(Photo: Birgit Gufler) In 1874 Mussorgsky’s ‘Boris Godunov’ received its premiere at St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre. Yet, he was not the first to write an opera of that name, 164 years earlier in 1710 Johann Mattheson completed his version of “Boris Goudenow,” but for reasons which are now unclear it was not performed during the composer’s lifetime, and ended up {…}
The Bregenzer Festspiele, the annual open-air summer opera festival which takes place in Bregenz, Austria, revived its spectacular production of “Rigoletto” this July, a performance which originally premiered in the summer of 2019. After being closed for one season due to the pandemic, the festival has reopened, now requiring attendants to provide proof of negative COVID tests or vaccine certificates {…}
(Photo: Birgit Gufler) Bernardo Pasquini (1637 – 1710) is not a particularly well-known name in opera circles, yet in his day he was considered the foremost composer of dramatic works for the stage in Rome, with his high point coming in the 1670s and 80s, after which he was slowly displaced by, amongst others, Alessandro Scarlatti. As well as 15 {…}
What a wonder Giuseppe Verdi’s final opera “Falstaff” is. After all, he had, outside of his “Quattro pezzi sacri,” retired from the “arena” of composing and opera (with one of the grandest of all grand operas, “Aida”). But then, fate conspired, in a rather unlikely way, to have the maestro cross paths, and then lives, and ultimately work itself, with {…}
(Photo: Amati Bacciardi) “Elisabetta, Regina d’Inghilterra,” premiering in 1815, was Rossini’s first of eight operas for Naples’ Teatro di San Carlo. Having already established himself in Venice and Milan, he was set on conquering the Neapolitan public. This was no easy task, given the opposition he faced from the local cognoscenti. Such was his determination, however, he gave considerable attention {…}
(Credit: © Glyndebourne Productions Ltd. Photo: Bill Cooper) Glyndebourne’s final production of this year’s festival is a semi-staged realization of Richard Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde,” conceived by Daniel Dooner and featuring Glyndebourne music director Robin Ticciati in the pit, accompanied by their resident orchestra the London Philharmonic Orchestra. It’s a production that boldly sets out several role debuts, in Simon {…}
Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor” has been performed at the Gran Teatre del Liceu 302 times since its premiere in 1849. The work has remained a house favorite and was hugely anticipated since its last new production came in 2015. And for the closing production of the 2020-21 season, the Catalan Opera house lined up two of its famed interpreters, Nadine {…}
It is with a mix of fearful excitement and some heartfelt admiration for its Herculean task that critics and institutions alike have spilled ink over China’s claims to the international operatic stage. Take the relentless construction of world-class venues (note the recently unveiled proposals for the Shenzhen waterfront!) and the musical training of a whole new generation of singers to {…}
(Credit: Karli Cadel Photography) This review for a performance on August 7, 2021 For the past few years, I have been a big fan of the Glimmerglass opera festival. Taking place in Cooperstown — a significant three and a half hour drive from New York City, and set on a lake — this jewel of a festival consistently presented powerful {…}
