“Page to Opera Stage” looks at stories – real-life or fiction, old and new – that have inspired operas, and the ways these narratives have been edited and dramatized to fit a new medium. This month, we return to Goethe, this time with Jules Massenet’s poignant adaptation of his name-making novel “The Sorrows of Young Werther” The following contains discussion {…}
On Dec. 17, the Teatro Mayor Julio Santo Domingo in Bogota will present a new production of “Tosca” with an international cast and international conductor. Among the cast members is British tenor Adam Smith who will sing the role of Cavaradossi. Smith will make his debut at the prestigious Colombian house in a role he debuted earlier this year at {…}
(Credit: Fay Fox/Jaclyn Simpson/Lynn Lane) It’s been a tough 2021. After some hope settled into the opera world with the reopening of most companies around the globe, the end of the year seemed to revert to what we saw for much of 2020 – more lockdowns, more COVID, more cancelations. But despite what seems like a dark ending to the {…}
So for those wondering what this is, we are trying something a little new at OperaWire. Chris Ruel, one of our long-time writers, is in the midst of publishing his very first novel “Come to Me Darkness.” And what do you know? It’s set in the opera world and spotlights two singers, their love affair, their tortured pasts, and a {…}
This week the Opernahus Zürich will open a new production of Donizetti’s “Anna Bolena,” continuing its Tudor cycle with director David Alden furthering his exploration of the queens after receiving rave reviews for “Maria Stuarda.” Despite Alden’s prominence in the director’s chair there’s no doubt that the spotlight of this production will shine most fiercely on soprano Diana Damrau as {…}
(Credit: Marty Sohl / Met Opera) On Nov. 23, the Metropolitan Opera will make history premiering Matthew Aucoin and Sarah Ruhl’s “Eurydice.” Aucoin will make history as the youngest composer to have a Met premiere since 1938. But this opera will also mark the first time that soprano Erin Morley headlines a brand new production at the Metropolitan Opera. Morley {…}
On Nov. 19, the English National Opera will open a new Ring Cycle. The production will mark the first time the company stages the monumental tetralogy in more than 15 years. Taking on this major task is director Richard Jones. Jones first staged Wagner’s Cycle in 1989 at the Scottish Opera before bringing his take in 1993 to the Royal {…}
(Credit: Courtesy Lester Dequaine Collection on Rosa Ponselle, Arthur Friedheim Library, Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University) The customs agent stationed on the wharf wasn’t quite sure what he was seeing. An imposing, dark-haired woman with large brown eyes was preparing to board a ship for a voyage to the United States. Wrapped around her shoulder was what appeared to be {…}
On Nov. 14, the Teatro Comunale di Bologna will finally open a new production of Cilea’s “Adriana Lecouvreur.” The production by Rosetta Cucchi was previously filmed as a movie in Bologna during the time theaters were shuttered due to COVID-19. Now after almost a year of delays, the show will go on and soprano Kristine Opolais will get to make {…}
