Who knew that a music video entitled “Opera” could instigate a conversation on the nature of opera and being human? Thanks must be given to Niklas Paschburg, a German musical artist whose ‘ambient pop’ style blurs the distance between conscious and unconscious feeling: itself the very constitution of opera’s ‘third death.’ In this month’s “Opera Meets Film,” I explore the {…}
(Credit: Bernd Uhlig) On April 13, the Berlin State Opera kicked off a new production of “Norma” by Vasily Barkhatov. The opera opened the company’s 2025 festival with Rachel Willis-Sørensen making her role debut as Norma. For the American soprano, this new venture into the bel canto repertory represents a departure from the repertoire she is best known for, which {…}
(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 {…}
(Credit: Michele Crosera) This week, the Teatro La Fenice opens a new production of Donizetti’s masterpiece “Anna Bolena” featuring a cast of Bel Canto specialists. Leading the cast is Russian soprano Lidia Fridman. Over the years, the rising star soprano has made a name for herself in the Bel Canto repertoire since her breakout at the Donizetti opera Festival singing {…}
Opera exists throughout the world, from more traditional forms that depart from Westernized forms such as Peking opera, to more blended forms like the Zarzuela. Outside the European framework, opera has taken on an incredibly diverse range of complexions, from the Savoy opera to the Farsa. And while many more categories exist, it cannot be denied that European-styled opera is {…}
The Norwegian Opera is set to present “The Cunning Little Vixen,” a work that is rarely performed by a major company. This season the company will showcase a cast of rising stars including Victoria Randem. Randem is part of the Young Artist Program at Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Berlin, and has performed with the Bayerische Staatsoper, Glyndebourne festival, Semper Oper {…}
(Credit: Karen Almond / Met Opera) This week, the Metropolitan Opera is set to present Jake Heggie’s “Moby Dick” for the first time in the company’s history. It is being headlined by Brandon Jovanovich, who is taking on the role of Captain Ahab. Jovanovich is no stranger to the work as he covered the role of Ahab during its world {…}
This week the Wiener Staatsoper is set to Present a new production of “Norma” with an all-star cast featuring some of the best Bel Canto singers in the industry. Among them is Federica Lombardi, who will take on the iconic and challenging title role. Over the past years, Lombardi has been a rising star who has performed in many of {…}
(Credit: Marty Sohl/Metropolitan Opera) It’s that time of the year. I am of course referring to the period when opera fans around the world start checking their calendars as they prepare for what they will be checking out in the upcoming season. Always an event unto itself is the Metropolitan Opera’s new season announcement, always full of interesting storylines, surprises, {…}
