“In the Shadows” is the title of baritenor Michael Spyres’ latest solo recital for Erato and Warner Classics. It traces a musical genealogy from Méhul, Weber, and Auber to the Romantic period of Wagner whose “Rienzi” and “Lohengrin” are, to various extents, the culmination point of the artistic developments since the early 19th century. Musical Ancestry The program is certainly {…}
The Teatro Real de Madrid has announced its 2024-25 season. Opera Nicola Luisotti and Andrés Salado conduct Cilea’s “Adriana Lecouvreur” in David McVicar’s production. The production will star Ermonela Jaho, Maria Agresta, Brian Jagde, Matthew Polenzani, Elīna Garanča, Ekaterina Semenchuk, Nicola Alaimo, and Manel Esteve. Performance Dates: Sept. 23-Oct. 11, 2024 Charpentier’s “David et Jonathas” will be performed in concert with Petr Nekoranec, Gwendoline Blondeel, Jean-Christophe {…}
Opera Rara has announced its 2024-25 season. Here is a look at the concert performances and album releases. Concerts The company will open its season with the 1857 version of Verdi’s “Simon Boccanegra” in Manchester. Sir Mark Elder conducts The Hallé and Chorus of Opera North. The cast includes Nicola Alaimo (Simon Boccanegra), Eri Nakamura (Amelia), Iván-Ayón Rivas (Gabriele Adorno), {…}
Welcome back for this week’s look at the latest CD and DVD releases in the opera world. This week audiences will get to hear a new recording of Wagner’s final work with a famed cast and a full recording of Donzietti’s rarely performed work. L’esule di Roma Opera Rara releases its 27th complete Donizetti revival with the Britten Sinfonia conducted by {…}
Having recently become a Knight and awarded the prestigious, “Ordre des Arts et des Lettres,” baritenor Michael Spyres has quickly arisen as one of modern opera’s central luminaries, sensuously consonant with others like the ineffable Sondra Radvanovsky, the Puccini grande dame Angela Gheorghiu, Roberto Alagna, Susan Graham, Mikhail Kruglov, Allan Clayton, Elīna Garanča, and Javier Camarena to name only a {…}
St. Louis Symphony has announced its 2024-25 season. Here is a rundown of its vocal performances. Stéphane Denève conducts Mozart’s Requiem with Dashon Burton, Kelly O’Connor, Joélle Harvey, and Ben Bliss. The program will also includes Mozart’s Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K. 546 and Detlev Glanert’s Four Preludes and Serious Songs. Performance Date: Nov. 9, 2024 Take 6 {…}
The OPER! Awards announced its 2024 winners on Jan. 29, 2024. The awards were held at the Dutch National Opera, which won the Opera House of the Year accolade. The evening saw Waltraud Meier, who recently retired from the opera stage, receive the Lifetime Honorary Award. The Female Singer of the Year went to Ermonela Jaho, while Michael Spyres won {…}
The winners of the 2023 Opera Awards were announced on Thursday at the Polish National Opera. The Bayerische Staatsoper was awarded the top prize of Opera Company of the Year while the Conductor of the Year went to Antonio Pappano. The winner of Best Female Singer of the Year was Aigul Akhmetshina and Best Male Singer of the Year went {…}
The Gran Teatre del Liceu has announced a cast change for its production of “Carmen.” The company said, “Michael Spyres will take on the role of Don José in the opera ‘Carmen,’ replacing Charles Castronovo, who due to scheduling problems is finally unable to participate in the production.” This season Spyres is set to perform “Der fliegende Holländer” at Staatsoper {…}
The Gramophone Magazine has announced the 2023 award nominations. For the purposes of this article, we will only highlight the opera and vocal nominees. The opera nominees are Meyerbeer’s “Robert Le Diable” with Chœur de l’Opera National de Bordeaux, Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, and Marc Minkowski (Bru Zane), Puccini’s “Turandot” with the Orchestra e Coro dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia {…}
Photo: © Marco Borrelli Berlioz’s “Les Troyens” is one of those operas that is larger than life. Arguably, two operas in one night. Everything sounds like the realization of romanticism’s epic promise and showcases the musicians’ talents overflowing in the hall. It is hard to not expect a lot from a performance of Berlioz’s opera with a revolutionary and Romantique {…}