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Roberto Alagna Stars in 'The Elixir of Love' from Paris
Donizetti's classic opera of the power — or lack there of — of a supposed love potion is brought to the stage with tenor Roberto Alagna as the lovesick Nemorino. Aleksandra Kurzak takes on the role of...
View ArticleStephen King Set to Music
Here, at the WQXR offices, we read about, watch and listen to a lot of classical music. We created the WQXR Whole Note as a place where every morning, Monday through Friday, we will share news, videos,...
View ArticleListening to Beer and Drinking Classical Music
Here, at the WQXR offices, we read about, watch and listen to a lot of classical music. We created the WQXR Whole Note as a place to share news, videos, music and musings that have captivated us. We...
View ArticleMarlis Petersen Stars in Berg's 'Lulu'
Tune in at 1 pm Saturday as Marlis Petersen takes on the title role in Alban Berg's Lulu in a new production by the South American artist and director, William Kentridge. Known for her interpretation...
View ArticleSarasota Opera: Parma on the Gulf of Mexico
The weather on my recent visit to Sarasota was not something the local chamber of commerce would brag about. While this city on the Gulf of Mexico is typically bathed in sunshine and kissed with gentle...
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John Eliot Gardiner Conducts Star-Studded 'Orphée et Eurydice'
An operatic adaptation of the Orpheus myth had already been in circulation for 150 years when Gluck decided to turn it into an opera of his own in the 18th century. The tale of the lute player...
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The Fabric of Memory: Preserving Met Opera History
I am often asked who is the Belmont for whom the Belmont Room on the Metropolitan Opera’s Grand Tier is named. This is where donors at a certain level to the Opera Guild go for coffee and conversation...
View ArticleFabio Luisi Leads Puccini's Manon Lescaut
Tune in at 1 pm Saturday as Latvian soprano, Kristine Opolais, sings the title role in Puccini's Manon Lescaut. Roberto Alagna, having jumped into the production less than two weeks before opening...
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Anthony Roth Costanzo Buffs Up and Bares All at ENO
"Ultimately as opera singers we’re human beings and that’s what's most interesting to look at on stage: the human beneath the voice and beneath the performance, and I think it comes across," Anthony...
View ArticleWhen Struggling Songbirds Set Social Media Atwitter
Not too long ago I attended a fine performance of an opera at the Met in which one the principal singers was not having a good night. She was cast in one of the leading roles and very little went...
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Monteverdi's L'Orfeo with Ensemble La Fenice
Premiered in 1607, Monteverdi's L'Orfeo is considered to be the first opera. In creating it, he not only fused story with music in a novel way, but also begot a work that remains powerful more than 400...
View ArticleMiddle C, Snap #706 - Man In The Mirror
Tristan Whiston was a female soprano with a successful career, yet always wanted to be a man. This is his intimate audio diary as he transitions through the process of gender re-assignment.You can...
View ArticleBringing More Diversity to Opera
The Metropolitan Opera recently announced its 2016-17 season, which will include six new productions, including one composed by a woman."L'Amour de Loin" was composed by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho...
View ArticleJavier Camarena Hits High Notes in 'Don Pasquale'
Tune in at 1 pm Saturday as Maurizio Benini leads a performance of Donizetti's comedy, Don Pasquale, from the Metropolitan Opera. Baritone Ambrogio Maestri sings the title role, a buffoonish older...
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The Encore Heard Around the World
Since opening night of the Metropolitan Opera's production of Don Pasquale, tenor Javier Camarena had felt mounting pressure to execute an exceptionally rare act at the venerable house: an...
View ArticleForty (More) Under Forty: The Next Generation of Great Opera Singers, Part 1
Operagoers often lament to me, way too often, that there are no good singers anymore. This certainly has not been my experience. Part of why some people believe this is because opera does not get the...
View Article#3815: John Schaefer's Best of 2015 (Special Podcast)
Hear kora and cello music recorded on a rooftop in Bamako, Mali; the 1960s space race set to 21st century electronics; and folk songs from the shadowy “Traveller” culture of Scotland and England.In no...
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'La Traviata' from Teatro di San Carlo, Naples
Lisa Simeone hosts this broadcast of Verdi's La Traviata from the 18th-century Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Italy. Featuring the tragic love story between the sympathetic courtesan Violetta Valéry...
View ArticleForty (More) Under Forty: The Next Generation of Great Opera Singers, Part 2
In my previous article, I described 15 excellent male singers under the age of 40 who are definitely worth hearing. Now I am pleased to present 25 women who are among those making the future bright for...
View ArticleVittorio Grigolo Stars in 'L'Elisir d'Amore'
Tune in at 1 pm Saturday for Donizetti's classic L'Elisir d'Amore, starring tenor Vittorio Grigolo as the lovesick Nemorio and Aleksandra Kurzak as Adina, the object of his desires. Searching for a way...
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