//www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnQz9pOnU2w On this day in 1896 Giordano’s Andrea Chenier premiered in Milan. Birthday anniversaries of soprano Fritzi Jokl (1895), conductor Argeo Quadri (1911), baritone Pierre Mollet (1920), contralto Monica Sinclair (1925) and bass-baritone Norman Bailey (1933). Born on this day in 1904 actress Joan Crawford. //www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQDMYD5f4tc ..read more

“Helena Dix is the fearless title priestess in Bellini’s scorching drama, opposite Michael Spyres as her unfaithful Roman lover, mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Gubanova as her protégée turned rival, and Christian Van Horn as her warrior father. Maurizio Benini conducts David McVicar’s evocative production.” //www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHxixzxKuyE Yoncheva is still scheduled for Saturday afternoon’s broadcast performance ..read more

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kc5eLEiUOi4 Born on this day in 1930 composer Stephen Sondheim. //www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxAnVUnLb5k Happy 75th birthday composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. //www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y-hmaltmxs On this day in 1962 Harold Rome’s musical I Can Get It For You Wholesale opened on Broadway //www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dHtG35fUXU Born on this day in 1912 soprano/mezzo-soprano Martha Mödl. //www.youtube.com/watch?v=33fgKp4Sd3s Birthday anniversaries of soprano Edith Mason (1893) and bass-baritone Günter von Kannen (1940) Photo: Winnie Klotz/Metropolitan Opera ..read more

On Wednesday afternoon, the production and its leading lady both recovered from a weak first act to provide a musically and dramatically satisfying afternoon. Bizet’s magnificent score contains wonderful and extensive music for chorus, and the Lyric Opera Chorus under Michael Black did remarkable work, singing and acting with beauty and precision.  The chorus, whether portraying soldiers, cigarette girls, or mountain vagabonds, contributed greatly to setting the mood and atmosphere of each of the four varied acts. Combined with the children’s voices of Uniting Voices Chicago under Josephi ..read more

Photo: Stella Olivier Sybil capped the whole season-long of Kentridge Residency at UC Berkeley, “a rare opportunity to engage directly with Kentridge and his artistry via lectures, performances, and events showcasing the breadth and depth of his creative output.” That Friday performance was also celebrated as the Cal Performances’ 2023 Gala, honoring Kentridge and supporting their mission “to produce and present performances of the highest artistic quality, enhanced by programs that explore compelling intersections of education and the performing arts.” Sibyl was conceived as two-part; the ..read more

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX5hGlQBnf8 The New York Times: After battering along through the rough seas of concert work for several years, Ellen Beach Yaw dropped anchor in the snug harbor of the Metropolitan Opera House last night and, judging by the way she was received, she need not sail forth again until she herself elects. It was a Saturday night audience and, as always, favorably appreciative of good work. This does not mean, however, that the most severely critical audience to be gathered in the Metropolitan Opera House will not approve. It was in “Lucia di Lammermoor” that Ellen Beach ..read more

The legendary soprano and voice teacher died earlier today. //www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RPJ56ooyGM ..read more

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WS1-lDiB8s Born on this day in 1890 tenors Lauritz Melchior and Beniamino Gigli. //www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cqnATSWX6I //www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ewt49c8jwbk Birthday anniversaries of composer Emanuele d’Astorga (1680), dramatist Henrik Ibsen (1828), sopranos Anne Roselle (1894) and Helena Braun (1903).   ..read more

“You see, Mr. [Zachary Woolfe] from the [New York Times] had ALWAYS written bitter critics [sic] about me since my very first appearances at the [Metropolitan Opera], so this one was not a surprise. I respect his hard work.” So tweeted Sonya Yoncheva in response to Woolfe’s scathing review of her Norma in the Times on March 5. She accused critics of being “vocal racists”—an unfortunate term, for which she was rightly criticized. Woolfe and his cadres, she protested, had unfairly compared her to singers erstwhile (“ghosts of the past”), failing to appreciate her performance on its own terms: “I ..read more

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=hurto7StPYU In 1913 the Metropolitan Opera presented its first performance of Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov. //www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnwPanJx028 In 2001 the Metropolitan Opera presented its first performance of Prokofiev’s The Gambler. //www.youtube.com/watch?v=icpHzlFVGp0 Happy 77th birthday soprano Diana Soviero. //www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9DJd2vyRuw ..read more