Welcome back for this week’s look at the latest CD and DVD releases in the opera world. This week, audiences will get to hear several world premieres, rarities, and several complete opera recordings. Giacomo Puccini: Manon Lescaut C Major releases Puccinios’ breakthrough opera with a cast that includes Liudmyla Monastyrska, David Bizic, Gregory Kunde, and Carlos Chausson. The Gran Teatre {…}
(Credit: Kristen Loken / San Francisco Opera) San Francisco Opera ended its Fall Season by going back to basics with Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’Amore,” boy loves girl, girl not at all sure about boy, charlatan quack-doctor with his “magical elixir” will cure that, comic hi-jinx, chorus of happy men and women, hotel by the sea, hot air balloon, motorized vespas, and {…}
(Credit: Cory Weaver) The San Francisco Opera is set to present Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’Amore” for a six-performance run at the War Memorial Opera House. The opera, which is set to open on Nov. 19, will be directed by Daniel Slater with associate director and choreographer Tim Claydon. The opera will be updated to the Italian Riviera during the 1950s and {…}
San Francisco Opera has announced its 2023-24 season, the 101st in the company’s history. The season will open with an Opera Ball featuring Roberto Alagna and Aleksandra Kurzak. Eun Sun Kim conducts the San Francisco Opera Orchestra in a program of arias and duets. Performance Date: Sept. 8, 2023 Next up is “Il Trovatore” starring Arturo Chacón-Cruz, Angel Blue, Anita {…}
The Opéra de Toulon has announced a cast change for its production of “Così fan tutte.” The company said that Laurent Alvaro will not be able to sing the role of Don Alfon due to illness. As a result, he will be replaced by David Bižić. Bižić is a baritone who has performed at the Metropolitan Opera, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Tel-Aviv, {…}
France’s Opéra de Limoges has announced its 2022-23 season featuring five productions. The season opens with Saint-Saëns’ “La Princesse jaune” under the direction of Philippe Forget. Alexandra Lacroix directs the production which stars Camille Schnoor and François Rougier. Performance Dates: Nov. 6 & 8, 2022 Julien Dran, Mélissa Petit, Jean Luc Ballestra, François Rougier, Sophie Marin-Degor, Cécile Galois, and Edouard Portal perform {…}
The Opéra de Toulon has announced its 2022-23 season featuring six opera productions. Operas Valerio Galli conducts Puccini’s “Tosca” in a production by Silvia Paoli. Keri Alkema, Riccardo Massi, and Daniel Miroslaw headline. Performance Dates: Oct. 7-11, 2022 Adam’s “Si j’etais Roi” will be conducted by Robert Tuohy and directed by Marc Adam. The cast includes Armelle Khourdoïan, Eleonora Deveze, {…}
(Credit: Richard Termine) While there’s no doubt that Puccini’s operas bring with them a level of difficulty, perhaps none is more complex or challenging than the central role in his “Madama Butterfly.” Modern issues of interpretation aside (and this opera brings forth a great deal, many of which have been contended for decades and some that are now being questioned {…}
(Credit: Metropolitan Opera / Ken Howard) The Metropolitan Opera is set to revive Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly.” The production by Anthony Minghella, will return for 11 performances from March 19 to May 7 and will star Eleonora Buratto in her role debut as Cio-Cio-San. This will mark her return to the stage of the Met and will be one of two {…}
The Israeli Opera has announced its 2021-22 season featuring eight productions. Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” opens the season with Alla Vasilevitsky, Yael Levita, Alasdair Kent, Aaron Blake, Theo Hoffman, Oded Reich, and Beate Ritter. Nimrod David Pfeffer conducts. Performance Dates: Nov. 4-15, 2021 Ira Bertman, Alla Vasilevitsky, Andrei Bondarenko, and Kostas Smorginas lead Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin” with Dan Ettinger conducting. {…}
(Credit: Opéra De Toulon official website) Opéra De Toulon has announced the cancellation of its final opera for the 2020-21 season, Verdi‘s masterwork “La Traviata.” The opera was set to run between May 28 and June 1 2021 for a total of three performances. The production was supposed to star Eugenia Dushina in the role of Violetta Valéry, Julien Behr {…}