Poor Antonio Salieri. Born on August 18, 1750, the prolific composer’s fate in posterity has not been a kind one. Despite composing a plethora of operas that were quite popular at the time of his death, his legacy has unfortunately been linked to a legend that is far from true. You know the story: the composer was the rival of {…}
If you read last weekend’s preview, this week’s might look awfully familiar. The reality? A lot of the same companies are going strong and showcasing the same repertoire. But before we dive into those, let’s look at the new addition of the weekend, Seagle Music Colony’s production of “My Fair Lady,” which will play on Friday throughout the day. The Bard {…}
Fabio Armiliato is one of the most respected Italian tenors of his generation. Together with his late wife Daniela Dessi, he performed all over the world in many of the most popular works. He also made a career out of championing less known operas. While he is currently in demand in Europe, his U.S. engagements continue to be limited with {…}
Renée Fleming will be giving a recital at the Los Angeles Opera on Feb. 6, 2018. The company officially announced the recital which will also feature pianist Hartmut Höll. “The superstar returns to LA Opera for the first time since 2016 in a one-night-only recital with her longtime collaborator, the distinguished German pianist Hartmut Höll, in a special program of {…}
Dan Ettinger is set to be the music director of the Isreali Opera and will replace conductor Daniel Oren starting in January. The Isreali maestro is the principal guest conductor of the Israel Symphony Orchestra and he is music director in Mannheim and with the Stuttgart Philharmonic. This season he is slated to conduct with the Opéra de Paris, Vienna {…}
Legendary soprano and now teacher and director, Renata Scotto is set to direct a production of Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’Amore” at the Opera Naples Renata Scotto Opera Academy this winter. The company announced that it is now accepting auditions for three sessions of the Academy, with the second of these featuring a month-long production of the Donizetti opera. Per the press {…}
The Chorégies d’Orange has announced its 2018 season which will include two productions and recitals, among other things. Everything kicks off on May 25, 2018 with “Pop the Opera,” a concert featuring hundreds of artists from around the aria, performing famous excerpts from the world of opera. There will also be pop tunes and film music, giving the experience a {…}
“Götterdämmerung” premiered on August 17, 1876, one day after its predecessor “Siegfried” had its first performance. The opera is the final installment in Wagner’s four-part “Der Ring Des Nibelungen,” but it was the first that the composer conceived and the first libretto of the four operas to be put to page. It was originally titled “Siegfrieds Tod,” Wagner started composition {…}
Opera Saratoga’s 2018 Summer Festival has announced its season. The program will feature new productions of four operas along with free events and concerts from May 26 through July 15 at venues throughout the region. The first production of the festival will be “The Merry Widow” with soprano Cecilia Violetta López in the title role, alongside the company debut of baritone {…}
“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 Marc Forster’s “Quantum {…}
Opera Tampa has named guest conductors for the 2017-2018 season. The news comes after the resignation of previous artistic director Daniel Lipton. The result is three conductors for the company. The first will be Jorge Parodi, now a vocal coach and music director of the Senior Opera Theater at the Manhattan School of Music. The Argentine native will conduct Rossini’s “The {…}