Soprano Elsa Dreisig has signed an exclusive recording contract with Erato. The Franco-Danish soprano will release her debut album in October 2018 showcasing dual portraits of opera heroines from Juliette to Salomé. The program will delve into characters explored by more than one composer. Those will include Salomé of Massenet and Richard Strauss, the Manon of Massenet and Puccini, and Gounod’s Juliette illuminated {…}
Anna Netrebko is set to open the Teatro alla Scala during the 2019-20 season. According to La Reppublica, the soprano will return to the theater in a new production of Puccini’s “Tosca” alongside Luca Salsi with whom she worked with on “Andrea Chénier” and “Aida” in Salzburg. Riccardo Chailly will conduct the production. The news comes after La Scala announced {…}
Aleksandra Kurzak has signed a contract to record with Sony Classical. The company announced that the Polish soprano, who was formerly with Decca, will release her first recording under the new contract this autumn. That album will be a duets recording with her husband Roberto Alagna, who signed with Sony back in January. Kurzak will also record a solo album set {…}
With the New York Opera Fest 2018 officially underway, OperaWire will be showcasing small previews for each major participant at the festival, as we did during last year’s event. However, we are doing things a bit differently this year and giving the floor directly to each company to speak to you, the reader, directly. Enjoy! Raise your hands if you {…}
The weekend is here and that means we have selections that we believe you can not miss. Here is a round up of five operas that include major superstars and rarely performed works. Rigoletto – Wiener Staatsoper, Austria Juan Diego Flórez and Aida Garifullina sing Verdi’s ever-popular opera with Paolo Rumetz singing the title role. Ryan Speedo Green and Elena {…}
With Memorial Day Weekend now past, more opera companies are back in business. This weekend’s offerings feature a wide range of repertoire, including two major continental premieres. Here are our recommendations (in alphabetical order by company). La Favorita – New Amsterdam Opera The New Amsterdam Opera showcases a rare performance of Donizetti’s “La Favorite,” which will be dedicated to the {…}
On May 22, 2018, Roven Records celebrated the release of its newest album, “Remember,” with a recital and launch party at Carnegie Hall. The album features work from composers such as Benjamin C.S. Boyle, Jake Heggie, Jennifer Higdon, Lori Laitman, and Glen Roven; all performed by some of opera’s most promising young baritones. In describing what makes the baritone voice {…}
Everyone knows her as “Flicka.” It’s a fun nickname that embodies exactly what makes Frederica Von Stade such a well-liked figure in the opera world. A consummate professional with a smashing personality, Von Stade, who was born on June 1, 1945, grew up in New Jersey and attended the Mannes College of Music. In 1970, she made her Metropolitan Opera {…}
This interview was conducted in collaboration with Francisco Salazar. Everyone knows what Jamie Barton can do. And if you don’t… The mezzo-soprano has firmly established herself over the past few years as one of the finest singing actresses on the planet, stealing scenes and garnering show-stopping applause with her incredible instrument and dramatic interpretation. She’s pulled off some historic feats {…}
Anna Netrebko and Valery Gergiev will reunite for the SommernachsKonzert 2018. Gergiev will conduct the Vienna Philharmonic with Netrebko performing arias from Cilea, Puccini, and Leoncavallo. The program will also include music by Mascagni, Verdi, and Rossini. The concert will be broadcast on Orf 2 in a time delayed relay and is scheduled for release on Sony Classical. The concert {…}
Jonas Kaufmann has revealed that he will perform in “Fedora” in 2020 at La Scala. The tenor unveiled the information in an interview with Corriere della Sera. “In 2020, I will return for a beautiful project, a rarely performed Italian opera, Giordano’s ‘Fedora,’” he noted. In the interview, Kaufmann added that he does not have many projects in Italy, though there {…}