(Credit: Alain Hanel) The new production of Rossini’s “Il Turco in Italia” at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo was a symbolic bridge between the present and future of this illustrious opera house. The production’s stage director was Jean-Louis Grinda, who for the past fifteen years has also served as Director of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, while the show’s prima donna was {…}
Soprano Channa Malkin is set to make her Polish debut on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2022 at the Filharmonia Kameralna. The soprano will perform arias and romances from Rossini operas and zarzuelas. Malkin will perform alongside Spanish conductor Santiago J. Otero and violinist Daniel Garcia de Castro. “Zarzuela is one of my all time favorite genres because it combines sensuality, playfulness {…}
The Opéra de Monte-Carlo has announced a cast change for its upcoming production of “Il Turco in Italia.” The company noted that Ildar Abrazakov has withdrawn from the production due to personal reasons. In his stead, audiences will hear Adrian Sâmpetrean in the role of Selim for all performances scheduled between Jan. 21 and 27, 2022 (a total of four {…}
The year is about to end but before it does, here are two new releases that you can’t miss. What’s more, they are rarely performed operas. Titon et l’Aurore Naxos releases Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville’s opera with Reinoud van Mechelen, Gwendoline Blondeel, Emmanuelle de Negri, Marc Mauillon, Julie Roset, and Renato Dolcini. Les Arts Florissants is led by William Christie {…}
The Opera Royal de Liege Wallonie staged a brand-new production of Rossini’s “Otello.” The once-popular opera used to be performed worldwide in Rossini’s time but disappeared from the repertoire completely when Verdi’s “Otello” premiered in 1887. But that wasn’t all. Rossini’s version also fell out of the rotation for the same reasons many bel canto works disappeared: the realism and {…}
(Credit: Andrey Uspensky) Opéra National de Paris has announced that mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina will perform the role of Rosina in Rossini’s “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” for the performances between May 30 – June 10, 2022. Akhmetshina joins a cast that includes René Barbera in the role of Count Almaviva, Renato Girolami as Bartolo, Alex Esposito as Don Basilio, Katherine Broderick {…}
(Credit: Daniil Rabovsky) Tenor Sergey Romanovsky has canceled his participation in the title role of Rossini’s “Otello Ossia Il Moro di Venezia” for performances on Dec. 21 & 23 due to illness. As a result, tenor Anton Rositskiy will sing the role, while Grégoire Lugué-Thébaud will act it on the stage. Rositskiy joins a cast that includes Salome Jicia as {…}
(Credit: Merce Rial) The Palau de La Música València has announced an upcoming concert by the Spanish soprano Núria Rial scheduled for Dec. 22, 2021 at the Teatro Principal. Rial will be joined onstage by tenor Martin Mitterrutzner. Rial and Mitterrutzner will perform arias for soprano and tenor from operas by Mozart and Rossini. In the remainder of the concert, {…}
(Credit: Wiener Staatsoper official website) The Wiener Staatsoper has announced the slate of operas that it will be presenting on its streaming platform over the next week. Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin” from 2020 kicks off the slate. The opera spotlights Helene Schneiderman, Nicole Car, Anna Goryachova, Larissa Diadkova, Andrè Schuen, Bogdan Volkov, Dimitry Ivashchenko, Dan Paul Dumitrescu, Mykola Erdyk, and Johanna {…}
The Festival D’Aix-En-Provence has announced its 2022 slate featuring a varied repertoire and international stars. The festival will begin on July 4 and is set to run through July 23, 2022. Here is a look at the upcoming season: Mahler’s “Resurrection” will be conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen in a production by Romeo Castellucci. Golda Schultz and Marianne Crebassa star. Performance {…}
(Credit: Klaus Frahm) The Deutsche Oper Berlin has announced its upcoming December 2021 performances. Mezzo-soprano Doris Soffel will give a concert singing lieder by Gustav Mahler and Kurt Weill. Performance date: Dec. 2, 2021 Soprano Anja Harteros gives a concert featuring Wagner’s “Wesendonck-Lieder” and “Liebestod” from “Tristan und Isolde.” The orchestra will also present Richard Strauss’ “Tod und Verklärung” op. {…}