(Photo: Marek Olbrzymek) During a walk in the forests outside Brno, Rudolf Těsnohlidek and his friends came across an abandoned baby that was left to freeze under a tree. The unmarried mother was eventually found and claimed she was hoping that the child would be discovered and given a better life. Unfortunately, such incidents were not uncommon in the early {…}
(Photo credit: © Camilla Greenwell/Royal Ballet & Opera) Pinching pitches at an apex, Janáček’s “Jenůfa” scales extremes. The opera tells of sextoness Kostelnička Buryjovka, who takes a lethal misstep to protect her stepdaughter. Persuaded Laca will agree to wed Jenůfa if she’s childless, Kostelnička drowns newborn baby Števa. Rue accrues until Kostelnička confesses. Any other art form would attribute her {…}
For more than a decade, Beth Morrison Projects‘ Prototype Festival (January 9-19, 2025) has cultivated new ideas in New York City’s opera scene, like an haute couture show – what you see presented may not be what people wear in their everyday life, but it introduces concepts and silhouettes designed to influence the art form. “Black Lodge,” billed as a {…}
(Photo: Dario Acosta) In March, American soprano Jacquelyn Stucker will be performing in Philip Venables’ “We are the Lucky Ones” at Amsterdam’s Opera Forward Festival. OperaWire will be interviewing her about the production during the festival, but as a taster, she kindly agreed to answer a few questions about herself. OperaWire: How old were you when you saw your first {…}
(Credit: Evan Zimmerman / Met Opera) For the third time this season, the Metropolitan Opera is reviving Sir. David McVicar’s “Tosca” production. The production has become one of the most successful for Peter Gelb’s tenure and one that has seen some of the greatest divas on stage. At the beginning of the season, the Met showcased a beguiling Aleksandra Kurzak {…}
Composer John Adams’ and librettist Peter Sellars’ opera, “El Niño,” debuted at Metropolitan Opera earlier this year, making this their fourth work to be produced at the Met, including “Doctor Atomic” (2008), “Nixon in China” (2011), and “The Death of Klinghoffer” (2014). OperaWire reviewed the production in addition to attending and documenting Guggenheim Museum’s “Works & Process” presentation by the {…}
(Credit: Javier del Real) There are very few times when an operatic miracle of artistic excellence happens inside an opera house. But attending the performance of soprano Yolanda Auyanet as Maria Stuarda on the night of December 19th was one of those. She is no stranger to the Teatro Real theatre and bel canto repertoire, including her performances of Il Pirata {…}
(Credit: Jennifer Taylor / Met Opera) The Metropolitan Opera is reviving “Rigoletto” for the second time this season. Following a run in the fall, the Met has enlisted a new star cast featuring a promising young tenor and one of the best baritones in the world. The result was a solid evening of music and drama. Hyperactive turntable But before {…}
On Jan. 7, the New York Philharmonic concluded its four concert performances of Strauss’s “Also sprach Zarathustra.” The concert cycle featured Strauss’s famed tone poem, Berlioz’s Song Cycle “Les nuits d’été” and a 2021 piece by Samy Moussa entitled “Elysium.” The result of the concert was a mismatched evening featuring some very inspired playing. “Elysium” The concert opened with Moussa’s {…}