Any new “Otello” recording is usually the focus of major conversation. The Verdi and Boito opera is undeniably one of the pinnacle works in the standard repertory, encompassing a vast array of emotional colors with some of the greatest music humankind has ever conjured up. And the world has seen some truly legendary recordings over the past century with some {…}
(Credit: Jason Homa) The Wexford Festival has unveiled its 69th Festival, which includes a program inspired by the work of William Shakespeare. It all kicks off with “Ein Wintermärchen,” a work by Karl Goldmark. The performance, which will take place that O’Reilly Theatre, stars Sergy Radchenko, Sophie Gordeladze, Deanna Breiwick, Simon Thorpe, Julian Hubbard, Rory Musgrave, Lancelot Nomura, and Zlata {…}
The Vienna State Opera will live stream Verdi and Boito’s “Otello” on Feb. 7, 2020. The opera will feature Stephen Gould in the title role with Krassimira Stoyanova as Desdemona, and Carlos Álvarez as Iago. The Adrian Noble production will be conducted by Jonathan Darlington. The stream kicks off at 7 p.m. local time. That’s around 1p.m. EDT and 10 {…}
The Flordia Grand Opera has announced its 2020-21 season celebrating its 80 anniversary, the seventh oldest opera company in America. This season Knight Concert Hall will become the new home for FGO’s Made for Miami series branded “Opera at Knight” to showcase 20th and 21st century operatic work. The season will open with Verdi’s popular masterwork “La traviata.” Performance Dates: {…}
(Credit: Catherine Ashmore / ROH) Smothered in monochrome, Keith Warner’s 2017 production of Verdi’s “Otello” is a humorless parody of art deco design. Tar-colored towers hold its personages in a chokehold; escorting them onstage with sliding trays resembling CD player disc drives. Vertical slots in the abyss and square-shaped patterns often visible on casual sweaters sever the obscurity. In its {…}
October is at an end and opera season is in full force. This weekend features a plethora of fascinating options across the country, making it truly challenging to single out a few specific performances. And despite the high quality all around, we zeroed in on a few showcases that we feel really rise to the top. Here are our top {…}
The Washington National Opera is set to open the 2019-20 season with Verdi’s “Otello.” The season will open with Russell Thomas in the title role, a work he recently performed to great acclaimed at the Canadian Opera Company. He is joined by Leah Crocetto in the role of Desdemona. They both reunite after an acclaimed “Don Carlo” which OperaWire called, {…}
Roberto Alagna has dropped out of Verdi’s “Otello” at the Bayerische Staatsoper this summer. The Munich theater announced that Alagna has dropped out of the two performances in July and as a result will be replaced by Gregory Kunde. Kunde is a recognized “Otello” who has performed the role at the Royal Opera, Teatro La Fenice, Teatro Real de Madrid, {…}
Giuseppe Verdi is undeniably one of the greatest composers in the history of opera with such works as “La Traviata,” “Aida,” “Rigoletto,” ubiquitous with the artform. Verdi’s genius is often associated with his melodic vibrancy and muscularity, but the greatest strength of his art is his ability to embed his characters with deep humanity, even in the most absurd of {…}
Since Sept. 6, 2019, the Morgan Library & Museum in New York City has been holding an exhibition that details the development and creation of Verdi’s final two operas. The exhibition, entitled “Verdi: Creating ‘Otello’ and ‘Falstaff’” and curated by Gabriele Dotto, presents a wide range of materials courtesy of the Bertelsmann-owned Ricordi Archive, all organized as to give the {…}
The Verdi Chorus is set to showcase a new program “Sound and Fury” as part of its 36th season.The event, set for Nov. 16-17 at the First United Methodist Church in Santa Monica, California, will feature Alex Boyer, Shana Blake Hill, and Malcolm MacKenzie as guest soloists. The program will center on operatic sequences from Verdi’s “Otello” and “Il Trovatore,” {…}