Jonas Kaufmann will limit his engagements outside Europe. In an article by The New York Times, the German tenor said stated that he wishes to remain close to his family, something made difficult when he travels to the U.S. for new productions. “Any operatic contract which I accept in Europe still allows me the possibility to be with my family {…}
On March 9, 1842, Verdi scored his first major success with his opera “Nabucco.” Two years later, on March 9, 1844, the composer scored another riveting success with the world premiere of his “Ernani.” While the respective journeys of these two works have diverged over the one-hundred plus years since their respective debuts (“Nabucco” is a cornerstone of the repertoire {…}
This weekend audiences in Munich will get a chance to experience the dynamic duo that is Jonas Kaufmann and Anja Harteros in Giordano’s “Andrea Chénier.” Kaufmann likely needs no introduction, the tenor arguably the most popular of his voice type in the entire universe. Harteros deserves equal praise, her dramatic soprano a superb instrument that is simply unmatched in the {…}
Angela Gheorghiu has canceled her Teatro Colón debut in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The soprano released a statement that said “I am deeply upset and disappointed about the lack of professionalism and discourtesy I have encountered in the last days in Buenos Aires, while I was very much looking forward to perform ‘Adriana Lecouvreur’ at Teatro Colón. Due to pre-contractual breaches and {…}
Back in 1933, with the Great Depression in full swing, famed Hollywood director George Cukor released a small film called “Dinner at Eight.” Starring Lionel and John Barrymore, Marie Dressler and Jean Harlow among others, the film established the cataclysmic world event in a very intimate setting. The film became a cult classic in ensuing decades and a new version {…}
On September 6, 2017, Fondazione Luciano Pavarotti and Friends & Partners will put together a gala to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the great tenor’s passing in 2007. The concert will take place at the Arena di Verona in Italy and will feature Plácido Domingo and José Carreras paying tribute to the giant. The two, of course, worked alongside {…}
Famed Italian conductor Alberto Zedda passed away on Monday, March 6, 2017, at the age of 89. The conductor was born on Jan. 2, 1928. The conductor famously studied under Antonino Votto and Carlo Maria Giulini debuting in Milan in 1956. The opera of that occasion was Rossini’s “Il Barbiere Di Siviglia,” establishing him as a Rossini specialist for the {…}
Tulsa Opera has announced its 2017-18 season, which will feature two classics from the international repertoire. The season opens on Oct. 20 and 22 with a production of Gounod’s “Faust.” Tenor Martin Piskorski, who made waves at La Scala last season, will make his US debut in the title role while Turkish bass Önay Köse, will play Mephistopheles, making his {…}
This review is for the premiere on opening night of the run, March 6, 2017. Mozart’s “Idomeneo” has accrued quite the history at the Met since its premiere in 1982. It has been sung by major singers that include the likes of Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Ileana Cortrubas, Hildegard Behrens, Frederica Von Stade and Carol Vaness among many others. Safe {…}
Back in 2007, baritone Thomas Hampson gave a Distance Learning Voice Master Class at the Manhattan School of Music. In commemoration of the 10th anniversary of that event, the American singer and the renowned conservatory are rejoining forces for the same program. In a press release on Monday, the Manhattan School of Music announced that its program, which counts among {…}
The Olivier Award nominations have been announced with numerous operas earning recognition. In the Best New Opera category, Jan Philipp Gloger’s production of Mozart’s “Così fan Tutte” for the Covent Garden has been nominated alongside Philip Venables’ “4.48 Psychosis,” which was staged at the Lyric Hammersmith and won a UK Theatre Award in October 2016. English National Opera’s “Lulu” and “Akhnaten” round out the nominees in {…}