(Credit: Simon van Rompay) This week La Monnaie opened the world premiere of Iain Bell’s new opera “Medusa.” The work explores the human dimension of the Medusa myth, headlined by soprano Claudia Boyle, who showcases Medusa as reborn as a complex and deeply moving woman, alone amid the stone statues of those who, in their thirst for glory, tried to {…}
(Photo Credit: WDR/Teatro Real/Javier del Real) From the earliest days of opera to the cutting edge of today, work was and remains at the heart of opera plots no matter how inventive they are. One of the earliest operas, essentially the one which spearheaded the start of opera itself, Jacopo Peri’s ‘Dafne‘ (1598), features the theme of labour as Apollo’s {…}
On May 3, the Bühnen Bern is set to present a new production of Verdi’s rarely performed opera “La Forza del Destino.” The opera will feature several rising stars Mihails Čuļpajevs. Over the past years, the rising star has performed at the Bregenzer Festspiele, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Opéra de Lyon, Staatsoper Stuttgart, Finnish National Opera, Ópera Nacional de Chile, Royal {…}
(Credit: © Michele Monasta) This week, the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino will perform “The Death of Klinghoffer” for the first time in a high-profile production directed by Luca Guadagnino. The cast will feature many familiar faces, including Marina Comparato, who will return to Florence, continuing a long-standing artistic relationship with the Teatro del Maggio. For this production Comparato will perform the {…}
Photo Credit: Miklos Szabo/Lincoln Center (2011) Having composed the internationally celebrated work, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale‘ (1988), an opera which has gained a truly canonical spot in theatrical repertoire thanks to its global embrace, Danish composer Poul Ruders was and remains on the cutting-edge of opera today. With five operas to his name, among them ‘The Thirteenth Child‘ (2016) and ‘Kafka’s {…}
This week the Metropolitan Opera will revive its iconic production of “La Bohème.” Among the headliners in the cast is soprano Amina Edris as Musetta, making her debut with the company. Over the years, Edris has performed at the Opéra Comique, Staatsoper Berlin, Semperoper in Dresden and at Polish National Opera, among others. OperaWire had a chance to speak with {…}
(Credit: West Bay Opera) This week, the Metropolitan Opera will conclude its run of “Madama Butterfly.” It’s been a noteworthy run with two acclaimed sopranos taking on the title role. But that’s not the end of the story. To close it all out, Toni Marie Palmertree will make her principal role debut at the Met as Cio-Cio San. The role {…}
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis On March 25th, Greece celebrates what is called the country’s day of independence, or the Celebration of the Greek Revolution of 1821. On this day, Greece successfully liberated itself from Ottoman occupation in the year of 1830 and by 1832, the borders of Greece were solidified. For the 2021 bicentennial of their liberation, the Greek {…}
(Credit: Simon van Rompay) This week, the Opéra Royal de Wallonie Liège is set to perform Liszt’s “Faust Symphonie,” a piece inspired by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s drama, “Faust.” For the tenor role, which appears at the end of the piece, Alexander Marev will take centerstage. The rising star has performed with the Opéra Royal de Wallonie over many years {…}
