Ligeti’s operatic version of Ghelderode’s work, “The Ballad of the Grand Macabre,” was premiered in Mexico on Sept. 11, 2019 at the Nezahualcoyotl Concert Hall with a second performance on Sunday the 13th at the main hall of the Palacio de Bellas Artes, both in Mexico City. The performance was labeled as a multimedia concert and was produced to be {…}
(Credit: Bernd Uhlig) As the Berlin Staatsoper opened its revival of Andrea Breth’s “Kát’a Kabanová,” a few hundred meters away, at the Alte Nationalgalerie on Museum Island, preparators put the final touches on a new exhibition of female artists. These two events, geographically close but outwardly unrelated, proved to resonate with one another in unanticipated ways. The Nationalgalerie’s exhibition drew {…}
(Credit: Cory Weaver) “The Marriage of Figaro” is one of opera’s priceless jewels, of any work of art, many would say. And San Francisco Opera’s new production by Canadian Director, Michael Cavanagh, made it all the more enjoyable and high-spirited. With a cast of singers who romped and preened, sang and danced around the stage, and an orchestra that kept {…}
(Credit: Monika Ritterhaus) “Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor,” like the vast majority of Singspiele, is not well-known outside the German-speaking world. Even in its native Germany, it’s mounted infrequently. Its story, however, is almost universally known. Like Verdi’s “Falstaff,” it’s closely based on Shakespeare’s “Merry Wives of Windsor.” A few details are Germanized: Alice Ford becomes Frau Fluth, and her {…}
Established in 1994, Teatro Grattacielo’s mission has always centered spotlighting often-overlooked Italian operas between the years of the 1890’s and the 1930’s, with the hope of reintroducing them to the public’s consciousness. On Sept. 28, 2019, the company kicked off its 25th season with an anniversary celebration, presenting Ruggero Leoncavallo’s “La Boheme,” Alfredo Catalani’s “Loreley,” and Ottorino Respighi’s “The Sleeping {…}
(Credit: Andrew Eccles) Renée Fleming, a house prima donna assoluta, retired from the Met Opera at the height of her powers only a couple years ago, covered in glory while enjoying warm and enthusiastic public acclaim. Her final appearance on the Met’s stage as the Marschallin in the Robert Carsen production of Strauss’ “Der Rosenkavalier” was given the exalted confetti {…}
(Credit: Marty Sohl / Met Opera) Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019, saw the third performance of Puccini’s “Turandot,” at the Metropolitan Opera this season. Set against the opulence of Zeffirelli’s 1987 production, the evening’s cast and ample chorus did much in bringing vocal and dramatic vitality to the forefront, with Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin making of the most of his particular gifts. A {…}
(Photo credit: Monika Rittershaus) As the first new production of the new season, the Royal Swedish Opera offered up “Der ferne Klang” from Franz Schreker, a work not seen on this stage since 1927. Created in Frankfurt in 1912, “Der ferne Klang” is a complex work composed over almost the entire first decade of the 20th century. The success at its {…}
(Credit: Javier del Real) The Teatro Real opened its season on the Sept. 18, 2019 with Verdi’s “Don Carlo,” an opera inspired in the old monarchy of Spain. Present at the big event were the King and Queen of Spain, as well as famous figures from the world of politics and arts. “Don Carlo” is a massive endeavor for any {…}