Verdi’s Requiem is one of the most powerful pieces of music ever created. When performed to its maximum expression it can be a transformative experience, one full of fear, intense, suffering, but even hope. The Oratorio Society of New York performed the masterpiece at Carnegie Hall on Thursday, May 9, 2019, in a performance that was undeniably potent, though perhaps {…}
Renée Fleming has announced her new CD for Decca Classics. The soprano will release her first full-length Lieder album in almost two decades. Fleming is joined by Christian Thielemann and the Munich Philharmonic, performing Mahler’s Rückert Lieder. She will also perform songs by Schumann and Brahms with Hartmut Höll at the piano. In a press release, Fleming noted, “The German lied is, {…}
The Victorian Opera has announced that Elizabeth Hill-Cooper will be the company’s new CEO. She has been Acting CEO for the past six months, working with the Artistic Director, company staff, and the major stakeholder such as Creative Victoria and the Australia Council. She joined the organization as the Artistic Administrator in 2012 and was then promoted to Executive Producer {…}
You won’t see many canonical works in this weekend’s recommendations. But every opera listed will provide audience members with unique and fascinating experiences. Here’s our recommendation for an opera-filled Mother’s Day weekend. The Handmaid’s Tale – Boston Lyric Opera On Friday and Sunday, the Boston Lyric Opera will present “The Handmaid’s Tale” two more times as it brings its 2018-19 {…}
This weekend has a variety of repertory staples as well as rarely performed works. There are also two highly anticipated concert performances that should not be missed. A Streetcar Named Desire – Teatro Colón, Argentina Andre Previn’s masterpiece gets its Argentina premiere in a new production by Rita Cosentino. The production stars Orla Boylan, David Adam Moore, Sarah Jane McMahon, Eric Fennell, and Victoria {…}
Jonas Kaufmann has canceled performances of Puccini’s ‘”Tosca.” The Opera de Paris announced that Kaufmann had to “withdraw from the first three performances of ‘Tosca’ due to a violent coughing attack which makes it necessary for him to temporarily refrain from singing. The irritation was found very quickly and therefore the convalescence is expected to be very rapid. He looks {…}
Anett Fritsch has canceled another performance of Bizet’s “Carmen.” The Opéra de Paris announced that due to health reasons, the soprano was forced to cancel the performance on May 11. As a result, the role of Micaëla will be performed by Maria Agresta. This is the second performance Fritsch cancels. She previously withdrew from the May 8th performance and was {…}
The production of sound in opera has always been acoustic in nature, with the exception of a handful of contemporary operas which have specific instructions from the composer, Natural sounds produced by voices and instruments are untouched and vocal technique accounts for the ability to project in a concert hall. In modern times, new technology has introduced the possibility of {…}
In 2018-19, the Metropolitan Opera arguably saved the best for last. After opening the season with seeming inconsistency in terms of overall quality, the company seemed to get into the rhythm of things, producing a solid second half to the season that seemingly got better as we approached the end. And the company arguably reached the creative apex of its {…}
Plácido Domingo, General Director of LA Opera, has chosen six singers to join LA Opera’s Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program for the 2019-20 season. The six artists chosen for the program are tenor Anthony Ciaramitaro, soprano Sylvia D’Eramo, mezzo-soprano Gabriela Flores, soprano Alaysha Fox, tenor Robert Stahley, and soprano Tiffany Townsend. “For many years, I have been passionate about discovering and {…}
Wigmore has announced the selected singers and pianists for the 2019 Wigmore Hall/Independent Opera International Song Competition. The competitors are set to represent a number of nations including the U.K., New Zealand, the U.S, France, Spain, Romania, Austria, Korea, and Germany among others. Of the announced competitors only four singers were not announced with a pianist. The Wigmore Hall/Independent Opera {…}