Anja Harteros. Anja Harteros. Anja Harteros. Yes, reading that isn’t very interesting. Listening to her and experiencing her is quite a different story. The German soprano was nothing short of sensational on a starry Saturday opening night of a revival of the Robert Carsen production of “Tosca” at the Zurich Opera. It was recently reported that Harteros has stopped singing {…}
Over the past few years, Frédéric Antoun has made a mark on many of the leading theaters in the world, singing a variety of repertoire with vocal purity and nuance. This week, Metropolitan Opera audiences will finally get a chance to hear this French-Canadian singer as he makes his debut in the role of Raul in Thomas Adès’ “The Exterminating {…}
On Oct. 26, 2017, the Metropolitan Opera will present the American Premiere of Thomas Adès’ “The Exterminating Angel.” The opera is an adaptation of Luis Buñuel’s famed film that showcases a group of people unable to get out of a room. As the days pass, the tension builds but the people find no answers to their odd situation. The opera {…}
Audiences around the world will get a chance to see Antonín Dvorák’s “Rusalka” live on their computers from the Vienna State Opera on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2017, as the latest addition to the company’s live streaming service. The Sven-Eric Bechtolf production will be headlined by Krassimira Stoyanova with Dmytro Popov as her prince and Jongmin Park as her father. Elena {…}
Hidden within the Riverside Church on Clairemont avenue is the Riverside Theatre, this is where the production company Amore Opera has set the stage for its production of Puccini’s “Tosca.” Just as the opera itself grapples with love, jealousy, and what lies beneath the surface of facades, Amore Opera’s production has faithfully upheld these themes through the artistry of the {…}
This is a review for the Oct. 20 performance. I would like to begin this review at the end, since the final impressions, sensations and overall reaction of the audience is the barometer which measures the overall impact of the performance. In the case of this “Norma,” the final curtain was greeted with a massive explosion of applause in the {…}
Franz Liszt and the world of opera are not necessarily the most identifiable match. While the composer, born on Oct. 22, 1811, created his fair share of vocal pieces (he wrote, among other things, a lot of songs and choral works), his encounters with opera are extremely rare. In fact, until very recently there was only one work that was {…}
On Nov. 25, 2017, the Hungarian State Opera kicks off its tenth tour around Japan. For a whole month, audiences at 20 different venues will be able to experience two full-scale productions given by the company, featuring internationally acclaimed soloists Edita Gruberová, Erika Miklósa and Andrea Rost. The final part of the tour will offer orchestra concerts with an appearance by pianist {…}
Conductor Georg Solti contributed a tremendous amount to the world of opera, leading some of the greatest singers at the greatest houses in the great works ever written. Born on Oct. 21, 1912, in Budapest, he built up a sturdy career in the opera world, working prominently at such companies as the Salzburg Festival and Hungarian State Opera in his {…}
It’s a weird week in the opera world with major artists showcasing pictures of strange new productions and even rubber ducks. Check it out. The Metropolitan Opera is gearing up for its upcoming production of “The Exterminating Angel” and had an interesting preview to showcase. As the dinner party in Thomas Adès’s The Exterminating Angel progresses, things take a decidedly {…}
The Gran Teatre del Liceu will showcase “Un Ballo in Maschera” in cinemas on Oct. 24. The production by Vincent Boussard, a co-production with the Theatre du Capitole and Staatstheater Nürnberg, is set to star Piotr Beczala in the lead role of Riccardo and Keri Alkema as Amelia. It will also star Dolora Zajick as Ulrica and Marco Caria as Renato with Renato Palumbo {…}