53rd Wratislavia Cantans Festival Wrocław Poland Review: Król Roger

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 {…}

Robert Dean Smith Replaces Tomislav Mužek At Semperoper Dresden

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 {…}