(Photo: ©Tristram Kenton) English National Opera haven’t had a live audience in their home at the London Coliseum since March 2020. But they’ve hardly been idle: their costume department made hospital scrubs, they devised a singing program for those suffering with “long COVID,” and performed “Tosca” and “La bohème” in striking outdoor settings. Their 2021-22 season opened last week with {…}
This week audiences will get a chance to hear many baroque pieces, a solo album from a superstar, a debut album, and the long-awaited release of one of the great contemporary operas of our time. Here is a look at this week’s new releases. Ombra Compagna Soprano Lisette Oropesa presents her solo debut album featuring concert arias by Mozart. The {…}
(Credit: Richard Hubert Smith / ENO) When it opens this Friday, “Akhnaten” will be but the third Philip Glass opera to ever open at the Metropolitan Opera. In sum there will be eight performances of the opera, bringing the total of Glass opera performances at the famed house to 34. The first opera by the Academy Award nominated composer to {…}
Few 20th century composers have had quite the successful run that Philip Glass has enjoyed. Born on Jan. 31, 1937 in Baltimore, Maryland, the composer has become a major influence, his style imitated by composers in a wide range of creative fields. Glass studied at the Juilliard School and then went to Paris on a Fulbright Scholarship to study with {…}
I once saw an evening of Kathakali theater, a kind of folk opera of southern India. I would probably not have understood much of what was going on in “The Killing of Dushasana” had I not read the program booklet beforehand. Even so, after the first scene my regular biases for dialectic drama vanished and I was hooked, overwhelmed by {…}
Mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges’ first love was basketball. “It was something I was quite great at, and could see myself going far in,” the Lakewood, Washington native revealed to OperaWire in a recent interview. But eventually, something else took over her life as she grew older and she knew that she had to leave her first love behind to pursue her {…}
Philip Glass’ operas have had unique places in the standard repertoire, present, but not quite firmly established in the canon of most opera houses. His work “Satyagraha” has recently seen its profile increase quite prominently since its debut on Sept. 5, 1980, as the opera was featured prominently as part of the Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD series. The entire {…}
It is the month of revolutions with a number of major countries acquiring their respective independence in the month of July. Just to list some – the United States, France, Algeria, Colombia, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Peru, Slovakia, Rwanda, Somalia, and Venezuela. All of these nations and many more claim their independence day during this month. Independence didn’t come for free {…}
The English National Opera has released its schedule for the 2017-18 season which features nine operas between September 2017 and April 2018. The season includes four new productions and six revivals. Verdi’s “Aida” is the first opera of the season kicking things off on Sept. 28 and running all the way through December. Latonia Moore and Morenike Fadayomi alternate the {…}
Philip Glass is one of the most acclaimed composers of our time. The composer’s minimalist approach to composition balances the melodic with the arpeggiated rhythm. Most will say that his music all sounds the same but if you listen closely, you’ll discover the intricate melodies within the rhythmic structure. On Jan. 31, 1937 Phillip Glass turns 80 and OperaWire takes {…}