(Credit: Karen Almond / Met Opera) On May 19, the Metropolitan Opera will premiere a new production of Mozart’s popular singspiel “Die Zauberflöte,” the first new staging of the famed opera at the company since 2004. It will feature an exciting cast of artists, including Lawrence Brownlee who returns to the Met for the first time since 2015. Brownlee will {…}
This week the Konzerthaus Berlin is set to world premiere Donizetti’s “Dalinda,” a reworked version of the famed “Lucrezia Borgia.” The opera, which has been restored in a new version by Eleonora Di Cintio, will star a cast of Bel Canto singers including the acclaimed tenor Luciano Ganci. Ganci will return to the Konzerthaus for the first time in five {…}
“Norma” is considered one of the most difficult soprano roles in the repertoire and for many singers, it is the pinnacle of the repertoire. But interestingly, Bellini’s masterpiece has also been performed by some mezzo-sopranos and this week, Vasilia Berzhanskaya, a mezzo, will add the demanding role to her growing Bel Canto repertoire. At the age of 29, the mezzo {…}
Last week the Opernhaus Zürich opened a new production of Gounod’s “Roméo et Juliette” led by two accomplished French singers. The cast also included one of today’s rising stars Brent Michael Smith. Smith made his professional role debut as Frère Laurent, a role that critics praised for his “soothing bass voice.” Audiences around the world were also able to see {…}
This week the Teatro alla Scala is set to present a new production of Donizetti’s masterpiece “Lucia di Lammermoor.” The production will bring together two of the greatest Bel canto singers of our time, Juan Diego Florez and Lisette Oropesa. It will also showcase rising star Boris Pinkhasovich. Pinkhasovich will sing the role of the villainous Enrico. The role marks {…}
(Credit: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera.) On April 8, Angela Gheorghiu will return to the Metropolitan Opera for the first time since 2015. Recognized as one of the great divas of her generation, the soprano will perform in the iconic diva role of “Tosca.” Gheorghiu last performed at the Met in Luc Bondy’s production of “Tosca” and she lit up the stage {…}
This week Rolando Villazón will bring his acclaimed production of Bellini’s “La Sonnambula” to the Semperoper Dresden. The opera will feature a number of rising stars including Emily Pogorelc, who will take on the title role. The production will mark Pogorelc’s role debut and house debut and will mark her first major Bellini opera; it is also one of her {…}
This past week the Teatro alla Scala opened a revival of Puccini’s “La Bohème.” The production stars a cast of well-known singers and is also making history with one of its stars as Irina Lungu will become the first singer to perform both Musetta and Mimì in the same season at the legendary Italian opera house. The soprano will first {…}
This week the Washington Concert Opera is set to conclude its 2022-23 season with Verdi’s “Nabucco” featuring a cast of rising stars and established singers. Leading the team will be established baritone Lester Lynch. The baritone will be adding another Verdi role to his repertoire after having appeared in such works as “Il Trovatore,” “Rigoletto,” “La Traviata,” and “Aida.” In {…}
(Credit: Kike Barona) This week Opera Columbus will make history by performing its first Spanish-language opera, Maria de Buenos Aires.” For the historic production, the company has put together a Latino cast that is headlined by the Serbain-Colombian mezzo Monica Danilov. Danilov will make her Opera Columbus debut in the title role marking also her first major lead role at {…}
On Feb. 17, the Hawai’i Opera Theatre is set to open a production of “L’Elisir d’Amore” with a cast of rising stars making a house debut. Among the stars is Efraín Solís. The Latine singer is a graduate of the San Francisco Opera Adler Fellowship where he sang his first performances of Papageno in “Die Zauberflöte,” Dandini in “La Cenerentola,” {…}