Lawrence Brownlee as Tonio in Donizetti's "La Fille du Régiment." Photo: Karen Almond / Met Opera

Grand Tier Grab Bag

Rock ‘n’ Tyrol

Parterre Box features an exclusive sample of Lawrence Brownlee's jump-in performance in La sonnambula from this weekend

our own

Seen and heard

Mere days remain to contribute to The Talk of the Town for the rest of the year!

Stefan Brion

Grand Tier Grab Bag

Mommy and me

Today's Grand Tier Grab Bag features Chiara Isotton and Joyce El-Khoury as two murderous mommies in the final scene of Cherubini's Medea (and Medée)

Recording Reviews

Seeing double

Jonas Kaufmann has a new lieder album called Doppelgänger, but the contents of the album vary depending on how you purchase it.

Winslow Townson

Dona nobis pacem

A Missa Solemnis to celebrate 125 years of Boston's Symphony Hall was sophisticated and subdued.

Nile Scott Studios

Hold! Enough!

The timing for Boston Lyric Opera’s production of Macbeth this weekend was perfect for Halloween, though the show itself at the Emerson Colonial Theatre was decidedly less spooky.

Alexander Vinogradov as Count Rodolfo, Xabier Anduaga as Elvino, Deborah Nansteel as Teresa, Nadine Sierra as Amina, Sydney Mancasola as Lisa, Nicholas Newton as Alessio, and solo dancer Niara Hardister (above) in Bellini's "La Sonnambula." Photo: Marty Sohl / Met Opera

Ain’t no mountain high enough

A new production of La sonnambula at the Metropolitan Opera is musically charming if dramatically confounding.

Roberto Ricci

Only vaulting ambition

Macbeth at the Festival Verdi in Parma aims big -- on a small scale

Nothing makes me feel better than Der Rosenkavalier

Der Rosenkavalier is a three-hour meditation on nostalgia. What could be better to bathe in?

Nothing makes me feel better than War and Peace

‘Comfort opera.’ Hmm… I had to give this one some thought.

Nothing makes me feel better than L’incoronazione di Poppea

I have listened to this clip on the way to every first date I've ever been on.

Nothing makes me feel better than The Cunning Little Vixen

The opera is life affirming, but also recognizes that life comes to an end.

Nothing makes me feel better than Elektra

My comfort opera is Elektra. Yes, you read correctly, Elektra.