PBS is set to premiere “The Oratorio” and “Da Ponte’s Oratorio: A Concert for New York” on Nov. 5, 2021. First up will be the documentary, which starts at 9 p.m., and will be headlined by famed film director Martín Scorsese as he reveals the story of the arrival of Italian opera to the New World during a performance in {…}
(Photo Provided by Pocket Opera) Pocket Opera, the San Francisco Bay Area’s flagship chamber opera company, opened its 2020 season on March 1, 2020 with the Mozart/Da Ponte masterpiece, “Don Giovanni.” The production was the first under the leadership of the company’s recently installed artistic director, Nicolas A. Garcia. Garcia previously served as the assistant artistic director under Pocket Opera’s {…}
“Opera Meets Film” is a feature dedicated to exploring the way that opera has been employed in cinema. We will select a section or a film in its entirety, highlighting the impact that utilizing the operatic form or sections from an opera can alter our perception of a film that we are viewing. This week’s installment features “The Greatest Showman.” {…}
Hawaii Opera Theater is set to present Mozart and Da Ponte’s “The Marriage of Figaro” starting on Feb. 14, 2020, with additional performances set for the 16th and 18th at the Doris Duke Theatre. The production will star Ryan Kuster as Figaro with Edward Parks as Count Almaviva and Mané Galoyan as Countess Almaviva. Finally, Elena Galván will take on {…}
With an excellent cast and fine playing from the orchestra under Conductor Dean Williamson, Arizona Opera presented Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” at Phoenix Symphony Hall on April 5, 2019. Moral High Ground Stage Director Tara Faircloth chose to expand upon the amusing situations in Lorenzo da Ponte’s libretto, so that cast members were often running around the {…}
When many people think of opera, Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” is undeniably one of the first ones to come to mind. The work, which premiered aptly on Oct. 29, 1787, is perfect for the Halloween spirit with its shapeshifting nature and its blend of numerous genres. It’s opening notes frighten, but before long the work moves from a drama about sexual {…}
Lorenza da Ponte, born on March 10, 1749, is best known for three collaborations he had with Mozart. Those operas, “Le Nozze di Figaro,” “Don Giovanni” and “Così Fan Tutte” stand as some of the greatest in the repertoire, not only because of Mozart’s great music, but also as a result of Da Ponte’s brilliant dramatic skills. But the librettist {…}