(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 {…}
(Photo: David Bazemore) Now that 2025 has come and gone, and we are facing a new year of possibilities, it’s best to take a quick review of the stories we’ve explored together in the last years before 2026 really begins. While there has been a good deal of historical articles like the cinematic presence of Maria Callas and Wagner, there’s {…}
(Credit: Ken Howard) This week, The Dallas Opera opens a starry production of Verdi’s epic “Don Carlo.” The production showcases some of the lead interpreters of the opera as well as some house debuts. Among them is that of baritone Étienne Dupuis, who will make his Dallas Opera debut in one of his signature roles. The baritone first sang the role {…}
(Photo: La Boheme movie still press image) There’s no denying it. Italian opera, or ANY opera in another language for that matter, loses something, intrinsically, when it’s sung in English. Additionally, operas performed as a motion picture for cinema lose something more, by necessity, the artists having to mime to a pre-recorded rendition, negating the true passion and emotion of {…}
Photo Credit: Michael Cooper/Canadian Opera Company (2017) Generally absent from contemporary musical discourse, performance repertoire, and the operatic stage today, the name Harry Somers still carries considerable weight in Canada. He was instrumental in creating many of the musical institutions Canada now enjoys, such as the Canadian League of Composers (1951-), Canada Council (1957-), and the Canadian Music Centre (1959-). {…}
(Photo Credit : © Glenn Francis, www.PacificProDigital.com) “You sing this piece very well and it is interesting, but not well-known. It’s risky to do this repertoire in a conservative industry that more likely favors the rep they will know and understand. Something they can compare it to.” I’m hearing these words from a successful opera professional. This person is nice {…}
(Photo Credit: Jo Schramm) Operatic depictions of cruelty, vengeance, wrath, mercilessness, wickedness, barbarism, savagery, and anger seem hallmark elements of the genre itself. From villains like Queen of the Night, Lady Macbeth, and Don Giovanni to ghastly characters like Elektra, Scarpia, Iago, Mefistofele, and Caesar, all the way to troubled souls like Wotan, Giorgio Germont, Turandot, Poulenc’s Chaplain, Anna Bolena, {…}
