Japan Society to Present ‘Cage Shock’ Celebrating Connection Between John Cage and Japan

https://operawire.com/japan-society-to-present-cage-shock-celebrating-connection-between-john-cage-and-japan/

John Cage had conceived a project titled “Noh-opera: Or the Complete Musical Works of Marcel Duchamp,” which remained unrealized. Influenced by Marcel Duchamp’s “Manual of Instructions” for the infamous peephole artwork “Étant donnés,” The composer had envisioned a significant premiere in Japan. However, it never came to be. On Dec. 7, 2023, Japan Society will present “Cage Shock,” a concert {…}

Behind the Scenes, Interviews

Q & A: Mimi Johnson, the Founder & Director of Performing Artservices (1972) & Lovely Music (1978), on Robert Ashley’s ‘Celestial Excursions’

https://operawire.com/q-a-mimi-johnson-the-founder-director-of-performing-artservices-1972-lovely-music-1978-on-robert-ashleys-celestial-excursions/

(Credit: Matilde Chambon) Mimi Johnson is founder and director of Performing Artservices (1972) and Lovely Music (1978). She was married to composer Robert Ashley and continues to produce and tour his work, including all of Ashley’s operas, from “Perfect Lives” (1978-81) through “Crash” (2013-15) and “Quicksand “(2011-16). OperaWire reviewed Johnson’s most recent productions of Ashley’s operas, including “Improvement (Don Leaves {…}

Special Features

Opera History Flashbacks Pt.1: The Year Was 1991

https://operawire.com/opera-history-flashbacks-pt-1-the-year-was-1991/

Photo Credits: Sabine Toepffer Almost every year, a multitude of operas are premiered, some of which never really get publicly highlighted as they should due to certain operas taking the limelight, funds, and critical attention. Thus, in this three-month series entitled, Opera History Flashbacks, we’ll be taking a look at three historically important years and the operas that were premiered {…}

Opera Meets Film, Special Features

Opera Meets Film: A New Perspective On Life in Michel van der Aa’s ‘A Theory of Flames’

https://operawire.com/opera-meets-film-a-new-perspective-on-life-in-michel-van-der-aas-a-theory-of-flames/

Photo Credit: Hugo Thomassen/Nationale Opera & Ballet Striking a balance between innovation and tradition, the genre of opera films often toes the fine line between two ways of viewing both art-forms. When opera is treated as the subject it comes to life, playing the leading role, whereas when opera is perceived as the object its role becomes supportive, and life {…}

Special Features

The Many Extremes of Opera in 5 Examples

https://operawire.com/the-many-extremes-of-opera-in-5-examples/

(Picture Credit @Wonge Bergmann) What happens when opera is pushed to the far reaches of the socially acceptable, artistically expected, narratively conventional, and formally structured? You end up with controversial productions, reconstructed variations of well-known stories, and strange configurations of unknown ones. One may remember what happened not so long ago with Stutgart’s “Sancta Susanna” or, longer ago, Adams’ “The {…}

IndieOpera

Kamala Sankaram Headlines Concerts with The Orchestra of the S.E.M. Ensemble

https://operawire.com/kamala-sankaram-headlines-concerts-with-the-orchestra-of-the-s-e-m-ensemble/

(Credit: Dario Acosta) The S.E.M. Ensemble will present a special concert at the Paula Cooper Gallery in New York on Dec. 18, 2024. The event will be headlined by soprano Kamala Sankaram and conducted by Petr Kotik. Per an official press release, “the program includes music whose creation directly relates to the Czech Republic, compositions which had an impact or {…}

Special Features

The New Face Of Opera in ‘The Traction Project’

https://operawire.com/the-new-face-of-opera-in-the-traction-project/

(Photo credit: François Matarasso) When you think of opera, one imagines a beautifully finished product, usually disconnected from the labor involved in its creation. But what would happen if the labor to produce opera was just as foregrounded as the result of that labor? This question has been taken up in many forms over the last six to seven decades. {…}

Reviews

Brooklyn Art Song Society 2023-24 Review: Circles III – The Second Viennese School

https://operawire.com/brooklyn-art-song-society-2023-24-review-circles-iii-the-second-viennese-school/

(Photo credit: Catherine Hancock) Brooklyn Art Song Society (BASS) presented “Circles III: The Second Viennese School” on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023 at the First Unitarian Church of Brooklyn. The organization’s season has been a major hit among art song lovers and listeners who might not find a program like this anywhere else, but right here in Brooklyn. The season began {…}

News

Ljuba Bergamelli to Honor Cathy Berberian in Recital at Nuova Consonanza Festival

https://operawire.com/ljuba-bergamelli-to-honor-cathy-berberian-in-recital-at-nuova-consonanza-festival/

The Nuova Consonanza Festival will present a recital in honor of Cathy Berberian on Dec. 9, 2023. Titled “La tua voce è quest’anima diffusa, the showcase will feature soprano Ljuba Bergamelli as she takes on music for solo voice by such composers as John Cage, Domenico Guaccero, Morton Feldman, Pasquale Corrado, Elliott Carter, Georges Aperghis, Alessando Solbiati, Vittorio Montalti, Maria {…}

53 search results for…

Japan Society to Present ‘Cage Shock’ Celebrating Connection Between John Cage and Japan

Q & A: Mimi Johnson, the Founder & Director of Performing Artservices (1972) & Lovely Music (1978), on Robert Ashley’s ‘Celestial Excursions’

Opera History Flashbacks Pt.1: The Year Was 1991

Opera Meets Film: A New Perspective On Life in Michel van der Aa’s ‘A Theory of Flames’

The Many Extremes of Opera in 5 Examples

Kamala Sankaram Headlines Concerts with The Orchestra of the S.E.M. Ensemble

The New Face Of Opera in ‘The Traction Project’

Brooklyn Art Song Society 2023-24 Review: Circles III – The Second Viennese School

Ljuba Bergamelli to Honor Cathy Berberian in Recital at Nuova Consonanza Festival