Franco Alfano’s “Cyrano de Bergerac” has never truly managed to establish a foothold in the operatic canon. The work only premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in 2005 and Roberto Alagna, the opera’s most dedicated interpreter has stated that he struggled to find a company willing to take a chance on it. Despite its Italian composer, the music works very much {…}
Opéra Monte Carlo has announced its 2017-18 season with a diverse amount of operas. The season’s first production, Rossini’s “La Cenerentola,” opens on Oct. 29, 2017, with Cecilia Bartoli leading the cast. Nicola Alaimo, Rebecca Olvera, Carlos Chausson, and Edgardo Rocha round out the cast in Jean-Pierre Ponnelle’s classic production. Cilea’s “Adriana Lecouvreur” takes the stage on Nov. 19, 2017, {…}
Now that that most of the major opera companies in the U.S are about to finish their 2016-17 season, most opera lovers will be left searching for what to see. While most festivals take place in Europe, many companies and festivals will be active introducing new works, bringing old classics and discovering new talent. The following is a list of {…}
The Glyndebourne Festival has announced its 2018 festival and with it a new international competition. Titled the Glyndebourne Opera Cup, “the new competition will be designed to discover and spotlight the best young singers from around the world and will offer a top prize of £15,000 and a platform for launching an international opera career.” The competition will take place every {…}
Samantha Hankey has won the Dallas Vocal competition. The Mezzo-soprano, who won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, was awarded a $10,000 Grand Prize, presented by competition Co-Chairs Patsy and Bob Brooks. Meanwhile, second place went to Laura Wilde with a $5,000 Prize and third prize went to soprano Mane Galoya, who won $2,500. The $1,000 “People’s Choice Award” was awarded {…}
Librettist and playwright, William M. Hoffman has passed away. The distinguished writer and professor at Lehman College, who wrote the libretto for John Corigliano’s opera “The Ghosts of Versailles,” died at the age of 78. Hoffman’s libretto for the opera was commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera in 1980 but the work itself was not staged at the company until 1991. {…}
The Glyndebourne Opera Festival has announced its 2018 schedule. The company announced that next season it will present Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” in Annilese Miskimmon’s Tour 2016 production. The production will make its Festival debut and will be conducted by Omer Meir Wellber. Strauss’ “Der Rosenkavalier” will be revived with the 2014 Richard Jones production making its return. Robin Ticciati conducts. Following {…}
Sopranos dead by the final curtain are a dime a dozen; murderous sopranos are rarer; sopranos who slay murderous roles scarcer still. As “Tosca,” in the Canadian Opera Company’s revival of Puccini’s beloved work which opened on April 30th, Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka died, murdered, and slayed, not necessarily in that order. A Triumphant Diva Her death should have been {…}
Angela Gheorghiu and Jonas Kaufmann will headline the Vienna State Opera’s upcoming live stream of Puccini’s “Tosca.” The event, which will take place on May 8, 2017, kicks off at 7 p.m. local time, ending at 9:45 p.m. local time. Kaufmann and Gheorghiu have performed many times together, most famously in this very opera in a production from the Royal {…}
Thank Saudi Arabia is set to create its own opera house and new cinemas in its upcoming reforms. Since the 1970s, the country has been without cinemas, which were banned due to the demands of the clerical establishment. But the country’s government has opted to move ahead with cultural reforms known as “Vision 2030,” as announced by Deputy Crown Prince {…}
Did you know that Gregory Kunde is the only tenor in the history of opera to sing both Verdi and Rossini’s “Otello” within a two-week span? In fact, only one other tenor, Roberto Stagno, sang both roles, but it took him 10 years to complete the feat. But that is ultimately what makes Kunde such a special artist. At one {…}
