On April 17, Puccini’s “Tosca” will be transmitted on Arte.tv. The production from the Baden-Baden Festival will star Kristine Opolais and Marcelo Alvarez in the lead roles while Evgeny Nikitin will star as Scarpia. Sir Simon Rattle conducts the Berlin Philharmonic in Philipp Himmelman’s new production. Opolais is best known for her work in Puccini and is one of the {…}
Sir Bryn Terfel has canceled his appearances as Wotan and the Wanderer in Wagner’s Ring at the Vienna State Opera. The bass-baritone, who was scheduled to appear later this month, will be replaced by Egils Silins in “Das Rheingold” on April 30 and by Tomasz Konieczny in “Die Walküre” on May 1 and “Siegfried” on 7th May. Thomas Johannes Mayer will perform {…}
A few weeks ago, Metropolitan Opera Music Director Designate Yannick Nézet-Séguin made the proclamation that he would be bringing newer and fresher composers to the Metropolitan Opera throughout his tenure. A few days later it was reported that among the new composers he would be bringing would be Jake Heggie’s “Dead Man Walking.” It’s a great start, considering Heggie, who {…}
As the career of the great James Levine enters its twilight, major organizations are finding ways to recognize his work. The Metropolitan Opera, where he has been for decades has already made him music director emeritus and it seems that another organization is just as ready to create a position to honor him. Enter Ravinia, which has now conferred on {…}
It’s the holiday season with Easter and Passover taking place at the same time. As a result, OperaWire is taking a look at some of the operas that are set during these very sacred holidays. Easter For those not familiar with what Easter Sunday celebrates, it is the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as {…}
The Salzburg Osterfestpiele has announced its lineup for 2018. The opera that will headline the festival will be Puccini’s “Tosca” starring German soprano Anja Harteros. The soprano is currently portraying Sieglinde at the festival in a new production of Wagner’s “Die Walküre.” She will be joined by Latvian tenor Aleksandrs Antonenko and the production will also star French baritone Ludovic Tezier. {…}
The Des Moines Metro Opera has been awarded a generous gift from the Lauridsen Family Foundation. According to a press release, the gift is for a whopping $1 million in support of the Company’s Words & Music at the Carnegie Capital Campaign. The campaign has been set up to support the “restoration and expansion of DMMO’s headquarters—the historic Carnegie Library {…}
On Thursday, April 13, 2017, the Vienna State Opera is live streaming its current run of Wagner’s “Parsifal.” The Vienna State Opera’s current production of “Parsifal” has garnered strong reviews since it debuted a few weeks ago with Classical Source praising conductor Semyon Bychov for leading “a patient but never dragging interpretation. He and his musicians demonstrated great endurance and {…}
The Manhattan School of Music Opera Theater will showcase four performances of Johann Strauss’ “Der Zigeunerbaron.” The operetta, which is the second most famous work by Strauss, will be conducted by Kynan Johns, directed by Linda Brovsky and sung in German. The work, which premiered in Vienna in October 1885, features an Ignaz Schnitzer libretto based on “Sáffi,” a novella by Hungarian writer {…}
On first glance, you would never find the commonalities between Monserrat Caballé and Lily Pons. The two sopranos, one Spanish and the other French-American, are known for distinctly different repertoire. The former had a wide range that saw her dominate both bel canto and dramatic repertoire while the latter was best known for more delicate roles, particularly in her native {…}
Olga Peretyatko will sing the role of Violetta in Verdi’s “La Traviata” tonight at the Metropolitan Opera. The Met announced the news via Twitter. According to the Met press office, Peretyatko would fill in for Carmen Giannattasio who is ill. It will mark Peretyatko’s Met role debut in “La Traviata.” She has performed the role of Violetta at Baden-Baden, St. {…}