(Credit: Bernd Uhlig) Starting on May 13, 2022, Marquee TV will present Deutsche Oper Berlin’s new production of Wagner’s epic Ring Cycle. This new interpretation is said to utilize the journeys of individual characters to reflect the values of our society, reintroducing the cycle for a 21st century audience. Directed by Stefan Herheim and conducted by leading Wagnerian expert Sir {…}
Opera Maine is set to present Wagner’s “The Flying Dutchman” starting on July 27, 2022. The opera, which will be the centerpiece of the company’s new season, will be presented at the Merrill Auditorium in Portland, Main and will be conducted by Israel Gursky. Dona D. Vaughn will direct the opera which will be headlined by Mark Delavan, Felicia Moore, {…}
Teatro Real concludes Wagner’s epic tetralogy “Der Ring des Nibelungen” with nine performances of the fourth title, “Götterdämmerung,” after having presented one opera per season, beginning with “Das Rheingold” in 2019. Unfortunately, the production of this fourth opera, directed by Robert Carsen and Patrick Kinmonth, turned out to be repetitive, meaningless, and plain. Dull & Meaningless One of the main {…}
(Credit: © Studioline Photography) Legendary heldentenor Peter Seiffert has withdrawn from the performances of Wagner’s romantic opera “Tannhäuser” at the Deutsche Oper Berlin on Feb. 12 and 20, 2022. As a result, Stephen Gould and Klaus Florian Vogt will take over the title role. Gould and Vogt join a cast that includes Camilla Nylund as Elisabeth and Venus, and Tobias {…}
In a 2019 article, Lynn René Bayley castigated modern opera for its “bastardization” of its sacred origins. She declared that the post-modernist operatic aesthetic relies too much on brazen sexuality and enigmatic “shock-value,” with such dependencies producing nothing but “gutter trash” performances that are poisoning the artform’s contemporary credibility. After having expressed her disgust at Hans Neuenfels’ laboratory-themed take on Wagner’s {…}
(Credit: Daniil Rabovsky) The Staatsoper Unter den Linden has announced that bass Grigory Shkarupa will replace René Pape in the role of Heinrich der Vogler in Wagner’s “Lohengrin” for the performances on April 24, 30, and May 7, 2022. Shkarupa joins a cast that includes Vida Miknevičiūtė as Elsa von Brabant, Martin Gantner as Friedrich von Telramund, Iréne Theorin as {…}
(Credits: Chris Gloag / Tanja Niemann) The Icelandic Opera has announced that it will stage Wagner’s iconic work “Die Walküre.” The opera will star Iréne Theorin as Brünnhilde, Ólafur Kjartan Sigurõarson in the role of Wotan, Christopher Ventris as Siegmund, Claire Rutter as Sieglinde, Christa Mayer as Fricka, and Kristinn Sigmundsson in the role of Hunding. Eva Ollikainen conducts the {…}
(Credits: © Matthias Baus / © Chris Gloag / © Matthias Baus) The Staatsoper Stuttgart has announced that it will live stream Wagner’s opera “Das Rheingold” on Dec. 19, 2021 at 5:50 p. m. CET. The opera stars Goran Jurić as Wotan, Paweł Konik as Donner, Moritz Kallenberg as Froh, Matthias Klink as Loge, Leigh Melrose in the role of {…}
(Credit: Devon Cass) The Vallejo Center for the Arts has announced that the Empress Theatre will reopen after two-year long hiatus due to COVID-19 pandemic with a special concert featuring Canadian American dramatic soprano Othalie Graham. The concert, which will take place on Jan. 15, 2022, will be dedicated to the great German composer Richard Wagner. Graham will perform dramatic {…}
(Credit: Georg Zeppenfeld) The Wiener Staatsoper has announced that bass René Pape will not be appearing in the role of Gurnemanz in the run of Wagner’s “Parsifal.” As a result, German bass Georg Zeppenfeld will take over the role. Zeppenfeld joins a cast that includes Wolfgang Koch, Anja Kampe, Nikolay Sidorenko, Artyom Wasnetsov, Carlos Osuna, Erik Van Heyningen, Patricia Nolz, {…}
(Credit: Royal Opera House official website) The Royal Opera House has announced multiple cast changes for its upcoming productions of Puccini’s “Tosca,” Wagner’s “Lohengrin,” and Donizetti’s “Don Pasquale.” Per an official press release, Oksana Lyniv will conduct the full run of Tosca in 2021, replacing Francesco Ivan Ciampa who was due to conduct the performances on Dec. 11, 14 & {…}