Verdi’s “La Traviata” is one of the most iconic in music history. Why? It’s heroine Violetta is one of the most powerful and admirable characters in the art form. With her Verdi questioned the social boundaries of the time, taking a contemporary subject and placing it in the opera house during a time when opera was only intended to look {…}
The Wexford Festival has announced its 2018 season, which will run for a few weeks in October. This season will feature a number of operas, both rare and well-known, that should interest all sorts of audiences. The season kicks off on Oct. 19 with the double bill of “Mala Vita” by Giordano and “L’Oracolo” by Leoni. The work will be {…}
The Verdi Chorus is set to showcase its annual Spring Concert in just a few weeks. The organization will perform a wide range of repertoire from opera’s most beloved composer on April 28 and 29. Per a press release, it will feature such soloists as soprano Shana Blake Hill, soprano Karin Mushegain, tenor Alex Boyer, and baritone Ben Lowe. “The {…}
Bellini’s penultimate opera “La Sonnambula,” which premiered on March 6, 1831, often gets a bad wrap due to its plot. But no one can deny the magical qualities of the music. This is Bellini at his most melodic. The work has been a favorite of numerous divas of the bel canto repertoire, including Maria Callas, who championed the opera extensively. {…}
It’s somewhat of a cliché for Golden Age thinking to creep into the dialogue of the opera world. How many times have you heard someone make the claim that they don’t make great voices the way they used to? The obvious answer is that they don’t because the world has changed and so have tastes. But sometimes, you’ll find those {…}
“Mefistofele” is Arrigo Boito’s only fully completed opera, and as such, it is a prized jewel. The work, which premiered on March 5, 1868 at La Scala, is a faithful adaptation of Goethe’s “Faust.” Whereas most adaptations of the work focus on the first part of the work, Boito adapts both sections, including the the Helen of Troy sequence. As {…}
An alien orchestra playing in the illustrious Wiener Staatsoper is about as rare as a running of the bulls on the Ringstrasse. Apart from a one-night swap with the La Scala orchestra in 2011, in recent years only Les Musiciens du Louvre, Les Talens Lyriques, and the Freiburger Barockorchester have been granted such a privilege. The latest member of this {…}
David Bizic is one of today’s most promising baritones, singing all over the world and performing leading roles in his home country of France. This week, he takes on another milestone in his career singing his first Enrico in “Lucia di Lammermoor.” The baritone will take on the immense role at the Opera de Toulon, a theater where he had {…}
The Washington Concert Opera has announced its 2018-19 season, showcasing two rare gems. The season opens with Gounod’s “Sapho,” a work known for its famous aria “O ma lyre immortelle.” Kate Lindsey takes on the title role with Addison Marlor rounding out the cast, Performance Date: Nov. 18, 2018 Lawrence Brownlee headlines Rossini’s’ “Zelmira,” a work that has been showcased {…}
This Saturday, audiences around the world will get a chance to see a rare performance of Rossini’s final Italian opera “Semiramide” in cinemas as part of the company’s famed Live in HD broadcast. The showcase kicks off at 12:25 p.m. EDT and will star Angela Meade in the title role alongside Elizabeth DeShong as Arsace, Ildar Abdrazakov as Assur, and {…}
The Vienna State Opera will take an interesting step away from its usual programming to showcase a live recital by Angela Gheorghiu on March 7, 2018. Per the official website, the soprano will perform alongside Alexandra Dariescu in a program that includes the works of Pergolesi, Rameau, Massenet, Debussy, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Bellini, Tosti and others. The stream kicks off {…}