Povera <em>Butterfly</em> Povera <em>Butterfly</em>

A parade of young singers delight in an intimate Madama Butterfly at Amore Opera

Goddess in three persons Goddess in three persons

Patrick Mack looks back on “a great, nay, historic evening,” Renata Scotto‘s 1981 performance of Il trittico, now newly available on Met Opera on Demand.

Shocker and awe Shocker and awe

In 2011, Sondra Radvanovsky‘s Tosca proved promising; fourteen years later, it was absolutely magnificent, a completely satisfying musical and dramatic embodiment of a challenging role by an artist at the peak of her powers.

Audiences expect miracles Audiences expect miracles

Following a review by Christopher Corwin, figures from in and around the box react to Pablo Larraín‘s new film Maria

Duet to me one more time Duet to me one more time

Patrick Mack reviews yet another Puccini album from Jonas Kaufmann

And suddenly that name will never be the same And suddenly that name will never be the same

Christopher Corwin reviews Pablo Larraín‘s Maria

<em>Aïda</em>, harder not smarter <em>Aïda</em>, harder not smarter

With Boston Lyric Opera’s largest opera production of the season already well behind us, the one-off semi-staged gala performance of Aïda held on Sunday at Emerson College’s Colonial Theatre to support the company’s vast education and community engagement apparatus, was a particularly enticing entry on the Boston cultural calendar.

My Verona My Verona

It surprises even me how some operas have eluded me in live performance even after lo, these many years. One of them is Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette.

Tenue farfalla Tenue farfalla

A revival of Huang Ruo’s M. Butterfly, a co-production between the Barbican and BBC Symphony Orchestra, landed in London last week.

Unnecessary performance problems Unnecessary performance problems

Patrick Mack on the iconic Ethan Mordden‘s career and his first book on opera in 30 years – and it appears that time has mostly stopped in the Mordden manse.

Long heard about but never heard in Long heard about but never heard in

On this day in 1965 soprano Renata Scotto made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Cio-Cio San

Star of the shoji screen Star of the shoji screen

My vision may have been slightly blurry at the end.

Acting is rè acting Acting is rè acting

Boston Lyric Opera’s shows, of late, are often going to war with their texts.

Speaking of tradition Speaking of tradition

You can imagine my surprise at encountering an almost wholly traditional staging with one teensy difference.

Thoughts on <em>Andrea Chénier</em>: the opera Thoughts on <em>Andrea Chénier</em>: the opera

Doing my research for these “thoughts” ahead of a starry revival in London that opened yesterday, I came across the following review for the Opening Night of the 1962-63 Season.

No strings attached No strings attached

Madama Butterfly is the opera of the moment.

The voice of spring The voice of spring

“I come, I come! ye have called me long;

I come o’er the mountains, with light and song”

Champagne tastes Champagne tastes

Oh, La traviata, how do I love thee? Let me count the recordings.

Dancing at the edge of the world Dancing at the edge of the world

Puccini’s schmaltziest, most melodic, most dramatically limp, most cynical, most obscure mature work

Thoughts on <em>La Gioconda</em>: Tebaldi Thoughts on <em>La Gioconda</em>: Tebaldi

Renata Tebaldi had one major advantage over Milanov and Callas (and most other sopranos): she was Italian.

Have a napkin, have a chopstick, have a chair Have a napkin, have a chopstick, have a chair

From a musical perspective, the evening came together admirably. As a work of theater, though, it was as stale as last week’s takeout.

Thoughts on <em>La Forza del destino</em>: characters Thoughts on <em>La Forza del destino</em>: characters

It is a measure of Verdi’s genius that throughout the four rambling acts, his musical invention in the service of creating characters never failed him.

But not Rose But not Rose

parterre box is excited to present again Mike Richter’s collection of recordings of Rose Ader along with this biographical tribute in honor of a significant artist whose Jewish identity perhaps prevented her from achieving the renown she deserved

Let the children come to me Let the children come to me

It says something about Boston’s opera scene that one of the most consistently ambitious events of the opera season is a one-off performance played by the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras.