On Jan. 21, 2018, fans of Leonard Bernstein gathered in The Greene Space of Lower Manhattan for a night of songs and celebration in honor of the 100th birthday of the great composer. Hosted by WQXR’s Elliott Forrest, the event was equal parts reminiscence and reverie, in large part due to pianist Laura Downes, who performed much of her upcoming {…}
Due to an accident at the Teatro Regio di Torino, the next opera in the company’s season will be presented in a semi-staged version. The decision was taken after part of the staging of Turandot fell during the Jan. 18 performance. The incident happened at the start of the scene change after the closure of the tabs at the end of the {…}
Many opera directors today fall onto a particular idée fixe and refuse to let it go, no matter what dramaturgical or textual incongruities ensue. Vera Nemirova’s fazzoletto-laden “Otello” in Bucharest, Hans Neuenfels’ laboratory rats “Lohengrin” in Bayreuth or Krzysztof Warlikowski’s “Brokeback Mountain” “Eugene Onegin” in Munich immediately spring to mind. Joining the ignominious list is Norwegian theatre director, Ole Anders Tandberg’s {…}
When is it the right time? That is the question most singers ask when choosing to explore new repertoire. There is always a risk in singing heavier works at a young age because it can damage the voice. And then there is a risk of being pigeonholed into singing one role. Ever since her breakout in 2009, Anita Rachvelshvili has {…}
In 1802, Gaspare Spontini’s one act farse, “Le Metamorfosi di Pasquale,” was premiered at the Teatro San Moise in Venice to moderate acclaim. It was to be his last work for the Italian stage, as soon after he moved on to Paris and then to Berlin. Unfortunately, along with a number of Spontini’s other works, it was subsequently lost, although {…}
Making its premiere on January 22, 1934, “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District” is adapted from a novel of the same name written by Nikolai Leskov. The opera was banned for nearly thirty years by the Communist Party in Russia after it was deemed to be offensive; one performance at the Bolshoi Theatre was attended by none other than Joseph {…}
The Houston Grand Opera is primed for an exciting 2018-19 season after a tumultuous fall of 2017. Combining major classics with some unique modern works. What makes these productions all the more exciting are the artists themselves. And the company did a tremendous casting job this season. Here are the five artists that will make some major headlines this season {…}
Elina Garanca has confirmed she will open the Metropolitan Opera in 2018-19. In an interview with the Informador, the mezzo-soprano noted that she will open the season singing the role of Dalila in “Samson et Dalila.” The mezzo-soprano also noted that she will be recording a new CD in November but did not confirm any repertoire. Garanca is currently on tour {…}
Surprise – we are changing things up a bit for this week’s Artist of the Week. It’s more like Artists of the Week simply because it was impossible to ignore their tantamount importance on this week’s collaboration. Juan Diego Flórez and Olga Peretyatko are two of today’s greatest stars in the opera world and this week both singers will take {…}
Jillian Flexner’s zombie spoof of Verdi’s most popular opera returns with the WholeTone Opera. A year after premiering “La Zombiata: A Zombie Love Story,” the guerrilla opera company will present Flexner’s updated version with additional music written for this fresh rendition, and with UV reactive elements to bring the baroque apocalyptic wasteland into neon phantasma-gore-ical surreality. The company produced the work {…}
Joseph Calleja turns 40 years old today. Born on Jan. 22, 1978, the Maltese tenor has risen to the ranks of being one of the greatest singers in the world today. In commemoration of his 40th birthday, here are 40 fun facts about this still burgeoning artist. He was born in Attard, Malta. He was inspired to sing at the {…}