Who could outshine the great Javier Camarena singing “La Favorite” on the stage of the famous Donizetti festival? A consummate master of Bel Canto, singing the role of the head-over-heels-in-love novice, leaving the monastery to meet the woman of his dreams. Ah, we were certainly hooked on it. And yet, this year in Bergamo, the audience had to prepare to {…}
This week audiences will get to hear some world premieres, an album dedicated to the LGBT community, and a critical edition of one of Donizetti’s masterpieces. No Choice but Love: Songs of the LGBTQ+ Community American tenor Eric Ferring releases “No Choice but Love: Songs of the LGBTQ+ Community” with pianist Madeline Slettedahl on Lexicon Classics. The two-CD length album {…}
This week audiences will get to hear various world premiere recordings, a tenor singing Donizetti and Wagner’s Ring Cycle. Emily & Sue Adhyâropa Records is set to release a cappella pop-opera album from L.A.-based composer Dana Kaufman and librettist Aiden K. Feltkamp. The work will feature soprano Jasmine Muhammad and Iris Vocal Trio. This piece focuses on the little-known romantic {…}
The Donizetti Opera Festival is set to present “La Favorite.” The festival will present a critical edition edited by Rebecca Harris-Warrick, which reinstates the original French version as conceived by Donizetti for its first performance at the Théâtre de l’Académie Royale de Musique in Paris in 1840. Riccardo Frizza will conduct the work with a cast that includes Annalisa Stroppa {…}
Opera Monte Carlo has announced its 2023 season featuring many of the greatest artists of our time. Cecilia Bartoli stars in Handel’s “Alcina” with Philippe Jarroussky, Sandrine Piau, Varduhi Abrahamyan, Maxim Mironov, and Peter Kalman. Gianluca Capuano conducts the production by Christof Loy. Performance Dates: Jan. 20-26, 2023 Gianluca Capuano conducts Rossini’s “Stabat Mater” with Maria Agresta, Varduhi Abrahamyan, Celso {…}
Javier Camarena is set to perform a concert in Monterrey, Mexico. The tenor will sing perform at the Arena in Monterrey on Sept. 27 and will sing arias by Verdi and Donizetti. He will be accompanied by the orchestra La Super bajo under the direction of maestro Abdiel Vázquez. The concert will also include music by Méndez, Fuentes, Jiménez y {…}
The Metropolitan Opera is set to launch its Summer HD Festival this August. After a screening of Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” on August 26, the company will showcase “Porgy and Bess” starring Angel Blue and Eric Owens from 2020. Performance Date: August 27, 2022 Next up is “Akhnaten” starring Anthony Roth Costanzo from 2019. Performance Date: August 28, 2022 {…}
The Gran Teatre del Liceu has announced a cast change for its production of Mozart’s “Die Zauberflote.” The company noted that tenor Julien Behr will perform the role of Tamino on the June 26 performance, replacing Javier Camarena, who has tested positive for COVID-19. Camarena took to social media stating “I knew it had to happen sooner or later, but {…}
The Teatro Real de Madrid has announced its 2022-23 season featuring nine company premieres. Opera Philip Glass’ “Orphée” opens the season with Jordi Francés conducting Rafael Villalobos’ production. The chamber work stars María Rey-Joly, Isabella Gaudí, Sylvia Schwartz, Natalia Labourdette, Mikeldi Atxalandabaso, Juan Antonio Sanabria, Edward Nelson, Karina Demurova, Pablo García-López, and Emmanuel Faraldo. Performance Dates: Sept. 21-25, 2022 Nicola Luisotti, Diego García Rodríguez, {…}
(Credit: © 2022 Tina Boyadjieva) On May 3, 2022, the American Friends of the Donizetti Opera Festival held its first luncheon at the Lotos Club in New York City. The event marked the first for the organization, which supports artists in their studies on the Donizetti legacy and bel canto and the festival held in November. The event opened with {…}
(Photo credit: Marty Sohl) This review was written in collaboration with David Salazar. On April 23, the Metropolitan Opera opened a new production of “Lucia di Lammermoor.” This marked the second production of Donizetti’s masterpiece during General Manager Peter Gelb’s term. In 2007, the company brought a production by Mary Zimmerman which set the piece in Victorian times and {…}