Ten years ago Michael Fabiano announced himself as one of the most promising tenors of his generation. The tenor was competing for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and was also part of the class that was filmed in the movie “The Audition.” His strength and intensity and his strong stage presence made him a sensation with the judges and {…}
The love for opera is healthy and growing in San Francisco. The San Francisco Opera announced that its Opera in the Ballpark, a free live simulcast from the stage of the War Memorial Opera House on June 30, 2017, to the 103-foot wide scoreboard at the home of the San Francisco Giants, was a rocking success as over 23,000 people {…}
Gianandrea has canceled his upcoming summer performances after enduring back surgery this past week. He published a letter apologizing for what is ultimately his first cancellations in 20 years. He recently canceled the remaining performances of “Macbeth” in Torino, but now has decided that in order to make a full recovery and resume some of the latter summer performances, he {…}
Baritone John Holland is returning to the Prague Summer Nights Festival for the third with his participation this year. As an alumnus of the program, the baritone has performed numerous roles including Masetto in “Don Giovanni” at the Estates Theatre in Prague, Vodník in “Rusalka” in the Czech Republic, Belcore in “L’Elisir D’Amore,” Alberich in “Der Ring Des Nibelungen” with {…}
This week two of the great Divas of today will see DVDs released. The first work will be from Wagner while the other one will be by Offenbach. Lohengrin After months of waiting, Anna Netrebko’s debut as Elsa in “Lohengrin” will be released by Deutsche Grammophon. The DVD from the Dresden Semperoper also stars Piotr Beczala in the title role {…}
If you surveyed the most recent 1,000 opera reviews, “testosterone” would not be one of the top hits. Unless you were Googling the Des Moines Metro Opera’s new production of “Billy Budd,” which promises to be the hit of its 45th season. Energized by the transformative performance of Zachary James as the “villain” John Claggart, this story is about much {…}
The Prague Summer Nights kicked off its operatic selections on July 1, 2017, with a production of “Die Zauberflöte” with one major caveat. Due to renovations at the Estates Theater, the festival was forced to move all its opera productions and concerts to the St. Simons and Judes Church for this year’s festival. While it definitely limits the possibilities of {…}
Turandot is tricky. A huge chorus, thundering orchestra, and over half a dozen other principal singers build audience expectations for an act and a half before the star sings a note, and then, like a rocket, the soprano must go from zero to escape velocity with her dazzling introduction, her explanation for her cruelty to her suitors in the aria {…}
Joseph Volpe’s tenure as General Manager at the Metropolitan is one of the most impactful in the company’s history. Volpe, born on, July 2, 1940, stepped into the role in 1990, but he came up the ranks, working for a whopping 42 years with the company. Here is a look at some of his biggest moments as the main man {…}
A few years ago, tenor Paul Appleby made headlines for a potent and powerful showcase in Stravinsky’s “The Rake’s Progress.” Little did he know that that role debut would turn out to be a major calling card in his career. He is now heading into his third major production of the opera at the Festival Aix-en-Provence and is finding the {…}
The Théâtre du Capitôle has announced its 2017-18 season. The season kicks off with D’Abert’s rarely performed work “Tiefland” on Sept. 29, 2017. The opera stars Nicola Schukoff and Megan Miller. The production will be followed Puccini’s “La Rondine” starring Keri Alkema as Magda and Dmitry Popov as Ruggero. The production opens Nov. 17, 2017, with Paolo Arrivabeni conducting. Wagner’s “Die Walküre” {…}