Opera Australia has unveiled its two seasons for 2019. The company is splitting the season between Melbourne and Sydney, and we will reflect that in the listing of this season announcement. Sydney Season The Sydney Summer season in 2019 kicks off with Puccini’s “La Bohème,” starring Joyce El-Khoury in her Opera Australia debut alongside Ivan Magri, also making his Australian {…}
Countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński has announced the release of his first solo album. The new album, entitled “Anima Sacra,” will be released on Warner Classics and will feature music by Fago, Heinichen, Terradellas, Sarro, Feo, Zelenka, Hasse, Schiassi, and Durante. According to Warner Classics, it will also feature world premiere recordings of eight Baroque arias, notably by composers of the Neapolitan school {…}
Leonardo Capalbo will make a previously unscheduled debut at the Bremen Musikfest as the title character in “Les Contes d’Hoffmann.” The festival announced that Benjamin Bernheim was forced to cancel the production due to scheduling conflicts with the Zurich Opera. As a result, Capalbo will make his debut at the festival on Sept. 1, 2018, alongside Maestro Marc Minkowski and Les Musiciens du Louvre. The {…}
The English National Opera has announced the death of tenor Arthur Davies. The tenor was well-known with the company particularly for his role as the Duke in Jonathan Miller’s classic production of Verdi’s “Rigoletto.” He would go on to perform the role in five revivals and the ENO’s tour to the U.S. A favorite of the ENO, Davies made his debut {…}
Medici.tv is set to live stream two more performances from the Salzburg Festival. The streaming service will first showcase Tchaikovsky’s “The Queen of Spades” on August 16, 2018, starring Brandon Jovanovich, Hanna Schwarz, Evgenia Muraveva, Oksana Volkova, and Vladislav Sulimsky. Mariss Jansons will conduct the Vienna Philharmonic. Then on August 20, 2018, Medici will showcase Monteverdi’s “L’Incoronazione di Poppea” with Sonya Yoncheva in the {…}
The Opéra de Montréal has announced an additional performance of Bizet’s “Carmen” on May 13, 2019. The company announced in a press release that the new production conceived and directed by renowned Quebec filmmaker Charles Binamé has received a great draw. The work returns to the company after 14 years and as a result, an extra performance was necessary. The {…}
Florian Boesch has withdrawn from the upcoming world premiere of Michael Jarrell’s “Berenice.” According to the Opéra de Paris, the bass-baritone has withdrawn from all future productions with the theater. As a result, Ivan Ludlow will replace Boesch in the role of Antiochus. Ludlow is well-known for his work in modern opera and he recently performed “Lulu’ at the Hamburg State {…}
Diana Damrau has canceled her upcoming performances in Meyerbeer’s “Les Huguenots.” The Opéra de Paris announced that due to illness the soprano would not be making her role debut as Marguerite de Valois. As a result, Lisette Oropesa will replace Damrau. Oropesa is coming off some of her most acclaimed performances in her career. Her “Lucia di Lammermoor” received rousing {…}
“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 James Gunn’s “Guardians {…}
Sharon Sweet was born on August 16, 1951, in New York City. Her father was a tenor who had stopped his career after serving in World War II. She would start her musical studies as a pianist though eventually, she would wind up teaching music in a public school. She would win the Metropolitan Opera auditions and then started studying {…}
This week three rarely performed works are set for release with some great performers and rising stars. The week also includes a world premiere recording that should fascinate contemporary opera lovers. La Favorite Donizetti’s increasingly popular French work will get another release from Dynamic. This time the production from the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino stars Celso Albelo, Veronica Simeoni, and Mattia {…}