This weekend has a ton of incredible productions to behold. The New York Opera Festival is in full swing as some of the major companies from around the country start to close their doors for the summer. The Rape of Lucretia – New Camerata Opera The Britten piece gets a unique new production directed by Bea Goodwin that will also {…}
This weekend sees two world premieres continue their first runs. It will also include a major role debut for a rising star tenor, one acclaimed production, and one rarely-performed work. Les Bienveillantes – Opera Vlaanderen, Belgium Peter Rundel conducts Hector Parra’s new opera in a production by Calixto Bieto. The work stars Peter Tantsits, Rachel Harnisch, Natascha Petrinsky, and Günter {…}
Puccini’s “La Rondine” soared out of Berkeley’s Hillside Club Sunday afternoon, in full flight. Pocket Opera, under the artistic direction of Nicholas A. Garcia and music director David Drummond, gave voice to its bittersweet charm. With the Pocket Philharmonic tucked neatly upstage and the small cast of ardent singers weaving in and out of a petite and well-designed set, the {…}
Update: Due to illness, Hamaoui withdrew from this concert. In her stead, tenor Stéphane Sénéchal has stepped in to perform alongside Markham for the May 17 concert. They will perform music of Fauré, Debussy, Duparc, Poulenc, Hahn, Gounod, and more. The original story follows. Pianist Mark Markham will be a featured artists at the 2019 Spring Into Art Song Festival. {…}
The Royal Opera House is set to present a new staged version of Janacek’s song cycle “A Diary of One Who Disappeared at the Linbury Theatre. Performances are set for June 5, 6, and 8. The work, which consists of 22 songs for tenor and piano, will be directed by renowned auteur Ivo van hove. The work tells the story {…}
Soprano Ariadne Grief will team up with pianist Conor Hanick and violinist Anna Tsukervanik for a “Schoenberg’s DNA.” The performance, which is set to take place on May 5, 2019 at St. Mark’s Church In-the-Bowery will center on Schoenberg’s radical musical ideas and chart the artistic trajectory that led to his development. As such, the performers will treat audiences to {…}
Riccardo Frizza is one of today’s foremost Italian conductors specializing in the Italian repertoire. He has appeared at all the great opera houses in the world and has interpreted many of the great works by Verdi, Donizetti, Rossini, and Bellini. Recently, he was appointed the music director of the Donizetti Opera Festival and for his first assignment, he took on {…}
As the 2018-19 season comes to an end, the opera season continues with festivals and many companies opening new productions. With a ton of selections to choose from, we eventually whittled it down to the 10 Must-See productions, as we did internationally. Here is a look at the operas you cannot miss this summer in the U.S.. 10. Hérodiade – New Amsterdam {…}
(Photo: Bill Cooper) Spiders do not have the best of reputations. Known as unsociable, solitary creatures, they remain aloof, but alert to the slightest movement in their deadly webs. They patiently await their prey to fall into the trap, which they then efficiently despatch, store, and eventually consume. Female spiders are considered to be particularly cold and vicious creatures, many {…}
“Opera Meets Film” is a feature dedicated to exploring the way that opera has been employed in cinema. We will select a section or a film in its entirety, highlighting the impact that utilizing the operatic form or sections from an opera can alter our perception of a film that we are viewing. This week’s installment features “Breathe,” directed by {…}
Eight operas highlight the Opera de Marseille’s 2019-20 Season. The company announced a roster of upcoming stars with a number of stars in new and revived productions. The season opens with Mozart;’s “The Magic Flute” starring Anne-Catherine Gillet, Serenad Uyar, Cyril Dubois, Philippe Estephe, and Wenwei Zhang. Lawrence Foster conducts the production by Numa Sadoul. Performance Dates: Sept. 24-Oct. 6, 2019 Karine Deshayes stars in {…}
