Social Media Beat-Week (12/10-16) : Dmitri Hvorostovsky Returns To the Stage While Diana Damrau and Vittorio Grigolo Prepare New Year’s Gala

There is never a dull moment in the opera world as singers are constantly traveling and exploring new locations. While some singers are preparing for their holiday seasons, others are already preparing upcoming roles or recitals. Lets take a look at where some of the most popular stars were in this week’s Social Media Beat. Pretty Yende The South African {…}

Dec 16, 2016

Weekend Preview (12/16-18) – International: Anna Netrebko Returns to ‘Macbeth’ and Renee Fleming Opens ‘Der Rosenkavalier’

The weekend is upon us and that means many operas will be presented around the world. Many theaters will offer holiday presentations while some of the greatest singers return to the stage such as Renee Fleming, Simon Keenlyside, Rolando Villazon, Anna Netrebko, Rene Pape and Nina Stemme. Austria Simon Keenlyside returns to the Vienna State Opera for Verdi’s “Macbeth” with the {…}

Dec 16, 2016

Nicholas Phan Launches 2017 with Fourth Album ‘Gods & Monsters’

Nicholas Phan will launch the New Year with his fourth solo album, “Gods & Monsters” for Avie Records. The album features his frequent collaborator Myra Huang on piano. The recording sees Phan sing a wide-ranging program of German lieder inspired by fairy tales, traversing both familiar and lesser-known works by Schubert, Brahms, Mahler, Beethoven, Schumann, Wolf and Mendelssohn. According to Phan the recording was inspired by the young people and stated, “As more {…}

Dec 16, 2016

The Major Interpreters & Recordings of Beethoven’s ‘Fidelio’

Ludwig Van Beethoven turned 246 on Friday, Dec. 16. Upon his death in 1827, the composer left behind veritable masterpieces of classical music. His most famous works are his nine symphonies, his piano sonatas and concertos and his string quartets. There was also one opera, “Fidelio.” The composer is said to have struggled to create this singular work, creating three {…}

Dec 16, 2016

Decca Announces Aida Garifullina’s First Album

Decca announced Aida Garifullina’s new album scheduled for release next year. The record company announced the new CD via social media and stated that the first single was available today via Youtube. Decca compiled together clips from Garifullina’s performances of Gounod’s “Je Veux Vivre” from “Romeo et Juliette. The video includes clips from two operaball performances and one from this year’s Bastille {…}

Dec 16, 2016

Weekend Preview (12/16-18) – USA: Metropolitan, Houston Grand & Anchorage Opera Among Options in Barren Holiday Season

The holiday season means that few opera companies are in full swing in the United States. Thankfully, as the case last weekend, there are still operas pulling out the stops to ensure that opera-hungry audiences are not left famished. Here are the opera companies in the US. On Friday, the Metropolitan Opera showcases its second performance of Verdi’s “Nabucco” starring {…}

Dec 15, 2016

Joseph Calleja Recording New Verdi Album; Angela Gheorghiu Attends Session

Joseph Calleja has revealed that he is recording a new Verdi album for Decca. The tenor revealed that a Verdi album was in the works via his Twitter account on Wednesday. “Recording today our Verdi Album in Valencia with #vittoriovitelli #ramontebar,” he wrote. On Thursday, he put a picture on Instagram alongside famed Romanian soprano Angela Gheorghiu stating “Today recording {…}

Dec 15, 2016

Preview: Arizona Opera Set to World Premiere Western ‘Riders of the Purple Sage’ in February 2017

Cowboys, sunsets and the grandeur of the American western will grace Arizona Opera this February, when the company world premieres “Riders of the Purple Sage.” Based on the classic novel by Zane Grey, the opera tells the story of the unconventional relationship between a devout Mormon and a vengeful cowboy. The work explores themes such as women’s rights, vigilante justice {…}

Dec 15, 2016

Liana Aleksanyan Will Make Her Teatro Alla Scala Role Debut as ‘Madama Butterfly’

Liana Aleksanyan will make her Teatro alla Scala role debut as Cio-Cio San in Puccini’s “Madam Butterfly” on Dec. 16. The announcement comes on the heels of Maria Jose Siri’s cancellation due to a cold. On her Twitter feed she announced the news and stated, “Dear friends, due to a heavy cold I have to cancel the performance of #MadamaButterfly {…}

Dec 15, 2016

Jonas Kaufmann to be featured on NDR Talk Show

After months of cancellations, Jonas Kaufmann will make an appearance on television for a special interview with TV host Barbara Schöneberger and Hubertus Meyer-Burckhard. The German tenor will be featured on Dec. 16 as a guest of NDR Talk show and will be featured alongside Heike Makatsch, Oliver Berben, Ferdinand von Schirach, Alexander Herrmann, Victoria Swarovski, Jörg Knör, Elena Timpe and Samuel Koch. The {…}

Dec 15, 2016

Metropolitan Opera Review 2016-17 – L’Amour de Loin: Singers Provide Light Despite a Strange Dark Moment in Saariaho’s Masterpiece

This article relates to the performance of “L’Amour de Loin” at the Metropolitan Opera on Dec. 14, 2016. There was a light show on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House on Wednesday evening in the company’s performance of Kaija Saariaho’s “L’Amour De Loin,” though a sudden moment of darkness threatened to be the most impactful moment of the entire {…}