On Nov. 1, Staatsoper Stuttgart will open a new production of Paul Dessau‘s “Condemnation of Lucullus.” The production will be staged by the theatrical collective Hauen und Stechen will star Gerhard Siegel in the title role of Lucullus. Legendary soprano Cheryl Studer will also star in the work as Tertullia alongside many of Staatsoper’s ensemble singers including Friedemann Röhlig, Alina Adamski, Torsten {…}
MÜPA Budapest has announced its streaming slate for the month of June. For the purposes of this article, our focus will be mainly on operatic performances, all of them coincidentally (or not) of Wagner works. First up will be “Wagner Magic I.” which will star Iréne Theorin, Annette Dasch, Tomasz Konieczny, and Magnus Vigilius as they take on music from {…}
The Hungarian State Opera has announced its 2021-22 season featuring new productions, revivals, and concerts. Here is a look: Premiere Andrea Szántó stars in Calixto Bieto’s new production of Bizet’s “Carmen.” The opera also features Szabolcs Brickner , Kinga Kriszta, Gábor Bretz , and Zoltá Nagy . Balázs Kocsár conducts. Performance Dates: Sept. 3-Oct. 10, 2021 Beethoven/Strauss’ “König Stephan / {…}
(Photo Credits: Emma Birski / OnP) Opéra National de Paris has announced its 2021-22 season. Here is the full slate. Operas “The Seven Deaths of Maria Callas” by Marina Abramovic will open the season. The showcase stars Nadezhda Karyazina, Selene Zanetti, Leah Hawkins, Adela Zaharia, Lauren Fagan, Gabriella Reyes, and Hera Hyesang Park. Yoel Gamzou conducts. Performance dates: Sep. 1 {…}
(Credit: Riccardo Chailly’s official website) Riccardo Chailly, Music Director of the Teatro alla Scala, will replace famed conductor Zubin Mehta for the live-streamed performance of Richard Strauss’ “Salome” on Feb. 20, 2021. Per an official press release, Mehta was discharged from the hospital on Jan. 15 in good health and there was hope that the conductor would be able to {…}
(Credit: LA Philharmonic) Maestro Zubin Mehta was taken to hospital after he felt sick during a rehearsal of Strauss’ “Salome” on Feb. 13. The first medical check-ups were performed, and Italian doctors believe that Maestro Mehta suffers from accumulated stress due to the numerous work commitments. Mehta, who suffered from a kidney tumor in recent years and has since recovered, {…}
The Teatro alla Scala has announced that a production of R. Strauss’ “Salome” will be streamed on Feb. 20, 2021. The new production by Damiano Michieletto was set to open on March 8, 2020, but was canceled due to COVID-19. The production had already been in rehearsals when the production was canceled and was originally set to star Malin Bystrom and {…}
(Credits: Gregor Hohenberg/Sony Classical /© David Jerusalem / © DR / Fazil Berisha / http://arsis-artists.com/en/iain-paterson/) L’Opéra de Paris has announced full casts and dates for the concert performances of Wagner “Der Ring des Nibelungen.” The Ring cycle was initially planned as a series of four fully staged operas but had to be reorganized into concert performances due to the ongoing {…}
One could call the Met Opera’s new production of “Wozzeck” a collage. The opera itself undeniably brings this word to mind in how Alban Berg unites the dark tale of a misanthrope who murders his lover and drowns himself via numerous musical structures and forms. The entire first act features a suite, a rondo, a lullaby, and a passacaglia while {…}
(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 {…}
On April 14, The Metropolitan opera opened the third opera in Wagner’s tetralogy, “Siegfried.” Perhaps the least performed of the four operas due to its nearly impossible tenor role, the Metropolitan Opera landed one of the best performances of the season and with it saw a heroic and historical debut. A Heroic Performance In his Met debut, Stefan Vinke got {…}