The Festival Aix-en-Provence has announced the first production of its 2021 season. The new production will feature Sir. Simon Rattle conducting the Wagner opera with a cast that includes Nina Stemme as Isolde and Stuart Skelton as Tristan as well as Jamie Barton, Franz-Josef Selig, and Josef Wagner. Simon Stone will conduct the production, which is also set to feature {…}
The Italian Cultural Institute and Consulate General of Italy in Hong Kong recently held the first performance of Donizetti’s “Rita” in Hong Kong. Audiences who missed out on this historic event will get a chance to check out the opera when it streams on RTHK on Jan. 30, 2021. Eventually, that performance will be made more widely available by the {…}
UK-based Christmas at Cadogan is set to return in 2020 with a number of unique socially-distanced and virtual events. For the purposes of this article, we will focus on opera and choral events. Please note that not all performances are live or streamed (we will state “Streaming Date” under performances that can be viewed virtually and “Performance Date” for those {…}
(Credit: By Pasquale Salerno) The Malmö Opera has announced a production of Philip Glass’ “Circus Days and Nights,” in collaboration with the circus company Cirkus Cirkör. The work, which is set to world premiere on May 29, 2021, will open in Malmö before heading on tour throughout Asia, the United States, and Europe. The libretto is by David Henry Hwang {…}
On December 19, 2020, Phoenicia International Festival of The Voice will present a salon-style concert held at The Knickerbocker of Naples in Florida. This outdoor concert will feature soprano Jasmine Habersham, tenor Adam Diegel, and bass-baritone Kyle Albertson; they will be accompanied by Milana Strezeva, founder of Naples’ Grand Piano Series. The program will include selections from “Carmen” and “La {…}
(Photo: Hasan Almasi) Every Friday, Polina Lyapustina delivers a short essay on some of the most sensitive topics in the industry with the intent of establishing a dialogue about the opera world and its future. The choice of topics discussed, how they are researched, and how they are portrayed is conducted independently of OperaWire’s editors. “Through the stories we tell {…}
Off the Beaten Track is an album review series that takes readers on a cross-disciplinary journey through recordings, spotlighting the cool, the unusual, and the beautiful work created by artists who push boundaries and take the road less traveled. I have a spooky story for you. Ten friends (seven young women and three young men) flee to the countryside to {…}
American singer Brian Giebler impresses with his light high-placed tenor and has established a career singing virtuosic and eclectic repertoire, focusing on Baroque and contemporary music, musical theatre, and new opera at once. An active crossover artist, dedicated to the changing landscape of new music, Giebler has performed with The English Concert, The Cleveland Orchestra, Boston Baroque, Boston Early Music Festival, Grand Rapids {…}
OperaStreaming has announced its December slate. Things kick off with the streaming service set to present a production of Massenet’s “Werther” from the Teatro Comunale di Modena. The opera stars Veronica Simeoni as Charlotte with Francesco Demuro as Werther and Guido Dazzini as Albert. Maria Rita Combattelli rounds out the cast as Sophie. Francesco Pasqualetti conducts with Stefano Vizioli directing. {…}
Opera San José has released a documentary that details the making of “Three Decembers.” The opera will be released via streaming on Dec. 3, 2020 and stars Susan Graham, Maya Kherani, and Efraín Solís. “To be back doing what I do, it’s a miracle,” Susan Graham states in the film. “I’m so proud of this company and its resourcefulness and {…}
(Credit: Staatsoper Stuttgart official website) The Staatsoper Stuttgart has announced that it will cancel all performances until Jan. 31, 2021. Following a joint decision by the German federal government and the Prime Ministers of the federal states, the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts has concluded that the uncertain duration of the existing partial lockdown poses too great a {…}