The 2023 Olivier Awards were held on April 2 at the Royal Albert Hall. The award for Best New Opera Production went to “Alcina” by Richard Jones at the Royal Opera House. Reacting to the news, Lisette Oropesa said, “‘ALCINA’ wins the Olivier Award for Best New Opera Production!!!! Congratulations to our fabulous team at the Royal Opera House for {…}
On February 22nd, the Opéra de Monte-Carlo inaugurated a new era under the direction of Cecila Bartoli. To open her first season, Bartoli chose to present Handel’s 1735 opera seria “Alcina,” in which she stars in the title role. “Alcina” has become one of the most frequently staged works by Händel. This past year alone has seen productions at Covent {…}
(Credit: © Marc Brenner/Royal Opera House) In “Alcina” seeing isn’t believing. Handel’s tale of an enchanted island, which sees the titular sorceress’ captives transfigured into birds, beasts, and shrubbery, speaks of the pleasures and dangers of illusion. First premiered on the current site of the Royal Opera House back in 1735, the opera speaks to a host of 18th-century preoccupations {…}
The Jerusalem Lyric Opera Festival has announced its 2023 Festival lineup, featuring works beloved by opera-goers. The Festival will run July 4-25, 2023. The Jerusalem International Opera Competition kicks off the season in July. Favorite arias are on tap as singers compete before a jury comprising conductors, singers, and casting directors from several of the world’s top opera houses. Performance {…}
Glyndebourne has released its recent production of Händel’s “Alcina” on its streaming platform Glyndebourne Encore. “Alcina” stars soprano Jane Archibald stars in the title role, with Soraya Mafi as Morgana and Samantha Hankey as Ruggerio. Jonathan Cohen conducts the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. “Alcina” was directed by Francesco Micheli. The company also unveiled that its other productions would be {…}
(Credit: Gianfranco Rota) Francesco Micheli is set to make history by becoming the fourth Italian director to stage a new opera production in the 88-year-long history of the Glyndebourne Festival. Micheli will make his debut at the 2022 edition of the Festival, staging Georg Friedrich Händel’s “Alcina.” He follows such Italian directors as Damiano Michieletto, Franco Enriquez, and Franco Zeffirelli {…}
(Photo: James Glossop) In the early 1730s the newly established The Opera of the Nobility succeeded in displacing Handel from London’s King’s Theatre, causing him to relocate to the recently built Covent Garden, a theatre furnished with the latest stage machinery, a chorus and dance company. The composer’s response to his new circumstances was to compose a run of successful {…}
Alter Ego Chamber Opera in Philadelphia, PA has announced a unique adaptation of Händel’s classic baroque opera “Alcina” set for the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. “Alcina Revamped,” which will be presented on September 24 and 26, 2021, is an English-language adaptation of the famed opera by librettist and soprano Alize Francheska Rozsnyai. Brenna Marley will star in the title role; Kaitlyn {…}
On July 13, 2021, Chicago Summer Opera will present a staged performance of Händel’s “Alcina,” from the Prairie Lakes Theater in De Plaines, Illinois. Stage director Margaret Jumonville and conductor Johannes Löhner lead a double cast of artists, comprised of Caroline Brazelton and Blake Hetherington in the title role; Isabella Hanreiter and Clara Reeves as Morgana; Sydney Macnabb and Sophie {…}
(Credit: Martin Sigmund) The Staatsoper Stuttgart has announced its 2021-22 season. Here is a look at the operatic and vocal performances. Opera Premieres Paul Dessau’s “Die Verurteilung des Lukullus” opens the season. The complex work stars Friedemann Röhlig, Alina Adamski, Torsten Hofmann, Elliott Carlton Hines, Maria Theresa Ullrich, Linsey Coppens, Philipp Nicklaus, Heinz Göhrig, Jasper Leever, Laia Vallés, Clare Tunney, {…}
(Credit: https://www.kassel.de/) The Staatstheater Kassel has announced that it will reopen its doors to live audiences in July 2021. The opera house will present two works for the summer reopening. First up is Elena Kats-Chernin’s “Der Wind in den Weiden” which will showcase Vero Miller, Daniel Holzhauser, Younggi Moses Do, Cozmin Sime, Lin Lin Fan, Bassem Alkhouri, and Bernhard Modes. {…}