(Photo Credits: Arne Hyckenberg) The Swedish Radio Choir, on December 9, performed one of Rachmaninoff’s last pieces before his emigration from Russia, namely his choral symphony, “The Bells” (Op. 35), composed right before his English tour and other notable works like his “All-Night Vigil” (Op. 37) and his acclaimed “Vocalize” (Op. 34, No. 14). Accompanied by the Swedish Radio Symphonic {…}
(Photo: Marek Olbryzmek) Richard Strauss’ “Salome” is one of those operas that lives or dies through the performance of one singer. In this case, it is the soprano cast in the title role. If she cannot hold the audience’s attention, either because she is unable to bring the necessary energy and expressivity to her singing or because she does {…}
(Photo credit: Catherine Hancock) Brooklyn Art Song Society (BASS) presented “Circles III: The Second Viennese School” on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023 at the First Unitarian Church of Brooklyn. The organization’s season has been a major hit among art song lovers and listeners who might not find a program like this anywhere else, but right here in Brooklyn. The season began {…}
On November 29, 2023, famed tenor Juan Diego Flórez returned to Carnegie Hall for a concert of arias and arts songs, joined by pianist Vincenzo Scalera. Initially scheduled for January, the concert was postponed due to illness with the November performance nearly suffering the same fate as Flórez acknowledged that he was currently under the weather. Despite this, Flórez and {…}
(Photo: Cassandra Hannagan) The enthusiastic reaction of the audience on opening night for Pinchgut Opera’s latest production of Handel’s 1711 opera, “Rinaldo,” makes it easy to understand why this opera was so popular at the time of its premiere 312 years ago. It is also important to bear in mind how operatic productions back then would have boasted a lot {…}
(Credit: Javier del Real) A woman’s whimper, a stifled scream, echoes in the dark. She flees into the theatre, amidst the stalls, chased by a few men in ominous rabbit masks. She seeks refuge on stage, terrified in front of the bright red curtain, the pack hunts her down, overpowers her. The trombones attack the prelude, with haunting repeated notes, {…}
The Spanish language is pretty preponderant in the United States of America with a recent census stating that over 42 million people in the country aged five and older speak the language at home. It’s the second most learned language following English, with over 8 million students. And yet, it took until 2023 for the Metropolitan Opera to finally, and {…}
Photo: Patrik Borecky “Rusalka,” alone among Dvořák’s operas, has managed to establish itself across the opera world, while his other ten have largely been ignored outside his Czech homeland. One or two have managed to keep a small toehold on the international stage, but only just. It is a strange state of affairs, especially in the case of “The Jacobin.” {…}
(Photo: Elisa Andreassi) Barocco Europeo, founded by Donatella Busetto, is a small association aimed at promoting early music through concerts, masterclasses, seminars and staged operas mainly, although not exclusively, in the north-east of Italy. It is a small-scale operation on a limited budget and tends to perform in small theaters in towns and cities of various sizes, with variable opportunities {…}