(Credit: Karen Almond / Met Opera) The 350th performance of “Turandot” at the Met exceeded expectations with Ukrainian conductor Oksana Lyniv and Russian soprano Elena Pankratova making their house debuts and intentionally working together to deliver jaw-dropping moments of overwhelming musical beauty and power. The night also featured remarkable performances by South Korean tenor SeokJong Baek, Polish soprano Aleksandra Kurzak, {…}
(Credit: Ken Howard) The Metropolitan Opera has announced a cast change for its production of “Madama Butterfly.” The company said that Aleksandra Kurzak will sing the title role replacing Eleonora Buratto for performances on Feb. 27, March 2, 6, 9, and 14 2024. Kurzak performed the first six performances of the run in January. She scored rave reviews with critics {…}
(Photo: Marc Brenner) They go together like cookies and milk…like bacon and eggs…like Adam and Eve! Nooooooo! Not “Cav” and “Pag,” as the fans insist on calling the operas, but Roberto Alagna and Aleksandra Kurzak! The golden couple, currently on at the Royal Opera House in “Cavalleria Rusticana,” consolidated their positions as world class artists here with spellbinding performances from {…}
The Chorégies d’Orange has announced its 2024 season featuring pop, opera, and orchestra concerts. Here is a look at the operatic offerings this summer. Claire Antoine, Héloïse Poulet, and Léo Vermot-Desroches perform in recital alongside Kira Parfeevets. Performance Date: July 21, 2024 Aleksandra Kurzak leads Puccini’s “Tosca” in a concert performance alongside Roberto Alagna and Bryn Terfel. The Orchestre Philharmonique {…}
The Gran Teatre del Liceu has announced cast changes for its production of Cilea’s “Adriana Lecouvreur.” The company said that Roberto Alagna will join the cast, while Jonas Kaufmann will cancel his participation in the opera. Alagna will sing on June 17, 20, and 26, while Freddie De Tommaso will perform on June 19, 22, and 29, 2024. Meanwhile, Eleonora Buratto {…}
The San Francisco Opera, in collaboration with the San Francisco Chronicle, will present “Opera in the Park” at Robin Williams Meadow in Golden Gate Park on Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023. The free annual event will be led by Music Director Eun Sun Kim, who leads the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and such artists as Julie Adams, Aleksandra Kurzak, Olivia Smith, {…}
The San Francisco Opera will inaugurate its 2023-24 season with a gala on Sept. 8, 2023. The gala will also include an Opera Ball that will include a reception, dinner, and an after-party in San Francisco’s City Hall. Caroline H. Hume Music Director Eun Sun Kim and the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Chorus will lead soloists Roberto Alagna and {…}
The Arena di Verona and Rai Cultura are set to broadcast four operas. The first opera to be broadcast will be Rossini’s “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” in a production by Hugo de Ana. The opera will be shown on Rai3 on August 10 and on Rai 5 on Sept. 7. The production stars Dalibor Jenis, Vasilisa Berzhanskaya, Antonino Siragusa, Carlo {…}
Roberto Alagna is a renowned French-Sicilian tenor whose career could grace a fairy tale novel. Considered to be the least talented in a large family of musicians, he nonetheless spent his youth busking around Paris cabarets, singing pop music accompanied with his guitar. But his passion, fired by Mario Lanza films, was opera and, largely self-taught, he pursued that dream. {…}
The Grand Théâtre Genève has announced its 2023-24 season. First up is “Don Carlo” in a production by Lydia Steier starring Charles Castronovo, Leonardo Capalbo, Dmitry Ulyanov, Rachel Willis-Sørensen, Stéphane Degout, and Êve-Maud Hubeaux. Marc Minkowski conducts. Performance Dates: Sept. 15 – 28, 2023 Lea Desandre, Ana María Labin, Ana Vieira Leite, Hugh Cutting, Kresimir Spicer, Moritz Kallenberg, and Renato {…}
The Teatro Real de Madrid has announced its 2023-24 season featuring a wide array of repertoire. Opera Maria Agresta, Saioa Hernández, and Maria Pia Piscitelli star in Cherubini’s “Medea“ alongside Nancy Fabiola Herrera, Silvia Tro Santafé, Jongmin Park, Alexander Vinogradov, Sara Blanch, Marina Monzó, Enea Scala, and Francesco Demuro. Ivor Bolton conducts the production by Paco Azorín. Performance Dates: Sept. {…}