It is time to wrap up the year and look back at our favorite moments and performers. After releasing our favorite performances of 2025 and showcasing our rising stars of the year, it’s time for OperaWire’s annual tradition of naming our top singers of the year, honoring the opera stars that had major, and in some cases, career-defining, years. So without further ado {…}
The Arena di Verona has announced its 2026 season. The season will open with a new production of Verdi’s “La Traviata.” Michele Spotti and Francesco Ivan Ciampa conduct the new production starring Martina Russomanno, Gilda Fiume and Rosa Feola. The casts also include Yusif Eyvazov, Galeano Salas, Francesco Meli, René Barbera, Adam Smith, Amartuvshin Enkhbat, Mihai Damian, Youngjun Park, Ludovic {…}
(Photo: Camilla Greenwell) The Puccini opera where he gets the girl. But is she worth having? Is HE? The more I see Puccini’s final opera, “Turandot,” the more I’m left wondering if, had he not expired before its completion, he might have taken a long hard look at it and elected to make some seriously drastic, if not complete, changes. {…}
The Wiener Staatsoper has announced opera that will stream on its platform. The first stream will be Janacek’s “Vec Makropulos” with a cast that includes Marlis Petersen, Pavel Černoch, Lukas Schmidt, Alma Neuhaus, Bo Skovhus, Carlos Osuna, and Wolfgang Bankl. Tomáš Hanus conducts. Streaming Date: Dec. 6, 2025 Franz Welser-Möst conducts Beethoven’s “Fidelio” with Malin Byström, David Butt Philip, Christopher {…}
(Credit: Vladimir Shirokov) Müpa Budapest has announced that Verdi’s “Requiem” will be performed with Anna Netrebko making her role debut. The soprano will return to the hall where she first debuted in 2016 and will be joined by Michelangelo Mazza, conducting the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra and Hungarian Radio Choir. Netrebko will be joined by mezzo Agnieszka Rehlis, tenor Matthew {…}
Anna Netrebko is set to make her role debut as Judith in Béla Bartók’s “Bluebeard’s Castle” on Nov. 30, 2026. The soprano will sing the role alongside bass Alexander Köpeczi, and the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Henrik Nánási in a concert performance at the Basel Stadtcasino – Musiksaal. The performance, which will also mark the soprano’s {…}
On Jan. 21, 2027, Anna Netrebko will return to Mannheim for an evening of opera arias, duets, and trios. The concert will be held at the Rosengarten, and she is set to be joined by Brian Jagde and George Petean, and the Baden-Baden Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Marco Armiliato. The concert will include works by Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo {…}
(Credit: Monika Rittershaus) “La Forza del Destino” has always been considered a transitional work in Giuseppe Verdi’s output, bridging the purely romantic operas of his early period and the mature works where his musical language became more dramatic, direct, and personal. It was composed on a commission from the Imperial Theatre in St. Petersburg, where it premiered in 1862. The {…}
(Credit: Olga Rubio Dalmau) The Staatsoper Unter den Linden has announced that Anna Netrebko will replace Renée Fleming on Dec. 8, 2025. The company said that Fleming had to cancel the concert for health reasons and undergo necessary knee surgery. She has therefore canceled her entire European tour. In a statement, Netrebko said, “It is with great joy that I {…}
After Ukraine’s Ambassador to Switzerland Irina Venediktova sent letters to members of the Zürich Cantonal Council demanding that performances by Anna Netrebko and other artists at the Zurich Opera House be canceled, the Zürich Opera has noted that it will move forward with performances. According to Die Weltwoche, Venediktova expressed “deep concern” and also noted that a “personal exchange” took {…}
(Credit: Luciano Romano) On Oct. 4, the Teatro San Carlo brought a new production of Verdi’s “Un Ballo in Maschera.” The evening was much anticipated as it featured the role debut of Anna Netrebko as Amelia, and reunited the famed soprano with baritone Ludovic Tézier, following an exceptional “La Gioconda” last year. While the two superstars lived up to their {…}
