The Purchase Opera is set to present Menotti’s famed “Amahl and the Night Visitors” this December. The showcases are set for Dec. 8 and 9 at The Performing Arts Center. “Amahl and the Night Visitors” is a fixture during the holiday season, often presented all around the United States since its 1951 premiere on an NBC television broadcast. The performance {…}
Piero Cappuccilli had the distinction of being one of the great Verdi baritones of his time. Born on Nov. 9, 1926, Cappuccilli was born in Trieste and was originally intent on becoming an architect. He was heard by Luciano Donaggio, who encouraged him to pursue a vocal career; while Cappuccilli was reluctant he was eventually persuaded and made his opera {…}
This weekend, OperaWire goes a little traditional in its weekend offerings. Granted if you look at the list many of the works recommended are not the most popular. Instead, there are rarely performed works, role debuts, and in the case of one production, a legendary showcase that has to be seen every time it is on stage. Here is a look {…}
Thomas Quasthoff has overcome many challenges that a lot of classical singers have never had to consider. The bass-baritone, born on Nov. 9, 1959, in Hildesheim, had to deal with serious birth defects that resulted from his mother’s exposure to thalidomide during her pregnancy. The result was that his physical limitations (he is four foot four inches) denied him entry {…}
Tchaikovsky’s final opera, “Iolanta,” sung in Russian with English supertitles, received a heartfelt and naturalistic production by the Chicago Opera Theater on November 11, 2018, at the Studebaker Theater in the Fine Arts Building, Chicago. With a libretto by the composer’s brother, Modest, “Iolanta” is a 85-minute opera with four scenes presented seamlessly in one act. It explores themes of {…}
David Daniels has been removed from the San Francisco Opera’s upcoming production of “Orlando.” The San Francisco Opera has announced in a press statement that “it is removing countertenor David Daniels from the role of Medoro in the Company’s June 2019 presentation of Handel’s ‘Orlando.’” The company said in a statement that “the decision to part ways with Mr. Daniels, for business {…}
Legendary soprano Jessye Norman will be recognized by the National Sawdust on Dec. 17. In an event entitled, “An Evening Honoring Jessye Norman,” audiences will get to learn more about the legendary artist’s latest project “Sissieretta Jones: Call Her By Her Name!” This work-in-progress follows singer Sissieretta Jones whose 150th anniversary happens to fall this year and features performances from {…}
The San Francisco Opera Center has announced its 2019 Adler Fellows. The 12 recipients this coming year include sopranos Mary Evelyn Hangley and Natalie Image; mezzo-sopranos Ashley Dixon and Simone McIntosh; countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen; tenors Zhengyi Bai, Christopher Colmenero, and Christopher Oglesby; baritone SeokJong Baek; and bass-baritone Christian Pursell. Hangley, McIntosh, Bai, Colmenero, Oglesby, and Baek are entering their first year as Adler fellows while Image, Ashley Dixon, Cohen, {…}
Rosa Feola is set to star in Franco Zeffirelli’s upcoming production of “Rigoletto.” According to the Giornale della Musica, the Italian soprano will be Gilda in the production, which is slated to open at the Royal Opera Muscat in 2020. The news comes a day after it was announced that at the age of 97, the legendary director would direct his first {…}
“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 “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Queen’s {…}
The first thing that comes to mind when seeing that a “double bill” has been scheduled is often, “not another ‘Cav/Pag,’ not another example of lazy programming.” Luckily, however, this is the Wexford Festival and there is no chance of such a combination taking to the stage here, where innovative programming is the company’s raison d’etre. Deciding on a pair {…}