Fabio Luisi has been named the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s music director. The orchestra announced that the 59-year-old Italian conductor would succeed Jaap van Zweden, who will become the New York Philharmonic’s music director. In a press release, Luisi announced that over the next years he will reduce his contracts in Europe, where he is the principal conductor of three companies, {…}
With the New York Opera Fest 2018 officially underway, OperaWire will be showcasing small previews for each major participant at the festival, as we did during last year’s event. However, we are doing things a bit differently this year and giving the floor directly to each company to speak to you, the reader, directly. Enjoy! If you are looking for {…}
The Opéra de Lyon has recently announced its offerings for the 2018-19 season, which will feature staged productions, concerts, and the Opera Underground series. Here’s a look at what’s on offer for next season. Opera Boito’s “Mefistofele” opens the season with the company’s Music Director Daniele Rustioni leading the musical forces. Evgenia Muraveva takes on the two lead roles of {…}
The Theater an der Wien has announced its 2018-19 season, featuring numerous operas by Weber, Handel, and Tchaikovsky. The season will include a number of productions, concert performances, recitals and chamber operas. Productions Marlis Petersen, David Hansen, Mirella Hagen, Katarina Bradić, Rainer Trost, Florian Köfler, and Tölzer Sängerknabe star in a production of Handel’s “Alcina.” Stefan Gottfried conducts Tatjana Gürbaca’s production. Performance {…}
The Opéra de Marseille announced its 2018-19 season, featuring eight productions and a number of concert performances. The season will include a number of revivals and new productions as well as some of the biggest rising stars. Here is a look. Productions The season opens with Leo Nucci directing Verdi’s “Simon Boccanegra” starring Juan Jesús Rodriguez, Riccardo Massi, and Olesya {…}
This summer, the San Francisco Opera will present Richard Wagner’s “Der Ring des Nibelungen” in three complete cycles. The company will showcase each cycle over the course of one week as the composer originally intended, from June 12 through July 1 at the War Memorial Opera House. The cast is set to include some of today’s greatest Wagnerians including Irene Theorin (Brünnhilde), Greer {…}
For years, British composer Thea Musgrave has been a major figure in the classical world. She has been a pioneer of the “dramatic-abstract” in the contemporary musical landscape and has composed over 160 pieces, including 13 operas, 11 choral works, and 21 orchestral works. Musgrave recently celebrated her 90th birthday with a concert that included many of her renown works {…}
Juan Diego Flórez has canceled his performances of “Rigoletto” at the Wiener Staatsoper. The tenor announced is cancelation on Instagram noting “With great regret, I have to cancel my two upcoming performances of Rigoletto at the Wiener Staatsoper. Following my doctor’s orders, I need to rest my voice in order to recover from a tracheitis. I’m sorry for the inconvenience this {…}
Singing Wagner is never an easy feat and he is a composer many singers train years to take on. His music is known for its length and for its technical challenges and in many cases, it is extremely taxing. This week Jennifer Davis takes a major step in her career singing her highest profile assignment to date – Elsa in “Lohengrin.” {…}
Robert Merrill, born on June 4, 1917, is one of the world’s most renowned baritones, making a lengthy career at the Metropolitan Opera throughout the 1950s and 1960s. He was born Moishe Miller and then, later on, was known as Morris Miller. His mother claimed to have had an opera and concert career in Poland and supposedly pushed her son {…}
Cecilia Bartoli, born on June 4, 1966, is one of the most famous opera singers on the planet. The mezzo-soprano, who has also shown an ability to sing a number of soprano roles, was born to professional singers and sang her first public performance at the age of nine in “Tosca” as the shepherd boy. She then went on to {…}