Few composers in the history of opera were as influential as Christoph Willibald Gluck. Born on July 2, 1714, the composer was one of the major reformers of the artform of his day. He was noted as being critical of opera of his day and how it had strayed from its origins. He sought to bring back the sense of {…}
“Parsifal. Parsifal.” Real? Dreamed? Which? In the opening of the Bayerische Staatsoper Opernfest 2018, we couldn’t tell. The new production by Pierre Audi and Georg Baselitz, which featured Jonas Kaufmann, René Pape, Christian Gerhahar, Nina Stemme, Wolfgang Koch, and conductor Kirill Petrenko, took us to a world far-beyond the drizzly night outside the doors, and watched a human and sacred {…}
OperaVision will start streaming Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor” from the Teatro Real starting on July 7, 2018. The Donizetti masterpiece will feature Lisette Oropesa as the famed heroine with Javier Camarena as her lover Edgardo. Artur Rucinski stars as Enrico with Roberto Tagliavini as Raimondo. Daniel Oren conducts. The stream kicks off at 7 p.m. local time. That’s around 2 {…}
OperaVision will start streaming the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence’s production of “Orfeo & Majnun” starting on July 8, 2018. The work, which is sung in English, French, and Arabic, will feature Judith Fa, Nai Barghouti, Loay Srouji, Yoann Dubruque, and Schli Gholamalizad. The music by Adwan, van der Harst, and Moody will be conducted by Bassem Akiki, leading the Intercultural Ensemble of {…}
PBS will showcase “Semiramide” from the Metropolitan Opera as part of its Great Performances Series on Sunday, July 8, 2018. The broadcast will kick off at 12 p.m. EDT and will soprano Angela Meade in the title role, tenor Javier Camarena, mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong, and bass Ildar Abdrazakov. Ryan Speedo Green rounds out the star cast. Per OperaWire’s review, DeShong {…}
The Bayerische Staatsoper will live stream its new production of Wagner’s “Parsifal” on Sunday, July 8, 2018. The production, directed by Pierre Audi, will be led by Music director Kirill Petrenko and star Jonas Kaufmann, Christian Gerhaher, René Pape, Wolfgang Koch, and Nina Stemme. The stream kicks off at 5 p.m. local time. That’s around 12 p.m. EDT and 9 {…}
Soprano Nadine Sierra is having a 2018 to remember. The Florida-born artist, who turned 30 this past May, recently announced her first-ever solo album, is performing at the top theaters on the planet, has been garnering a plethora of accolades, and is set to perform in the opening night gala of the Festival Napa Valley, a leading performing arts organization that {…}
Gregory Kunde encored “Nessun Dorma” during is first “Turandot” at the Arena di Verona. The tenor, who was singing is first stage performance of Calaf, was asked to give an encore of the famous aria after receiving a huge ovation. The premiere performance starred Anna Pirozzi in the title role of Turandot, Vittoria Yeo as Liù and Giorgio Giuseppini as Timur. Daniel Oren conducted the production {…}
Massimo Cavalletti has been awarded the prestigious Melvin Jones Fellowship. The baritone announced via social media that he was awarded the prize by the Lions Club Lucca for his commitment against Parkinson’s disease. In a statement, he said, “I never pull back from giving my time and resources to important humanitarian causes.” Since the Lions Club’s founding in 1968, the organization {…}
So much is Don Juan’s tale the stuff of legend that it lends itself as easily to various interpretations as Greek myths. For every legendary story that encounters many incarnations – be it Tristan and Isolde’s love, Medea’s filicide or Romeo and Juliet – there comes a time when it is not only acceptable, but fascinating to encounter the familiar {…}
Beverly Sills once said the most challenging part of playing Baby Doe was making her likable from the start. The same might be said of the other main characters in Moore’s opera, all of whom are profoundly flawed and selfish. At the opener of this year’s Opera in the Ozarks production an excellent cast reveals all the good in what could {…}
