On Sept. 17, Oper Köln will kick off its 2023-24 season with the premiere of R. Strauss and Von Hoffmansthal’s “Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman Without a Shadow).” Considered exceptionally demanding, and requiring a massive orchestra, the opera is a fairy tale that Strauss believed was his most important work. The story relates the tale of an ethereal Empress {…}
Credit: San Francisco Opera On June 4, a Sunday afternoon, everyone was high with anticipation. David Hockney‘s production of R. Strauss’ “Die Frau ohne Schatten” was opening at San Francisco Opera. Since its American premiere in 1959, the work had only been rarely mounted in San Francisco (five times since 1959), or in other houses, in Paris or Vienna, or {…}
(Credit: Robert Millard) The San Francisco Opera is set to present Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal’s “Die Frau ohne Schatten” from June 4–28 at the War Memorial Opera House. The work will return to the stage after a 34-year absence and will feature a new production by David Hockney. Former San Francisco Opera Music Director Sir Donald Runnicles conducts {…}
(Credit: Tulane University) American soprano Ruth Falcon died on Oct. 9, 2020, at the age of 77. Falcon graduated from Loyola University of the South and Tulane University. She made her first appearance at the New York City Opera in the role of Micaëla in Bizet’s “Carmen.” Falcon made her first high-profile debut at the Metropolitan Opera House in 1989, {…}
(Credit: Boris Streubel) The famed German mezzo-soprano Doris Soffel will appear in the role of Klytämnestra in Richard Strauss’ opera “Elektra” at the Wiener Staatsoper on September 8, 2020. Doris Soffel is one of the leading Wagnerian and Straussian singers, having taken on such roles as Kundry in “Parsifal,” Ortrud in “Lohengrin,” and Fricka and Erda in the composer’s iconic {…}
(Credit: Dario Acosta NY) German mezzo-soprano Tanja Ariane Baumgartner is one of the most sought-after opera singers of our time. Baumgartner has been a member of the ensemble at Oper Frankfurt since the 2009-10 season. During her time in Frankfurt, Tanja Baumgartner made appearances in numerous operas including “Carmen,” “Giulio Cesare in Egitto,” “Don Carlo,” “Medea,” “Die Frau ohne Schatten,” {…}
The Vienna State Opera will live stream R. Strauss’ “Die Frau Ohne Schatten” on Oct. 18, 2019. The opera will be conducted by Christian Thieleman with a cast that features Andreas Schager as Der Kaiser, Camila Nylund as Der Kaiserin, Mihoko Fujimura as Die Amme, Clemens Unterreiner as Geisterbote, Tomasz Konieczny as Barak, and Nina Stemme as der Barak Weiß. {…}
(Photo: Diane Deschenaux) With Europe once again baking under unpleasantly high temperatures thanks to our lack of interest in dealing with the problems of global warming, what better place to go than high up in the Swiss Alps. Verbier at an altitude 1,500 meters would seem to be ideal. An alpine ski resort, set on a south-facing terrace with splendid {…}
The Verbier Festival has announced that Nina Stemme, Brandon Jovanovich, and Matthias Goerne will not perform Strauss’ “Die Frau Ohne Schatten.” The festival announced that the artists were obliged to cancel. As a result, Finnish Soprano Miina-Liisa Värelä will be performing the role of Die Färberin, the role of Der Kaiser will be sung by the tenor Gerhard Siegel, and the Swedish {…}
Strauss’ masterful “Die Frau ohne Schatten” will take the stage of the Vienna State Opera on Saturday, May 25. And while many will get a shot at experiencing the opera live, others will see it via the company’s live stream service. This must-see opera features a cast of major A-list stars including Stephen Gould, Camilla Nylund, Evelyn Herlitzius, Sebastian Holececk, {…}
This week the Wiener Staatsoper is set to open one of most anticipated productions of the 2018-19 season. The production is especially anticipated as it features a stellar cast with three of the most acclaimed dramatic sopranos currently performing in the world. Specifically, Nina Stemme is set for her role debut as the Barak’s wife, a role that is especially {…}