The New Philharmonic has unveiled its 2024-25 season. Here is a breakdown of the vocal performances on offer. On New Year’s Eve, the company invites bass-baritone Richard Ollarsaba to perform opera and pop tunes to celebrate the end of 2024 and the start of 2025. There will be a total of three performances of the program. Performance Date: Dec. 31, {…}
(Credit: Richard Termine) Calgary Opera will present the Donizetti classic “The Elixir of Love” this February. The production, which opens on Feb. 3 and runs through the 9th at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium for a total of four performances, will be directed by Pablo Maritano and conducted by Farkhad Khudyev. “’Elixir’ is a heartwarming story of young love, with {…}
The Ópera de Bellas Artes in Mexico City has opened its production of Donizetti’s famed comedy “L’Elisir d’Amore” this December. The staging of the Bel Canto classic, which opened on Dec. 5, 2023, stars soprano Génesis Moreno as Adina in her role debut. She performs alongside Diego Silva as Nemorino, Noé Colín as Dulcamara, Juan Carlos Heredia as Belcore, and {…}
Buenos Aires’ Compañía de Ópera del DAMus (Departamento de Artes Musicales y Sonoras) of the Universidad Nacional de las Artes will present “La Fille du Régiment” starting on Nov. 26, 2023. Running through Dec. 3, 2023, the showcase will be presented at the Teatro Hasta Trilce on Nov. 26 and Dec. 3, and then at the Centro de Difusión y {…}
(Photo: Clive Barda) Anyone who has heard Opera Rara’s recording of Donizetti’s “Zoraida di Granata” must have been very excited by the Wexford festival’s decision to put on a fully staged production. It is a veritable bel canto feast with beautiful arias and ensemble singing, stretching over a period of approximately three hours. “Zoraida di Granata” premiered in Rome’s Teatro {…}
(Callas greeting fans. Credit: © Archiv Lebeck.) Editor’s Note: In anticipation of the release of “The Callas Imprint: A Centennial Biography” on Dec. 2, 2023, OperaWire is sharing a preview. “Greatness” is a noun too frequently assigned to humans. Victims of this label view the happening of “genius” as a capricious, “limited time only” gift. Here we follow Callas on {…}
(Photo: Padraig Grant) The second of Wexford Festival’s pocket operas, Opera Beag, was a presentation of Donizetti’s opéra-comique “La Fille du régiment.” Operating on a low-budget and using only piano accompaniment, director Heather Hadrill was under no illusions of the difficulties involved. In her program notes, she stated “The challenge of pocket operas is to give as full a sense {…}
Oper Burg Gars has announced its 2024 season, the first under artistic director Clemens Unterreiner. The main opera of the season will be “L’Elisir d’Amore.” The cast and crew will be announced at a future date. Performance Dates: July 13 – August 3, 2024 The organization will also feature the CultureBURG series which includes song evenings, exhibitions, concerts, and artist {…}
(Photo credit: Clive Barda/Royal Opera House) Nestling zest into impressionable appetites, bel canto master Donizetti’s “L’elisir d’amore” is a succulent confectioner’s delight: a cavalcade of strawberry and rhubarb shades that never age out of their calorific bubble. High on hyperactive captures of unravelling roulades and supercilious trills, its teasing feast of overblown, meringue-like vows empowers risk-taking directors. Decking his décor {…}
Opera Rara has announced the launch of the Donizetti Song Project on Sept. 9, 2023. The project will feature Donizetti’s entire song output, around 200 in total, showcased in performance and recordings. First up is “Donizetti & Friends” at Wigmore Hall, starring tenor Lawrence Brownlee and Artistic Director Carlo Rizzi. This event will include songs by Donizetti, Rossini, Bellini, Verdi, {…}
Santiago Ballerini as Poliuto. Credit: Steve Pisano Donizetti’s opera “Poliuto” is an odd duck with an intriguing history. Although completed in 1838, it did not premiere until ten years later, on November 30, 1848, at Teatro San Carlo. The delay resulted from disapproval from royal Neapolitan censors, who gave a big thumbs down to portraying a saint as a jealous {…}