The Berlin stories

opera from a certain point of view

Nixon in China at the Deutsche Oper Berlin / Photo: Thomas Aurin

Questo e Quello

Madison Schindele surveys the endlessly diverse offerings of Berlin's 2026-27 opera season.

Free Tosca Screening in Bryant Park

Scene from Puccini’s Tosca. Photo by EnneviFoto.

Puccini’s Tosca by EnneviFoto

Join Carnegie Hall+ for a free screening of Puccini’s Tosca at Bryant Park on June 15! Experience the stunning production filmed at Italy’s famed Arena di Verona right in the heart of New York City, part of Carnegie Hall Citywide.

Visit carnegiehall.org/tosca for more information.

Performers
Sonya Yoncheva, Tosca
Vittorio Grigolo, Cavaradossi
Roman Burdenko, Scarpia
Giorgi Manoshvili, Angelotti
Giulio Mastrototaro, Sacristan
Carlo Bosi, Spoletta
Nicolò Ceriani, Sciarrone
Dario Giorgelè, Jailer
Orchestra dell’Arena di Verona
Francesco Ivan Ciampa, Conductor
Coro dell’Arena di Verona
Roberto Gabbiani, Director

our own

She speaks!

It has become that time of evening... to opine during the latest round of The Talk of the Town.

Grand Tier Grab Bag

Count your blessings

Fast-rising Verdi baritone Ariunbaatar Ganbataar is the subject of this week's Grand Tier Grab Bag.

Photo: Marcello Orselli

Reviews

Giovanni Romeo (Don Prudenzio), Helena Rasker (Maddalena), Rafał Pawnuk (Antonio) in Il viaggio a Reims at the Salzburg Festival / Photo: Monika Rittershaus/Salzburg Festival

The Grand Salzburg Hotel

A.J. Goldmann on the Salzburg Festival's revolving doors, both in its administration and in its delectable production of Il viaggio a Reims.

Photo courtesy of Minerva Artists

His infinite variety

Bass-baritone Le Bu’s recital with Vocal Arts DC highlighted his linguistic and timbral versatility.

Photo: Bernd Uhlig

Were you silent or were you silenced

A new production of Die schweigsame Frau at the Berlin Staatsoper has precious little to say.

Les Talens Lyriques and Key’mon Murrah perform in the Frick Collection’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Auditorium Photo: Cris Sunwoo © The Frick Collection

A springtime baroque bouquet

Christopher Corwin picks the flowers of a baroque May in New York City with reviews of concerts starring Lauren Snouffer, Key'mon Murrah, and the Oratorio Society of New York.

Photo: Yevhen Gulenko, courtesy of The Cleveland Orchestra

On the party platform

Don't expect any sweeping statements from Franz Welser-Möst 's polished, if dramatically inert, Fidelio.

Talk of the Town

Denise Duval should have made it to the Met

I decided I’d take ‘never made it to the Met’ as an excuse to submit a post about why French soprano Denise Duval (1921-2015) is special to me.

A favorite Verdi performance from Eli Jacobson

The immortal Renata Tebaldi, just about 29 years old as Saint Joan in a RAI broadcast of Giovanna d'Arco from 1951.

A favorite Verdi performance from pfeliks

I was a huge fan of Anna Netrebko.

Broadcasts & Live Chats

For you tender shut ins who prefer opera from a distance, Parterre Box hosts live chats during broadcasts and livestreams.

Are you an opera newbie lookin’ to listen and learn? Or maybe an overly articulate know-it-all wanting to indulge your fantasy of an anonymous 12-way with people who couldn’t possibly understand you?

Well that must suck. But you’re welcome to join us anyway.

In the spirit of AOL circa 1998, here are some upcoming chances to clique and claque:

Tue

Lise Davidsen & James Baillieu

Ahead of her return to Carnegie Hall with the same program, Lise Davidsen sings an all-Schubert recital live from London

Streaming and discussion start today at 2:30 PM Eastern Time

Fri

Götterdämmerung

Roberto Kalb conducts Lise Lindstrom and Stefan Vinke in the conclusion of Atlanta Opera’s Ring Cycle.

Streaming and discussion start Jun 5 at 6:00 PM Eastern Time

Sat

Talestri, regina delle Amazzoni

An opera by Maria Antonia Walpurgis live from the Handel Festival in Halle

Streaming and discussion start Jun 6 at 2:00 PM Eastern Time

Jun
8

Carmen

La Scala’s incoming Music Director Myung-Whun Chung leads Clémentine Margaine and Vittorio Grigolo in a live broadcast from Milan

Streaming and discussion start Jun 8 at 2:00 PM Eastern Time

Jun
13

Der Rosenkavalier

Charles Mackerras conducts Felicity Lott, Angelika Kirschlager, and Simone Nold in a memorial broadcast from 2004

Streaming and discussion start Jun 13 at 1:00 PM Eastern Time

Jun
13

Das Rheingold

Kirill Petrenko conducts the Berlin Philharmonic in a performance recorded in April

Streaming and discussion start Jun 13 at 2:00 PM Eastern Time

Jun
20

Peter Grimes

Allan Clayton sings the title role in a performance recorded last month in London.

Streaming and discussion start Jun 20 at 1:00 PM Eastern Time

Jun
27

Parsifal

Yi-Chen Lin conducts Russell Thomas, Dshamilja Kaiser, Albert Dohmen, and Kartal Karagedik in a performance recorded earlier this month in Vienna

Streaming and discussion start Jun 27 at 1:00 PM Eastern Time

Jul
23

The Excursions of Mr. Brou?ek

Robert Jindra conducts a live broadcast of Janá?ek’s opera from the Bregenz Festival

Streaming and discussion start Jul 23 at 1:30 PM Eastern Time

Support Parterre Box

We’ve kept opera’s liveliest publication free and independent for over 30 years. No paywalls, no institutional backing, no bootlicking.

We also pay our writers—a rarity in arts journalism, but we think it matters.

Your monthly or one-time support keeps the lights on and ink wet.

Donate Now

Do you have questions, tips, suggestions, gripes, or story ideas?
Email us if you must: [email protected]

Ciao for now!
Nick Scholl
Publisher, Parterre Box

{{Sender_Address}}, {{Sender_City}}, {{Sender_State}} {{Sender_Zip}}

unsubscribe - manage preferences