(Credit: Apoorva Guptay) Zubin Mehta has come out in defense of Plácido Domingo. The legendary conductor spoke to El Pais in the Spanish press noting that his heart was broken. “I am saddened by what is happening to Plácido Domingo. He is great freind and the greatest singer of his time. Not even Caruso was able to reach such heights, {…}
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 “The Sum of {…}
The Metropolitan Opera is set to open “Manon” on Sept. 24, 2019. The work has been featured over 270 times in its history and remains a major staple of the standard repertory The main draw in the opera is the title role, one of the most challenging in all of opera, requiring not only a vocal master, but a strong {…}
The International Masters Academy of Opera will present “An Evening of Opera” at Carnegie Hall on Oct. 18, 2019. The performance will feature Vivien Schweitzer, New York Times classical music critic, who will narrate the evening. The concert will feature sopranos Juliet Morris, Samantha McElhaney, Margarita Gushcha, Diana Skavronskaya; mezzo-sopranos Corinn Springer and Polina Egudina; tenor Juan Hernandez; baritone Samuel {…}
(Credit: Courtesy of Warner Classics) Sabine Devieilhe has withdrawn from her upcoming fall engagements. The soprano announced she is expecting her second child and therefore will not be able to perform her scheduled performances. The soprano stated, “we will soon welcome a second baby in our family! I need to withdraw from the production of ‘Le Nozze di Figaro’ at Théâtre {…}
(Credit: Anton Ovcharov) Dmytro Popov is set to sing performances of Verdi’s “Un Ballo in Maschera” at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. The company announced that Popov will take over the Sept. 19 and 23 performances in the role of Gustav which Piotr Beczala was originally scheduled to sing. Popov sang the opening night on Sept. 15 and is next scheduled {…}
Louise Alder has canceled the Opening Night Gala performance with the London Mozart Players. The company said via social media, “Sadly Louise Alder is indisposed and won’t be able to perform tonight Fairfield Halls but we are thrilled that Elizabeth Watts is stepping in to perform two glorious Mozart arias with Jane Glover conducting.” Watts is a rising star who {…}
(Photo: Martynas Aleksa) The Lithuanian National Opera opened its 100th season with a stunning premiere — Leonard Bernstein’s “Candide,” in a fully staged production for the first time in Lithuania. Directed by Vincent Boussard with Sesto Quatrini, Ričardas Šumila, and Lochlan Brown in the pit, this production will be shown during three runs before Christmas. During the September showcase, two casts change {…}
Opera de Colombia is set to pay tribute to Gloria Zea. The concert scheduled for Oct. 30 in the Movistar Arena, will star Betty Garcés, Amalia Avilán, Paola Leguizamón, Karolyn Rosero, Ana María Ruge, Juan David Gonzalez, and Andres Agudelo. Alejandro Roca will conduct the concert with the Orquesta Nueva Filarmonia. Zea died earlier this year and became one of {…}
Noted Russian music critic Vadim Zhuravlev will conduct a seminar / discussion “Russian Opera Today: Modern Theaters from St. Petersburg to the Ural Mountains” as presented by the Eurasia Festival. The event will take place at the National Opera Center in NYC on Oct. 7, 2019. The event will be moderated by the Festival’s Artistic Director Aza Sydykov and will {…}
This week, three rarities will be released on DVD and CD. One is a world premiere recording while the other two come from successful productions in 2018-19. Here is a look! The Bassarids Sean Panikkar stars in Henze’s opera that premiered last year at the Salzburg Festival. Arthaus Musik releases the new DVD, also starring Russell Braun, Nikolai Schukoff, and {…}