Kristine Opolais, Vida Miknevičiūtė, Tuomas Pursio & Stefan Pop Lead Finnish National Opera’s 2024-25 Season

The Finnish National Opera has announced its 2024-25 season. Premieres Leevi Madetoja’s “The Ostrobothnians”, which is known as Finland’s “national opera” will be directed by director Paavo Westerberg. The cast will include Jukka Rasilainen, Ville Rusanen, Jussi Vänttinen, Johanna Lehesvuori, Maria Turunen, Iida Antola, Päivi Nisula, Tuomas Pursio, Aarne Pelkonen, Ilkka Hämäläinen and Mika Pohjonen. The Orchestra of the Finnish National {…}

Mar 20, 2024

Benjamin Bernheim, Lisette Oropesa, Ludovic Tézier & Asmik Grigorian Lead Opéra de Paris’ 2024-25 Season

The Opéra de Paris has announced its 2024-25 season. Opera Verdi’s “Falstaff” opens the season with a cast that includes Ambrogio Maestri, Olivia Boen, Marie-Andrée Bouchard-Lesieur, Andrei Kymach, Gregory Bonfatti, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Iván Ayón-Rivas, and Federica Guida. Michael Schønwandt conducts the production by Dominique Pitoiset. Performance Dates: Sept. 10-30, 2024 Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” will star Eleonora Buratto, Elena Stikhina, Aude {…}

Feb 13, 2024

Royal Opera House 2023–24 Review: La bohème

(Photo: Camilla Greenwell/Royal Opera House) Trailing draggily behind Puccini’s rue and jubilance, this season’s Royal Opera House revival of the tearful “La bohème” appears afraid of the work’s earnestness. Decked out in semi-mockeries of 1830s Paris, Richard Jones’ 2017 production favors episodes of bawdiness at the expense of the Bohemian; endangering its players’ vocal liberties. Perhaps as the result of {…}

Nov 17, 2023

Annalisa Stroppa, Lise Davidsen, Luciano Pavarotti & Yannick Nézet-Séguin Lead New CD/DVD Releases

Welcome back for this week’s look at the latest CD and DVD releases in the opera world. This week you get albums from two very famous singers, a soundtrack to one of this year’s Oscar contenders, and two complete opera recordings you cannot miss. Maestro Deutsche Grammophon releases the official soundtrack to Bradley Cooper’s new film “Maestro.” The recording features {…}

Nov 16, 2023

CD Review: Pentatone’s ‘Tosca’

After this summer’s “Un Ballo in Maschera,” the forces behind the Dutch label Pentatone are turning their attention to another heavy-hitter from the Italian repertoire: with “Tosca” they enter the well-trodden territory of one of the most recorded operas ever. Yet, Carlo Montanaro and the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester do not pretend to proverbially reinvent the wheel the way Rostropovich famously did in {…}

Nov 7, 2023

Royal Opera House 2023-24 Review: Rigoletto

(©Tristram Kenton) The Royal Opera presented at their Covent Garden Theatre a revival of their new production of “Rigoletto” by the stage director, and artistic director of the Royal Opera, Oliver Mears. Oliver Mears’ production is austere and minimalistic. The first two acts have a back golden wall, with big paintings hanging on the palace’s scenes, and Gilda’s room for {…}

Mar 24, 2023

Camilla Nylund, Amanda Majeski & Lise Lindstrom Lead Semperoper Dresden’s 2023-24 Season

The Semperoper Dresden has announced its 2023-24 season. Here is a look at the operatic productions of the season. Premieres Puccini’s “Turandot” is set to star Elisabeth Teige, Aleksei Kulagin, Yonghoon Lee, and Elbenita Kajtazi. Ivan Repušić conducts the new production by Marie-Eve Signeyrole. Performance Dates: Oct. 7-Nov. 25, 2023 Mary Plazas, Katerina von Bennigsen, Peter Tantsits, and Andrew Nolen {…}

Feb 14, 2023

Teatro dell’Opera di Roma to Present Verdi’s Requiem

The Teatro dell’Opera di Roma is set to present Verdi’s Requiem with Michele Mariotti conducting. The performance is set to take place on Feb. 15, 2023, three days after the final performance of the company’s “Aida.” The work will star Elena Stikhina, Yulia Matochkina, Stefan Pop, and Giorgi Manoshvili. In a statement, Mariotti said, “To do the Requiem after Aida {…}

Jul 23, 2022

Eleonora Buratto, Aleksandra Kurzak, Luca Salsi & Anna Caterina Antonacci Lead Teatro dell’Opera di Roma’s 2022-23 Season

The Teatro dell’Opera di Roma has announced its 2022-23 Season. Emma Dante conducts Poulenc’s “Dialogues des Carmelites” with Michele Mariotti conducting. Corinne Winters stars alongside Anna Caterina Antonacci, Ewa Vesin, Ekaterina Gubanova, and Jean-François Lapointe. The opera will be transmitted live on Rai Cultura and Rai5. Performance Dates: Nov. 27-Dec. 6, 2022 Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’Amore” will be conducted by Francesco {…}

Jul 13, 2022

Marina Rebeka, Carmela Remigio, Francesco Meli & Maria Josè Siri Lead Teatro Carlo Felice’s 2022-23 Season

The Teatro Carlo Felice has announced its 2022-23 Season. Opera Berlioz’s “Béatrice et Bénedict” is set to star Julien Behr, Giorgio Misseri, Benedetta Torre, Francesca Benitez, Cecilia Molinari, and Sofia Koberidze. Donato Renzetti conducts the production by Damiano Michieletto. Performance Dates: Oct. 28-Nov. 6, 2022 Rossini’s “La Cenerentola” is set to star Filippo Maria Romano, Giovanni Romeo, Hongni Wu, Laura Verrecchia, {…}

May 12, 2022

Teatro Comunale di Bologna 2022 Review: Lucrezia Borgia

(Photo: Half way through the first act of Teatro Comunale di Bologna’s production of Donizetti’s “Lucrezia Bogia,” a chorus of booing and shouts of “Shame on you” rang out from sections of the audience, which was met by enthusiastic applause from other parts of the theatre. Following the interval, some members of the audience voted with their feet and did {…}