The ABAO Bilbao Opera will continue its 72nd season with Verdi’s “Rigoletto.” The opera, which will be performed from Feb. 17 to 26, 2024, will be performed at the Euskalduna Bilbao and will see the company debut of Amartuvshin Enkhbat, who has become one of the most sought-after Verdi baritones of his generation. He will be joined by Sabina Puértolas {…}
Romanian mezzo-soprano Carmen Topciu is in the midst of a run of “Carmen” with Opera Australia, following her acclaimed performances with the company in 2020. The production is being performed on Cockatoo Island. The evening begins with a ferry ride across the water to the world-heritage-listed sanctuary of Cockatoo Island. Audiences will be surrounded by layers of history and then {…}
Italy’s Teatro Coccia di Novara has announced its 2023 season featuring seven productions. Sara Cortolezzis, Gaston Rivero, Jorge Nelson Martinez González, and Carmen Topciu star in Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” with Antonello Allemandi conducting. Deda Cristina Colonna directs. Performance Dates: Jan. 20-22, 2023 Rossini’s “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” will be conducted by Christopher Franklin and directed by Alberto Jona. Chuan Wang, Michele Govi, Mara Gaudenzi, Emmanuel {…}
Opera Australia’s brand new, Sydney-exclusive open-air event, Opera on Cockatoo Island, is set to launch in November with a new production of Bizet’s “Carmen.” The production is set in the industrial surroundings of Sydney’s historic Cockatoo Island and will be directed by director Liesel Badorrek. The set and costumes will be designed by Mark Thompson. The unique Sydney summer experience {…}
Italy’s Teatro La Fenice has announced its 2021-22 season featuring 11 operatic productions and several vocal concerts. Here is a look. Opera Sesto Quatrini conducts Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” which is set to star Monica Zanettin in the title role, Manuela Custer as Suzuki, Vincenzo Costanzo as Pinkerton, and Alberto Mastromarino as Sharpless. Performance Dates: Sept. 10-22, 2021 Antonio Poli sings {…}
(Credits: © Carmine Maringola / © Gregor Hohenberg / Sony Classical / Erwin Schrott / Dario Acosta / Francesco Squeglia) Italian television channel Rai5 has announced broadcasts for the week of Jan. 18 – Jan. 22, 2021. The broadcasts will be dedicated to the director Emma Dante’s opera stagings. The only opera in the slate that was not directed by {…}
Opera Australia has announced a three-month COVID-safe season that includes two productions never before performed by the Company. The organization will reduce venue capacities by 50 percent and will implement physically-distanced theater seating, regular cleaning of high-traffic and high-touch areas with hospital-grade disinfectant, and hand sanitizer stations in frequently accessed areas and near bathroom facilities. There will also be COVID-19 {…}
Opera Australia has announced its its 2020 Sydney season, presenting an exciting program of rare gems and some of the greatest operas. Sydney Summer Season The season opens with Puccini’s “La Bohème” with conductor Carlo Goldstein leading Gale Edwards’ production. The opera stars soprano Karah Son in the role of Mimì and tenor Kang Wang making his Opera Australia debut in {…}
(Credit: Javier del Real/Teatro Real, Bayerische Staatsoper, Prudence Upton/Opera Australia) This weekend will showcase numerous leading divas and a number of new productions that will entice opera lovers. Here is a look. Anna Bolena – Opera Australia, Australia Ermonela Jaho takes on the title role in Donizetti’s demanding opera. She is joined by Leonardo Cortellazzi, Carmen Topciu, and Teddy Tahu Rhodes and conductor Renato {…}
The Teatro di San Carlo di Napoli has announced its 2019-20 season featuring an array of international stars and a number of concerts. Operas The season opens with a production of Tchaikovsky’s “The Queen of Spades” in a production by Willy Decker. Juraj Valčuha conducts the production, which is set to star Misha Didyk and Oleg Dolgov as Herman, Tómas Tómasson {…}
This review is for the performance on August 4, 2017 and was written in collaboration with Editor-in-Chief David Salazar. “Va pensiero,” the famous chorus from Verdi’s “Nabucco” is often cited as an unofficial national anthem for Italy and proved as such throughout the Risorgimento when the country was battling for its independence from the Austrian Empire. The choral passage, with {…}
