(Photos by Tristram Kenton) The Royal Opera House is now streaming Jonathan Kent’s production of Puccini’s “Tosca.” Elena Stikhina sings the title role, with Bryan Hymel as Mario Cavaradossi, Alexey Markov as Baron Scarpia, Hubert Francis as Spoletta, and Yuriy Yurchuk singing the role of Cesare Angelotti.Oksana Lyniv conducts. The designs are by Paul Brown. Also featured on Stream are {…}
The Royal Opera House has announced that Marina Rebeka will not be performing in the June 16 showing of “Il Trovatore.” Per an official press release, the soprano has tested positive for COVID-19 and the role of Leonora will be performed by Rachel Willis-Sørensen. This is the second performance that Rebeka has canceled in the run. Willis-Sørensen will perform in {…}
The Royal Opera has announced a cast change for its production of Verdi’s “Il Trovatore.” The company said, “sadly, Marina Rebeka has withdrawn from performing the role of Leonora in tomorrow evening’s performance of ‘Il Trovatore’ after testing positive for COVID-19. Rachel Willis-Sørensen will perform the role ahead of her scheduled run of performances in Il trovatore from June 21 – July 2.” {…}
The Royal Opera House has announced its 2023 Engender Festival. First up will be the UK premiere of “Woman at Point Zero” by Bushra El-Turk with a libretto by Stacy Hardy. Laila Solman directs the opera, which stars Dima Orsho and Carla Nahadi Babelegoto. Kanako Abe conducts. “Woman at Point Zero” is a multimedia work tells a tale of abuse {…}
The Royal Opera House has announced two cast changes for its June 8 production of Verdi’s “Il Trovatore.” The company said, “Sadly, Riccardo Massi (Manrico) and Jamie Barton (Azucena) have withdrawn from tomorrow evening’s performance of ‘Il Trovatore’ after testing positive for COVID-19.” As a result, Stefano La Colla will make his Covent Garden debut performing the role of Manrico, {…}
Jamie Barton has canceled the June 8 performance of “Il Trovatore” at the Royal Opera House. The mezzo took to social media and said, “Y’all… It’s not Azucena-level drama, but your girl’s been going through it a bit herself. A chest cold that required 5 days of full vocal rest, gnarly food poisoning the night before opening, the worst seasonal {…}
Photo: Tristram Kenton Expectations were high for Deborah Warner’s new production of Alban Berg’s “Wozzeck” at the Royal Opera House. Warner’s acclaimed treatment of “Peter Grimes” saw her in similar territory—indeed, the debt owed to Berg’s score by Britten is considerable—in a pair of twentieth-century operas about alienated outsiders, disturbed by the very society that despises them. Both pieces are {…}
The Royal Opera House has unveiled its 2023-24 season. It all kicks off with a production of “Das Rheingold” directed by Barrie Kosky and conducted by Antonio Pappano. The opera stars Christopher Maltman, Christopher Purves, Sean Panikkar, Marina Prudenskaya, Kiandra Howarth, and Wiebke Lehmkulm. Performance Dates: Sept. 11 – 29, 2023 Next up is “La Forza del Destino” in a {…}
Photo: Marc Brenner/ROH Somnific fiction is the stuff of bedtime stories starring beasts and feasts of the absurd: displays of madness only children could endure pre-slumber. Lumbering imaginations with beguilement, it refrains from the revilement of base villains, wrapping them instead in tangible entrancement. This enhancement of surrealness makes the fairytale the tender tooth’s apéritif: a nightly dose of magical {…}
The UK government plans to extend the Theatre Tax Relief (TTR), Orchestra Tax Relief (OTR), and Museums and Galleries Exhibition Tax Relief (MGETR) for an additional two years to continue supporting the cultural sector during the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Companies claiming tax relief for theatrical productions, orchestral concerts, and museum and gallery exhibitions will be affected. The {…}
The Royal Opera House will spotlight the one-year anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia with a public performance. The showcase, set for March 16, 2023, will feature the culmination of two months of choral workshops with Ukrainian participants. In sum, there will be over 130 Ukrainian participants in the performance. The Cathedral Choir of Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of {…}
