“Bluebeard’s Castle” holds a special place among the oeuvre of Béla Bartók, as it is his only opera. The work, which premiered on May 24, 1918, was actually composed in 1911 and modified a year later. A new ending was added in 1917. The premiere took place at the Royal Hungarian Opera House in Budapest and is unique in that {…}
“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 will showcase “Citizen Kane’s” {…}
The Opera de Toulon has announced its 2018-19 season, featuring rarely performed works, modern operas and a number of classics. Here is a look at what the company will showcase next season. Productions Francesco Landolfi stars in the title role of Verdi’s “Rigoletto” with Marco Ciaponi and Mihaela Marcu. Daniel Montané conducts Elena Barbalich’s production. Performance Dates: Oct. 5-9, 2018 Anna Maria Sarra, Yael Raanan-Vandor, Marco {…}
Strange as it may now seem, but during Wagner’s own lifetime, and well into the early 20th century, “Rienzi” was one of his most oft performed works, knocking up over 200 performances by 1908 in Dresden alone, the city in which it was premiered. Nowadays, no doubt, owing in part to Wagner’s own reservations about the work, it has become {…}
The Mendocino Music Festival has announced its 32nd annual event featuring an assortment of music from Classical, Jazz to Opera, Bluegrass and Irish Step dance. For this season announcement we will concentrate on the vocal highlights the festival will offer. 2018 Mendocino Music Festival Schedule “Il Matrimonio Segreto” will be presented with Angela Cadolago, Tonia D’Amelia, Sylvie Jensen, Michael Desnoyers, Bojan Knezevic, and {…}
Salzburg’s Whitsun Festival hosted a Gala on Monday evening, May 21, 2018. Conducted by Daniel Barenboim and the Staatskapelle, Berlin, it was a splendid event. Cecilia Bartoli and Jonas Kaufmann did the vocal honors after Rolando Villazón canceled for health reasons. Bartoli and Barenboim included additional music to supplement the absent singer, and Jonas Kaufmann sang solo from the Wesendonck {…}
The documentary “Marina Rebeka: Blessings of Will and Talent” has been picked up by Starline. Variety reported that the London-based company will sell the one-off documentary internationally. In a press statement Piers Nightingale, director of acquisitions at Starline noted, “While Marina Rebeka’s leading roles in ‘Norma,’ ‘La Traviata’ and ‘La Bohème,’ to name a few, have won the highest praise from {…}
Angela Gheorghiu has canceled her participation in the Special Concert: Giuseppe Verdi at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. As a result, three sopranos will take over the repertoire Gheorghiu was originally intended to perform. Nicole Car, Irina Churilova, and Seyoung Park will all take turns singing arias from “Il Trovatore,” “La Forza del Destino,” “Otello,” and “Simon Boccanegra.” Car is currently {…}
What could be a more wondrous opera evening than a marvelous ensemble performance that showcases a brilliant opera star? Salzburg’s Whitsun Festval’s “L’Italiana in Algeri” was one such instance. Directed by Moise Leise and Patrick Caurier, and headlining mezzo-soprano par excellence Cecilia Bartoli, the production exceeded all expectations. This Opera Buffa, written when Rossini was a mere 21-years-old and here conducted {…}
James King, born on May 22, 1925, would go onto a prolific career as a heldentenor. But it took him a long way to get there. In fact, he didn’t make his debut as a tenor until 1961 when he was in his mid-30s. The reason for this is that his initial studies had led him down the path of {…}
Musica Viva NY, a chamber choir, under the artistic direction of Dr. Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez, has announced its 2018-19 season. The season will include music from Joseph Turrin, Leonard Bernstein to Poulenc and Duruflé. Season Information The season kicks off with a benefit concert on Sept. 23, at All Souls Church entitled “Songs of Love,” featuring songs by Brahms, Schumann, and P.D.Q. Bach, performed {…}