Tag: opera

An engraving after a photograph of Teresa Stolz (1834–1902): a Bohemian-born soprano and one of Verdi's favorite singers. She famously sang Aida in the opera's European premiere at La Scala in 1872. Here she stands in a confident three-quarter pose, her right hand planted on her hip and her left arm hanging relaxed at her side. She gazes off to the left with a serious, determined expression, with strong dark brows and a steady stare. Her long, dark, wavy hair falls past her shoulders. The costume is an elaborate 19th-century theatrical idea of an Ethiopian princess: A jeweled band across her forehead with a large round ornament at the temple, topped with a plume of feathers, long drop earrings, a broad beaded collar necklace in an Egyptian style, armbands on her upper arm, and bracelets on both wrists. Public domain. For “My P.U.”

“My P.U.” and Other Poems by Paul Hostovsky

aromatica poetica October 6, 2026

Crumbs Whenever she ate she talked about food, all the magnificent repasts of her past, with her mouth full. And he’d sit across from her and watch the food on her plate grow smaller and more insignificant with each description of some towering feast or exquisite confection of her youth. She’d close her eyes to remember, shaking her head as if to say, “No, you can’t really see it from here.” Then she’d open her eyes and he’d feed on …

Two photos (curtesy Anna Novakov) of women having a sensory experience in the gallery. They are smelling scent strips with misty vertical bands of the 7 colors of the spectrum behind and suffusing through them.

Sensory Transposition: A Triadic Exchange Between Ron Hutt, Andreas Keller and Anna Novakov

aromatica poetica May 12, 2023

Sensory Transposition: A Triadic Exchange Between Ron Hutt, Andreas Keller and Anna For the past several years, composer Ron Hutt and olfactory artist Anna Novakov have worked together in a collaboration they call Provisional Art Space (PAS). Through a process of sensory transposition, they create performances that bridge sounds and scents. Inspired by a palette of seven chromatic hues, they compose fragrances and movements that, when performed together, shapeshift between sensory associations. Their performances, hosted in 2023 by Andreas Keller, …