wrote so much great music, it’s hard to single out a favorite opera, or even a preferred aria!

on April 01, 2025 at 6:00 AM
More people should listen to Corinne Winters More people should listen to Corinne Winters

After her Mimìs in the springtime Bohème, she will perhaps be less under the radar here.

on March 31, 2025 at 6:00 AM
More people should listen to Ida Miccolis More people should listen to Ida Miccolis

Ida Miccolis (1920-2005), Brazilian soprano, never or rarely sang outside Brazil.

on March 30, 2025 at 6:00 AM
More people should listen to Lella Cuberli More people should listen to Lella Cuberli

One of the great Rossini sopranos of the 1980s and sadly under-recorded in that rep.

on March 29, 2025 at 6:00 AM
More people should listen to Dorothy Kirsten More people should listen to Dorothy Kirsten

Reading Dorothy Kirsten‘s autobiography twice last year made me revisit her work anew.

on March 28, 2025 at 6:00 AM
More people should listen to Dorothy Maynor More people should listen to Dorothy Maynor

I discovered this magical soprano when I was a teenager, and came across a mixed program RCA Victor LP recital.

on March 27, 2025 at 6:00 AM
More people should listen to Maria Caniglia More people should listen to Maria Caniglia

Maria Caniglia sings with unabashed commitment and honesty. She sings as if the music was born with her.

on March 26, 2025 at 6:00 AM
Stimme der Ungehörten Stimme der Ungehörten

All disciples of the box are reminded one final time to furnish operatic discussion material for the next quarter of The Talk of the Town

on March 25, 2025 at 9:00 AM
More people should listen to Ashley Putnam More people should listen to Ashley Putnam
on March 25, 2025 at 6:00 AM
More people should listen to Aga Mikolaj More people should listen to Aga Mikolaj

Aga Mikolaj (born Agnieszka Beata Mikolajczyk) sang Strauss and Mozart with a gorgeous, shimmering tone.

on March 24, 2025 at 6:00 AM
More people should listen to Rosanna Carteri More people should listen to Rosanna Carteri

Not exactly obscure, but she has such elegance and poise

on March 23, 2025 at 6:00 AM
More people should listen to Karolina Bengtsson More people should listen to Karolina Bengtsson

Karolina Bengtsson is just at the beginning – we are going to hear from her, I am quite sure…

on March 22, 2025 at 6:00 AM
More people should listen to Karan Armstrong More people should listen to Karan Armstrong

Never saw her in anything, only on You Tube videos and in a few recordings.

on March 21, 2025 at 6:00 AM
More people should listen to Renée Doria More people should listen to Renée Doria

For me, Renée Doria epitomizes the best of French style – pointed diction, a slightly lemon-y timbre that cuts through any cloying sentimentality…..love her!

on March 20, 2025 at 6:00 AM
More people should listen to Elisabete Matos More people should listen to Elisabete Matos

… as Minnie in La fanciulla del west

on March 19, 2025 at 6:00 AM
More people should listen to Martha Angelici More people should listen to Martha Angelici
on March 18, 2025 at 6:00 AM
More people should listen to Pilar Lorengar More people should listen to Pilar Lorengar

She demonstrated impressive artistry in repertoire that ranged from Spanish music to Mozart and Verdi. I only saw her twice at the Met in Mozart but they were both memorable performances.

on March 17, 2025 at 6:00 AM
More people should listen to Martile Rowland More people should listen to Martile Rowland

A drama/trauma-tic soprano in the model of Gencer and Olivero, Martile Rowland sang a brilliant Elisabetta in Roberto Devereux (a last minute replacement for Zampieri, another controversial pick) at a concert, did half a Puritani at the Met, and sang the other “Gencer” roles such as Paolina in I Martiri, the title roles in Caterina Cornaro and Linda di Chamounix, and then retired to teach in the midwest somewhere(?).

on March 16, 2025 at 6:00 AM
Beware the ides of March Beware the ides of March

But two weeks remain for readers to stoke the fires of daily discussion over at The Talk of the Town!

on March 15, 2025 at 9:00 AM
More people should listen to Joyce Guyer More people should listen to Joyce Guyer

Joyce Guyer’s silvery soprano, impeccable musicianship and beguiling stage presence made her an invaluable member of the Met roster in the late 1990s and early 2000s, appearing most frequently in harmony with others in such assignments as Najade in Ariadne auf Naxos, Woglinde in Wagner’s Ring Cycle and as a Parsifal Flower Maiden.

on March 15, 2025 at 6:00 AM
More people should listen to Lianna Haroutounian More people should listen to Lianna Haroutounian

Although not exactly unknown, why she isn’t a big star is mysterious to me.

on March 14, 2025 at 6:00 AM
More people should listen to Karina Gauvin More people should listen to Karina Gauvin

I first encountered Karina Gauvin in 2003 in the Boston Early Music Festival’s production of Conradi’s Ariadne. It does not happen often that I encounter an unknown singer with such a gorgeous sheen to their voice. Her performance was a knockout.

on March 13, 2025 at 6:00 AM