Cecilia Bartoli Extends Contract As Artistic Director Of The Salzburg Whitsun Festival

Italian mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli has extended her contract as Artistic Director of the Salzburg Whitsun Festival until 2026. “On May 21, the Board of Trustees extended the contract of our highly successful Artistic Director, Markus Hinterhäuser. His first official act was to ask the wonderful Cecilia Bartoli to extend her own contract as Artistic Director until 2026, giving the Whitsun {…}

Manon Lescaut CD Review: Anna Netrebko & Yusif Eyvazov Deliver Puccini’s ‘Desperate Passion’ in Intelligent Performance

When Puccini set out to write his “Manon Lescaut,” the composer drew attention to his “feeling it like an Italian, with a desperate passion.” Though the comment came in the context of his comparing it with Massenet’s own interpretation of the work, that idea of desperation has certainly played into numerous readings of the work. A look at the catalogue {…}