It’s Oscar Sunday this weekend and while it may seem irrelevant to the world of opera, the art form has been present numerous times at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In celebration of the Academy Awards, OperaWire takes a look at times when opera stars or films were nominated at the Academy Awards. 2016 Last awards season {…}
What are you seeing this weekend? Is it Verdi, Wagner, Mozart or more experimental composers like Jake Heggie and Kurt Weill? These are only some of the many composer’s the major theaters of the world will be showing this weekend. Austria The Wiener Staatsoper kicks off the weekend with two performances of “Die Zauberflöte” for kids, which is followed by {…}
It was a big week in the opera world, especially in Vienna where the Opernball took place. Jonas Kaufmann fans were delighted to see the tenor perform, while he got a chance to hang out with a number of old friends, including Anna Netrebko. Here is a pic of the two posing for cameras alongside Netrebko’s husband Yusif Eyvazov. Red {…}
Want to watch operas in Munich but don’t live anywhere near Germany? That will no longer be a problem starting this Sunday as the Bayerische Staatsoper has announced that opera lovers will be able to stream performances for free (!) from Munich live and in full online, by clicking on staatsoper.tv. The productions will utilize four to six cameras with up {…}
Renata Scotto needs no introduction. She is one of the greatest singers of the 20th century and she conquered many of the prima donna roles. On Feb. 24, Scotto will be 83 and at her age the Diva still continues to teach and give masterclasses as evidenced last month at the Opera Naples. In celebration of Scotto’s birthday, OperaWire looks {…}
Sonya Yoncheva will make her role debut as Tosca. As part of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s 2017-18 season, the Bulgarian soprano will sing her first Tosca in Puccini’s masterpiece under the direction of Yannick Nezet-Seguin. The event will also mark the soprano’s debut with the orchestra. In a statement for the Philadelphia inquirer Nezet-Seguin said, “I finally got the ‘Tosca’ that I’ve {…}
Those two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. Those immortal words by Robert Frost might as well apply to almost anyone who takes on an artistic endeavor. But for bass Matthew Curran, the path to operatic success has been a truly unusual one, as {…}
Rain was pouring down for miles while composer Craig Bohmler was on a drive through the mountain region outside Phoenix. Everywhere he looked, visibility was low and he knew that due to the strong monsoon winds, staying out in this weather was probably not a wise proposition. He eventually stopped at “the second light.” “It’s important to note that it {…}
This week the Teatro alla Scala will revive the 1990 Liliana Cavani production of Verdi’s “La Traviata.” The production returns after DmItri Tcherniakov’s 2013 staGing failed to please Scala audiences. This time the Cavani production will be sung by two leading sopranos. First Ailyn Pérez will bring her acclaimed Violetta to the theater. Perez has performed the role around the {…}
The San Francisco Opera’s summer season will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the “Summer of Love,” a social movement that emerged in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury neighborhood during the summer of 1967 with three operatic gems that explore the theme of love in its many guises. The company will also returns to the home of the San Francisco Giants for the eleventh “Opera at {…}
Willy Decker’s production of Verdi’s “La Traviata” opens on Friday, marking the final revival of the acclaimed production. Sonya Yoncheva reprises her acclaimed Violetta which critics said, “was a creation full of searching details.” The soprano has been hailed as one of the great Violettas of our time and has sung the role in Munich, Paris, Zurich and London. Michael {…}