(Credit: Walter Hill/Chris Singer/Jiyang Chen) San Francisco Opera is set to inaugurate its 99th season and first under the baton of Caroline H. Hume Music Director Eun Sun Kim, with “Tosca.” The company will present five performances of Giacomo Puccini’s masterpiece and it will represent the first opera staged in the War Memorial Opera House since the pandemic shutdown. The {…}
The Grand Théâtre de la Ville de Luxembourg has announced its 2021-22 seaso featuring dance, opera, musical theater and theater. Here is a look at the four operatic performances that will be presented. James Gray directs a new production of Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro” starring John Chest, Adrian Gonzalez, Robert Gleadow, Florie Valiquette, and Elenore Pancrazi. Jeremie Rhorer conducts {…}
(Credit: Javier del Real) This review was written after the performance on the 3d of July, the first performance of cast B. I usually leave my opinion about the conductor for the end of the review, but in this case, since it affects the performances of the singers drastically, I have opted to give that opinion first. Nicola Luisotti’s reading {…}
(Credit: Chris Singer/Fay Fox/Yan Bleney/Bree Anne Clowdus) The San Francisco Opera has announced its 2021-22 season featuring a variety of classic works and some of the greatest stars in the industry. The season will open with Puccini’s “Tosca“ with Eun Sun Kim conducting an all-star cast that includes soprano Ailyn Pérez as Tosca, tenor Michael Fabiano as Cavaradossi, and bass-baritone Alfred {…}
The ABAO Bilbao Opera in Spain has announced its 2021-22 season. The season opens with a production of “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” starring Jessica Pratt, Michael Fabiano, Elena Zhidkova, and Simón Orfila. The opera will be directed by Vincent Huguet and conducted by Carlo Montanaro. Performance Dates: Oct. 23 – Nov. 1, 2021 Next up “Cavalleria Rusticana” and “Pagliacci” will be {…}
San Francisco Opera has announced new streams for the month of July. The first stream will be a 2016 production of “Jenufa” starring Malin Byström in the title role alongside Karita Mattila, William Burden, and Scott Quinn. The production was directed by Oliver Tambosi with Jiří Bĕlohlávek conducting. Streaming Dates: July 10-11, 2021 Next up the company will stream a {…}
(Credit: Vincent Pontet/Opera de Paris) This review is from the opening night on the 4th of June 2021 For months the Opéra de Paris was doing it all it could to reopen. But the pandemic would not allow it. The result was that many productions were forced on digital platforms, including its recent “Faust” showcase. But alas, after 15 months {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced its next three weeks of nightly streams. The first week will center on Father’s Day, and the following week will celebrate Pride Month, highlighting great performances by artists from the LGBTQ+ community. The final week will be focused on American composers. Additionally, the 1997 telecast of Britten’s “Billy Budd,” featuring Philip Langridge, Dwayne Croft, and {…}
The Opéra de Paris has announced that it will present a special “Gala Lyrique” on June 16, 2021 at the Palais Garnier. The showcase will feature Maria Agresta, Michael Fabiano, Ludovic Tézier, Luca Pisaroni, and the Orchestre de l’Opéra National de Paris, all under the musical direction of Mark Wigglesworth in his company debut. The concert will open with the {…}
The Teatro San Carlo has announced its 2021-22 season featuring 14 operas, 35 concert, and 4 ballets. Here is a look at the operas and the vocal performances. The season opens with Verdi’s “Otello“ with Jonas Kaufmann singing the title role. Michele Mariotti conducts the new production by Mario Martone. Kaufmann will alternate the title role with Yusif Eyvazov and {…}
The Teatro Real de Madrid has announced its 2021-22 season which will feature repertoire from 17th century all the way to the 21 century. Here is a look at the new season. The new season opens with Rossini’s “La Cenerentola“ in a production by Stefan Herheim. Riccardo Frizza conducts the opera which is set to star Karine Deshayes and Aigul {…}