(Credit; Evan Zimmerman) “No Opera on a Dead Planet.” In the middle of Act two of the opening night of “Tannhäuser” as Wolfram delivered his “Blick ich umher in diesem edlen Kreise,” specifically as he sang that “love is a spring to be drunk from,” an audience member started shouting from the rafters of the Met Opera auditorium. The first {…}
Wagner’s “Tannhäuser” returns to the Metropolitan Opera for eight performances. The opera will open on Nov. 30 and will be performed through Dec. 23, 2023 with a cast that includes Austrian tenor Andreas Schager, South African soprano Elza van den Heever as Elisabeth, and Russian mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Gubanova as Venus. The cast will be rounded out by German baritone Christian Gerhaher {…}
(Photo: © Enrico Nawrath) As the final cycle of Bayreuth’s 2023 “Ring des Nibelungen” came to a close, the air remained electric with the sounds of Wagner’s apocalyptic horns and the swirling raptures of the Rhine. Camps came away divided into those either outraged or captivated by director Valentin Schwarz‘s reinvention of the Walsung’s messy journey into oblivion. To be {…}
(Photo Credit: Enrico Nawarth / Bayreuth Festival) It would be difficult to exaggerate the ways in which Jay Scheib‘s “Parsifal” at Bayreuth 2023 fails its sublime musical roots. From amateurish digital enhancement to bargain basement stagings, this opera sold out its mission in every way, save for one factor (more much later). In the front row of the loge {…}
The Bayreuth Festival has announced its 2024 season. The festival will open with Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde” starring Andreas Schager, Günther Groissböck, Camilla Nylund, Olafur Sigurdarson, Birger Radde, and Ekaterina Gubanova. Semyon Bychkov conducts the production by Thorleifur Örn Arnarsson. Performance Dates: July 25-August 26 2024 Günther Groissböck, Klaus Florian Vogt, Markus Eiche, Olafur Sigurdarson, Jens-Erik Aasbø, and Elisabeth Teige {…}
The Bayreuth Festival has announced upcoming productions for 2024 and 2025. The company announced that in 2025 it will present Matthias Davids’ new production of “Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg” under Daniele Gatti. Georg Zeppenfeld will sing the title role with Michael Spyres as Walter von Stolzing. Tobias Kratzers directs “Tannhäuser” in 2024 under music director Nathalie Stutzmann, while “Tristan und {…}
Joseph Calleja has withdrawn from his upcoming performances of “Parsifal” at the Bayreuth Festival. In a statement, Calleja said, “Due to a persistent throat infection, I was advised by my doctor to withdraw from the current production of Parsifal here in Bayreuth. Goes without saying that this was a very hard decision to take, and I am so sorry for {…}
(© Semperoper Dresden/Matthias Creutziger) Semperoper Dresden is set to bring back Willy Decker’s production of “Der Ring des Nibelungen” this February. This revival will celebrate the 20th anniversary of this staging’s first performances and the first in five years. In sum, there will be two cycles – one starting on Jan. 27 and running through Feb. 1 and a second {…}
The Fondazione Teatro Petruzzelli has announced its 2023 season. Here is a look at the operatic and vocal performances. Opera The season opens with Rossini’s “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” with Cecilia Molinari, Amira Elmadfa, Levy Sekgapane, Cesar Cortes, Marcus Werba, Gurgen Baveyan, Gianluca Buratto, Nicolò Donini, Marco Filippo Romano, and Stefano Marchisio. Stefano Montanari conducts teh production by Davide Livermore. Performance Dates: Jan. 22-29, {…}
As the Russian war on Ukraine continues to escalate, more performers are canceling their planned performances in Russia. According to Tagesspiegel, after the announcement of a “Tristan und Isolde” in Moscow, three of its cast members distanced themselves from the commitment. The performance, which is set for November, saw tenor Andreas Schager remove his name from the announcement while baritone {…}
(Credit: Enrico Nawrath) And now we have entered the realm of the absurd. Those who read my reviews for “Das Rheingold” and “Die Walküre,” know that I was quite critical of director Valentin Schwarz’s approach, which proved hostile to the original libretto in most of his “creative” choices. But this production of “Siegfried” somehow managed to push beyond those limits {…}