Arrigo Boito, born on Feb. 24, 1842, has marked his space in the opera world mainly through his opera “Mefistofele.” He didn’t get a chance to create much other music, his final work, “Nerone,” never coming to full fruition. But he did leave his mark in other major ways. Here is a look at his most famous works, outside of {…}
« La Juive » premiered on Feb. 23, 1835 at the Opéra de Paris and remains the only one of Halevy’s to make a massivr impact. The work was widely admired during its early years and even Richard Wagner was said to have borrowed from portions of it. The work was famously the last one to be performed by Enrico {…}
This weekend looks a bit interesting for opera lovers looking to leave the core repertoire. Baroque dominates our selections for what we recommend and there is also a French rarity that no one should miss. Here is a glimpse. Saul & Ariodante – Wiener Staatsoper & Theatre an der Wien, Austria Austria audiences are in for a Handel double. At the {…}
There is perhaps no other Baroque composer with as wide a repertory as George Frideric Handel. Though a handful of his operas are still widely performed in Europe, his operas don’t typically get much attention from the major houses in the United States. Even the few shows that are still regularly staged are recycled in succession, such as “Giulio Cesare,” {…}
Who doesn’t love kicking back as a child and copying your favorites singers while imagining that you are that artist and taking the world by storm? That the spotlights are on you and that you have transitioned from a dreaming child to a worldwide star. That’s Lucas Meachem right now. The baritone, who is currently singing the role of Marcello {…}
Throughout the weekend of Feb. 23-25, the Cantanti Project will showcase a revival of the rare opera “Euridice” by Caccini. The performance will showcase such singers as Michael Celentano, Tom Corbeil, Lydia Dahling, Brittany Fowler, Fiona Gillespie, Marques Hollie, Aumna Iqbal, Elyse Kakacek, Laura Mitchell, Joyce Yin, Sara Lin Yoder, all under the direction of Brittany Goodwin. The Cantanti Project {…}
This weekend is jampacked with rare operas to see. No joke. With one exception, the list consists of works you probably will struggle to find productions for at any given point a year from now. So strap in and find a way to watch these five shows. (List is in alphabetical order by company). Euridice – Cantanti Project The New {…}
On Sunday, March 4, the Bay Area’s Classical KDFC will broadcast a San Francisco Opera performance from November 2014 of Giacomo Puccini’s “Tosca” The broadcast stars soprano Lianna Haroutounian in the title role, tenor Brian Jagde as Cavaradossi, and bass-baritone Mark Delavan as Scarpia, with maestro Riccardo Frizza leading the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. KDFC radio announcer Dianne Nicolini will {…}
The Lyric Opera of Kansas City has announced its 2018-19 season. The new season is filled with numerous important debuts from some of today’s rising stars and is also filled with four productions from a diverse repertoire. The season opens with Bernstein’s “West Side Story” in Francesca Zambello’s classic production based on the original production directed and choreographed by Jerome {…}
The Bayerische Staatsoper has undergone two cast changes in the past few days. The first is Thomas Hampson who has withdrawn from his upcoming performances of “Così fan tutte.” As a result, Luca Tittoto will replace the baritone As Don Alfonso. Over the past years Tittoto has become a sought-after bass, singing at La Fenice, Venice, Teatro Comunale, Teatro di {…}
“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 we will go through {…}
