Puccini’s “La Bohème” comes back every season to the Met Opera. And because of its popularity, the opera often features a number of different casts, which can make it tricky for audiences to decide when to head to Lincoln Center for Puccini’s famed masterpiece. Here is a breakdown of the casts so you can be sure to catch this great {…}
How do you make a younger audience go to the opera? That was the question that always haunted writer Cerise Jacobs through the years as she wrote numerous librettos and operas. It always confounded her that her son never showed interest in the works she created. But it was ultimately this question that inspired her to make the first video {…}
Comedy is often said to be much harder than tragedy. Of course, this would posit that for any artist, making a career out of the former is a truly treasured gift. Baritone Alessandro Corbelli, born on Sept. 21, 1952, has this very gift. The baritone was born in Turin and studied with legendary artist Giuseppe Valdengo. While his debut as {…}
It’s a starry weekend with many of the leading companies already back in season. This week there are a number of classics that will be shown and one major soprano will make an important role debut. Find out what we think you should see this weekend! Die Zauberflöte – La Monnaie, Belgium Romeo Castellucci’s production continues its run with a {…}
Two of opera’s biggest companies kickstart their 2018-19 seasons with some tour-de-force showcases. The 2018-19 season is truly underway and these “five” choices for this weekend are can’t miss opportunities. “The Magic Flute” – Kentucky Opera On Friday and Sunday, the Kentucky Opera showcases Mozart’s mystical work that is always a delight for all ages. Joseph Mechavich leads a cast {…}
Experiments in Opera will be opening its season on Friday, November 2, 2018, with the world premiere of four new works in a program titled “Modularias.” The works will highlight the interaction between the human voice and the modular synthesizer in making music. The works which comprise “Modularias” are Jason Cady’s “Candy Corn,” which features soprano Alize Rozsynyai and baritone {…}
George Petean has canceled his upcoming performances of “Il Trovatore” at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. The company announced that due to illness Petean would not be able to perform the role of Conte di Luna. As a result, Polish baritone Artur Ruciński, who will be making his Lyric debut, will replace Petean. Ruciński recently canceled performances at the San Francisco Opera {…}
For many opera lovers appalled by the excesses of regie theater, concert performances are an appealing alternative. Singers standing in sackcloth and rags are infinitely preferable to Hans Neuenfels’ whisker-twitching “Lohengrin” rats or Claus Guth rocketing Rodolfo into outer-space in a South Park Kenny space suit. The problem is that as Richard Strauss and Clemens Krauss wittily explained in “Capriccio,” opera has {…}
Teatro La Fenice certainly plays its part in making “La Traviata” the most oft-performed opera in the world. This season alone it will present 35 performances, with another 25 scheduled for next year. As in many houses, therefore, Verdi’s much loved opera forms part of the company’s staple repertoire. Obviously, an orchestra’s familiarity with a work may act as either {…}
The Metropolitan Opera is about to open its 2018-19 season with “Samson et Dalila,” a work that has not been performed since 2006. The opera, which at one point was one of the most popular vehicles for a tenor-mezzo pairing, fell out of the repertoire for 12 years and is now returning in a new production with a starry cast. {…}
Tomislav Mužek has canceled his upcoming performance of Beethoven’s “Fidelio.” As a result, the Semperoper Dresden announced that Robert Dean Smith will step in for the tenor for the Sept. 23, 2018 performance. Smith is an established tenor, who has performed at all the major opera companies around the world, including the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Bayerische Staatsoper, Bayreuth Festival, and {…}
