(Credit: Javier del Real) The Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen gained international attention after winning the Operalia, Queen Sonja and Hans Gabor Belvedere competitions in 2015. Since then, she has sung at major opera houses around the world such as The Met, The Royal Opera, La Scala, Wien staatsoper and Bayreuth Festival. The young soprano has sung the title role of {…}
(Credit: Javier del Real) A woman’s whimper, a stifled scream, echoes in the dark. She flees into the theatre, amidst the stalls, chased by a few men in ominous rabbit masks. She seeks refuge on stage, terrified in front of the bright red curtain, the pack hunts her down, overpowers her. The trombones attack the prelude, with haunting repeated notes, {…}
As part of its World Opera Day Celebration, the Teatro Real de Madrid is offering 100 free tickets to people under 30 for its performance of “Orlando” on Oct. 25 and 26. The offer was available starting at 10 a.m. local time. The company also noted that it would also be offering reduced price tickets for all performances of the {…}
The Teatro Real de Madrid has announced a cast change for its July 17 performance of Puccini’s “Turandot.” The company said that Maribel Ortega will sing the title role replacing Ewa Płonka. In an Instagram post, Płonka added that she had a “swollen larynx that resulted in a complete loss of voice.” Ortega has interpreted the role of Turandot at {…}
Michael Fabiano has withdrawn from his performance in “Turandot” at Teatro Real de Madrid on July 14. The tenor announced his cancelation via Instagram. Fabiano explained in the post his decision was due to “being under the weather.” Jorge De León will sing the role of Calaf in place of Fabiano. Also on this performance is Anna Pirozzi as Princess {…}
Spanish soprano Sabina Puértolas was scheduled to perform a single show of “Il Turco in Italia” on June 2, 2023, with cast A, but because of the cancellation of soprano Lisette Oropesa, she wound up singing back-to-back performances on June 1 and 2. Struggling Singers She has a lirico-leggera voice, marked vibrato, modest volume but a present middle register. The {…}
Arte is set to present a transmission of Rossini’s “Il Turco in Italia” from the Teatro Real de Madrid on Friday, June 9, 2023. The opera will star Alex Esposito (Selim), Misha Kiria (Don Geronio), Edgardo Rocha (Don Narciso), Florian Sempey (Prosdocimo Poet), Paola Gardina (Zaida) and Pablo García-López (Albazar). Also in the cast will be Lisette Oropesa taking on {…}
The Teatro Real de Madrid and the Opéra National de Paris will both be given major awards by Diálogo, Asociación de amistad Hispano-Francesa, an organization aimed at strengthening the Hispanic-French connection throughout Europe. The ceremony is set for June 19 in Madrid where Gregorio Marañon, president of the Teatro Real, and Jean Pierre Clamadieu, president of the Opéra de Paris, {…}
The Teatro Real de Madrid is set to present the modern European premiere of Francesco Corselli’s “Achille in Schiro” starting on Feb. 17, 2023. The opera, which will be presented in co-production with the Theater an der Wien, will run through Feb. 25, 2023 for a total of five performances. Mariame Clément directs a cast starring countertenors Franco Fagioli (Achille, Pirra) and Tim {…}
On Jan. 2, 2023, American soprano Nadine Sierra outshone the rest of the cast of “La Sonnambula” due to her beautiful dark Lirico-leggera voice, her incredible thrilling high notes up to high F, a piercing projection and a strong, believable characterization of the weak Bellini heroine. Despite of her astonishing higher register, her voice is bigger and darker than the {…}
Last week, I provided my thoughts on the other cast of this production of “Aida,” starring soprano Anna Netrebko. But I also had a chance to experience the opera on Nov. 6 with the opening night cast. While the star of that original cast was the lead soprano, here it turned out to be someone else. Star of the Night {…}