496 search results for…

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Teatro La Fenice 2020-21 Review: ‘Prima La Musica E Poi Le Parole’ & ‘Der Schauspieldirektor’

https://operawire.com/teatro-la-fenice-2020-21-review-prima-la-musica-e-poi-le-parole-der-schauspieldirektor/

(Photo: Michele Crosera) Contrary to popular rumor, it is very unlikely that Salieri and Mozart were on acrimonious terms, let alone enemies. As court composer to Emperor Joseph II, Salieri dominated Viennese musical society which he used to secure positions for Italian artists, which no doubt irritated the ambitious Mozart, but there is no evidence for any animosity between the {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Musikfest Bremen 2026 Review: L’isola disabitata

https://operawire.com/musikfest-bremen-2026-review-lisola-disabitata/

(Photo: Nikolai Wolff) Franz Joseph Haydn’s “L’isola disabitata” (1779) runs for just eighty minutes, making it a uniquely compact chamber opera. The Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century production at Oldenburg State Theater fully embraced this inherent brevity by adopting a minimal stage design. During the overture, a simple grey backdrop was manually raised, coming alive as lighting cues cast shifting {…}

News

Freddie de Tommaso, Eleonora Buratto, Maggie Finnegan & Gundula Janowitz Lead New CD/DVD Releases

https://operawire.com/freddie-de-tommaso-eleonora-buratto-maggie-finnegan-gundula-janowitz-lead-new-cd-dvd-releases/

Welcome back as we explore the latest CD and DVD releases from around the opera world. This week, audiences will get to hear a world premiere recording from one of Verismo’s biggest composers. There are also a number of remasters. Aribert Reimann: Ein Traumspiel, Denn Bleiben ist nirgends Albert Reimann’s “Ein Traumspiel” and “Denn Bleiben ist nirgends” are released with {…}

DVD and CD Releases, News

Lisette Oropesa, John Holiday, Klaus Florian Vogt, Camilla Nylund & Anne Sofie von Otter lead New CD/DVD Releases

https://operawire.com/lisette-oropesa-john-holiday-klaus-florian-vogt-camilla-nylund-anne-sofie-von-otter-lead-new-cd-dvd-releases/

Welcome back as we explore the latest CD and DVD releases from around the opera world. This week comes the release of a bel canto masterpiece with Lisette Oropesa, as well as an album dedicated to Berlin starring Anne Sofie von Otter. John Holiday also makes his album debut. Here is a look at the new releases. Maria Stuarda Naxos {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Royal Ballet & Opera 2025-26 Review: La Bohème

https://operawire.com/royal-ballet-and-opera-2025-26-review-la-boheme/

(Photo: Ian Hippolyte) Richard Jones’ production of “La Bohème,” currently at Covent Garden for its eighth run, is a magnificent piece of art. It is still, however, tempered with a few anomalies including nonsensical stage changes in full view of the audience. I’ve grown to accept set designer Stewart Laing’s bohemian residence, portrayed here as a clinically spruce garret; albeit {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

The Atlanta Opera 2025-26 Review: Turandot

https://operawire.com/the-atlanta-opera-2025-26-review-turandot/

(Credit: Raftermen photography) Trigger warning: discussions of sexual assault. The Atlanta Opera (TAO) has given us a new way to stage one of the 21st century’s most performed operas, Puccini’s “Turandot.” Premiering on 25 April 2026, the 100th anniversary of the work’s original premiere, the edits were light. The only significant changes were an excision of most of Franco Alfano’s {…}

Artist of the Week, Special Features

Artist of the Week: Diana Lamar

https://operawire.com/artist-of-the-week-diana-lamar/

This week, the Teatro Verdi Trieste is set to present Strauss’ masterwork “Elektra” with two different casts. The opera is known for its demanding roles especially the title character, requiring a soprano with immense stamina. For this run, the company has brought two of the great interpreters of the role including Diana Lamar. The production in Trieste will mark her {…}

Behind the Scenes, Interviews

Q & A: Professor Plamen Kartaloff, Director of Sofia Opera & Ballet

https://operawire.com/q-a-professor-plamen-kartaloff-director-of-sofia-opera-ballet/

(Photo: Sofia Opera) Professor Plamen Kartaloff’s legacy as the director of Sofia Opera is guided by his deep commitment to artistic integrity and the living spirit of music in the theater. This depth comes from years spent putting in the work, forging new paths and uncovering the musical possibilities “between the lines” for Bulgarian singers. While the Bulgarian opera tradition {…}

Special Features

The Conductor-Singer Relationship, Centered on Speranza Scappucci and Her Masterclass at the Royal Opera House

https://operawire.com/the-conductor-singer-relationship-centered-on-speranza-scappucci-and-her-masterclass-at-the-royal-opera-house/

The relationship between a conductor and a singer is one of the least examined and most consequential elements of operatic performance. Audiences follow the voice. Critics assess the voice. The conductor, who shapes the tempo the voice breathes within, the space it is given, the dynamic world it moves through, tends to appear in reviews as a presence behind the {…}