“Don Pasquale” is often considered Donizetti’s comic masterpiece, and if it is not perform as regularly as Donizetti’s “ L’Elisir d’Amore” one need not look further than the demanding part written for the tenor; but when you have Javier Camarena in the cast, you have no reason to worry about anything. But this production was not only about the great {…}
The Odyssey Opera has announced its 2019-20 season which will center on England’s Tudor dynasty. The season will feature six concert and staged operas depicting various moments in the Tudor history. Michael Chioldi takes on the title role in Saint-Saen’s “Henry VIII” in a concert performance exploring the rarely performed score. Also appearing in the cast are Ellie Dehn and Hilary {…}
On April 20 a concert in solidarity of the “Rebâtir Notre Dame de Paris” has been announced in order to raise funds to rebuild the iconic cathedral. The concert, which will be held at the Place des Invalides, will showcase a number of important artists across all genres. Among the opera singers performing at the concert are Pretty Yende, Julie Fuchs, and {…}
The Opera National de Paris has announced a number of major cast changes in two productions. The company announced that due to medical reasons Alexander Tsymbalyuk has had to withdraw from the current production of Shostakovich’s “Lady Macbeth of Mtsenk.” The singer, who is currently performing the roles of Chief of Police and Old Bagnard, will be replaced by Sava Vemic, who {…}
Death of Classical and The Green-Wood Historic Fund are set to present a fully-staged production of Henry Purcell’s “Dido & Aeneas” in the Catacombs of the Green-Wood Cemetery launching the second season of “The Angel Share.” The new production will be directed by Alek Shrader, and will incorporate spoken dialogue from Christopher Marlowe’s play “Dido, Queen of Carthage.” The added speeches will re-introduce the characters {…}
(Photo Credit: Rupert Larl) Strange as it may now seem, but “Mignon” by the French composer, Thomas, was one of the most popular operas of its day. Premiered at Paris’ Opera-Comique in November 1866, it received its 100th performance by July the following year, and its 1,000th by 1894. Its reception in Germany, however, was less successful, maybe unsurprisingly so, {…}
Saturday, April 13, 2019 saw the second performance of the Manhattan School of Music’s production of the Springtime favorite, “Albert Herring.” With the production running for three nights, each night featured a different cast, comprised of students from the school’s Senior Opera Theater, headed by conductor Jorge Parodi and director Dona D. Vaughn. This effervescent work, composed by Benjamin Britten, {…}
The Semperoper Dresden has announced a major cast change for its performance of “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” on April 20, 2019. Mert Süngü, who was supposed to sing the role of Count Almaviva, will now be replaced by tenor Maxim Mironov. The company made an official announcement of the cast change via social media. Mironov is one of the major {…}
With the Easter weekend upon us, many opera companies have taken a break from performances. This week’s installment, as a result, will be a bit more limited. Don Giovanni – Houston Grand Opera Mozart’s masterpiece opens on Saturday at the Houston Grand Opera with an impressive cast that includes Ryan McKinny, Paolo Bordogna, Ailyn Pérez, Melody Moore, Ben Bliss, Dorothy {…}
The holiday weekend is here and that means many companies are on hiatus. However, there are a number of festivals going on and a number of productions ending runs. Here is a look at some new productions and festival performances we are excited about. Mavra / Iolanta – Bayerische Staatsoper, Germany The Munich opera house presents a new production of a {…}
Soprano Natalie Dessay was likely one of the greatest opera actors that the world has ever known. Born on April 19, 1965, she had always intended to be an actress and ballet dancer, but then turned her attention to singing and studied at the Université de Bordeaux. Thereafter, she won the International Mozart Competition in Vienna and was subsequently engaged {…}