(Photo: Janina Laszlo) The big hit at this year’s Wexford Festival Opera was undoubtedly Marco Tutino’s opera “La Ciociara,” which tells the story of two women’s desperate bid to survive during the turmoil of the allied invasion of Italy. The star of the performance was Israeli mezzo-soprano Na’ama Goldman in the role of Cesira. Over a coffee, OperaWire quizzed the {…}
(Photo credit: Sony Music) The Royal Opera House has announced a cast change for the June 28, 2023 performance of “Werther.” The company revealed that tenor Jonas Kaufmann has withdrawn from the production due to illness. In his stead, audiences will hear Juan Diego Flórez in the title role. The Peruvian tenor returns to the Massenet opera after performances at {…}
The origin of this opera, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s famous novel, “The Sorrows of Young Werther,” is based on a true story. The first half is based on Goethe himself, and the second half is based on his friend’s life. It was among the most popular books of the latter half of the 18th Century, almost 100 years before Massenet {…}
(Photo: Pat Redmond) The 1950s saw the rollout of electricity across rural Ireland, a process that significantly changed not just the countryside but also the lives of its people. Electrical appliances such as kettles, cookers, hairdryers and lighting meant that life in many ways became more comfortable and freed up time for leisure activities. Moreover, it impacted traditional roles and {…}
Irish mezzo-soprano Niamh O’Sullivan is due to return to her home city of Cork in early May, where she will be performing Charlotte in Irish National Opera’s nationwide tour of Massenet’s “Werther.” Over the past few years, the young singer has witnessed her profile rise quickly on the European opera circuit, notching up regular performances in Munich and Zurich as {…}
(Photo Credit: M. Stafylidou) Mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili will star in the Greek National Opera’s (GNO) revival production of Massenet’s “Werther.” Rachvelishvili will debut her role as Charlotte. Singing the title role of Werther is Italian tenor Francesco Demuro. The cast also includes baritone Nikos Kotenidis as Albert, bass-baritone Yanni Yannissis as the Commendatore, tenor Nicolas Maraziotis as Schmidt, baritone Marinos Tarnanas {…}
Grange Park Opera has announced its summer 2023 slate. The company will feature three operas between June 8 – July 12, 2023. First up is Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde.” The opera will be directed by Charlie Edwards with Gwyn Hughes Jones and Rachel Nicholls as the star-crossed lovers. Joining them will be Christine Rice as Brangäne and David Stout as {…}
Houston Grand Opera is set to present Massenet’s “Werther” starting on Jan. 27, 2023. The opera will star Matthew Polenzani in the title role alongside Isabel Leonard, Jasmine Habersham, and Sean Michael Plumb; all four artists will be making their company debuts. Other cast members include Patrick Carfizzi, Ricardo Garcia, Cory McGee, Emily Triegle, and Luke Sutliff. Also making his {…}
On October 10, 2022, San Francisco Opera launched the latest installment of “Streaming the First Century,” the company’s free online hub for historic recordings and interviews. The new installment, titled “Parle-vouz francais?” features performances of French repertory from SFO’s first 100 seasons. Among them are operas by Massenet, Charpentier, Berlioz, Messiaen, as well as the company’s oldest recording: a piano {…}
On February 20, the curtain of the Salle Garnier at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo rose to inaugurate Jean-Louis Grinda’s new staging of Massenet’s “Werther,” co-produced by the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia, where it received its initial performances in 2017. Just as any Wagnerian pilgrimage naturally leads to the Festspielhaus in Bayreuth, every fervent admirer of Massenet {…}
The Opéra de Monte-Carlo is set to present Massenet’s “Werther” this February. The showcase, which runs between Feb. 20, 2022 and Feb. 26, 2022, will star Jean-François Borras in the title role with Stéphanie d’Oustrac as Charlotte. Jean-François Lapointe will take on the role of Albert with Jennifer Coucier as Sophie. Other cast members include Marc Barrand, Reinaldo Macias, Luca {…}