The Vienna State Opera has announced the 2018-19 season, which is incidentally the company’s 150-anniversary year. The season will include six new productions, including a world premiere production. Here is a breakdown of what’s to come. New Productions (In Order of Opening) Berlioz’s “Les Troyens” will be the first new production, starting on Oct. 14, 2018. David McVicar directs while {…}
This review is for the performance on Thursday, March 22, 2018. Before I begin my review, properly, of this absolutely incredible evening, which featured some amazing musical moments, I want to bring up a constant I have seen throughout the past few years at the Metropolitan Opera and many theaters in the world. This season, the Metropolitan Opera presented a {…}
There is a perception that if you don’t sing an E flat at the end of the mad scene in “Lucia di Lammermoor,” you don’t have the voice for Donizetti’s virtuoso singing. But this is a false tradition that has been implanted in opera lover’s minds for too long. I once witnessed an important diva who sang a performance of Lucia {…}
“Lucia di Lammermoor “ is, in many ways, the DIVA opera. You have a title role for soprano filled with a ton of duets (one with each of the main male leads), and at the climax of it all, opera’s most famous mad scene. And that’s without mentioning her other aria and the sextet that she dominates. It’s a daunting {…}
It’s the final the week of the year and that means many companies are off. But there are many New Year’s Galas to keep track of. Here are just a few! Die Fledermaus – Vienna State Opera, Austria The Vienna State Opera continues its tradition as it rings the New Year with its classic production of “Die Fledermaus” with Michael Schade {…}