UPDATE: Buratto never officially joined the Requiem due to her schedule due to “Suor Angelica” rehearsals at the Wiener Staatsoper. She never canceled. The Wiener Konzerthaus has announced cast changes for the Verdi Requiem on Oct. 28, 2023. The company said that Eleonora Buratto would not participate in the performance due to scheduling reasons. As a result, Ewa Płonka will take over {…}
The Welsh National Opera (WNO) has announced that General Director Aidan Lang is set to step down at the end of the year. He joined the company as staff director in the 1980s and 1990s before eventually ending up the General Director of the Seattle Opera for five seasons between 2014-2019 where he was renowned for his championing of new {…}
(Photo credit: Clive Barda/Royal Opera House) Nestling zest into impressionable appetites, bel canto master Donizetti’s “L’elisir d’amore” is a succulent confectioner’s delight: a cavalcade of strawberry and rhubarb shades that never age out of their calorific bubble. High on hyperactive captures of unravelling roulades and supercilious trills, its teasing feast of overblown, meringue-like vows empowers risk-taking directors. Decking his décor {…}
(Credit: Javier del Real) Teatro Real opened its 2023-24 season with Cherubini’s masterpiece “Medea.” The opera had a great success and was very popular in Europe during the XIX century, where it was usually performed in German or Italian and with a newly written recitative instead of the original French dialogues between arias and scenes. “Medea” was rarely performed during {…}
Eduardo Strausser has been appointed Principal Conductor and Music Director of Norrlandsoperan in Umeå from autumn 2024. He will initially assume the position for three seasons. Strausser will continue to support the Norrlandsoperan in the organization’s mission and development of its artistic profile where, alongside other important strands, music by female composers and contemporary repertoire will play a prominent role. {…}
Boston’s Opera del West is set to present “La Clemenza di Tito” on Sept. 29 – Oct. 1, 2023. The Mozart opera will be showcased in an updated production that features additional dialogue in English; the opera will still be performed in the original Italian. Lucas Hickman takes on the title role and is joined by a cast that includes {…}
Around the world, opera has very different forms. Although the artform has touched almost every continent on the planet, that does not mean that it looks the same. Whether that means an Italian opera that is translated into a different language, or a domestic artform resembling opera that evolved endogenously, the fabric of opera is multi-dimensional! In Part One of {…}
(Photo: Amati Bacciardi) Soprano Anastasia Bartoli is a rising star on the Italian and European opera scene. Over the course of this year alone, she has received a string of glowing reviews including her performance as Cristina in “Eduardo e Cristina” at the Rossini Opera Festival. In October she will be performing Lucrezia in Verdi’s “I Due Foscari” at Venice’s {…}
The Ravenna Festival is set to present “a trilogy according to Riccardo Muti.” From Dec. 16 to 22, Muti will lead his Cherubini Orchestra in the semi-staged performances of “Norma” and “Nabucco” and in an all-Verdi gala at the 19th-century Alighieri Theatre. On Dec. 16 and 19, Muti will conduct Bellini’s “Norma” with Klodjan Kaçani, Vittorio De Campo, Monica Conesa, {…}
Soprano María Bayo has received the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France. Bayo has worked in France for many years and has performed numerous French roles throughout her career. The recognition is given to an artist for their contributions in France. Bayo is a Spanish soprano who has performed at the Salzburg Festival, Teatro alla Scala, Berlin Staatsoper, {…}
Wisconsin’s Madison Symphony Orchestra Artistic Director John DeMain has stepped down from his post. Demain will remain with the company until the 2025-26 season which will mark the Madison Orchestra’s 100th anniversary. DeMain noted, “The word ‘retirement’ implies that I’m quitting conducting. I’m stepping down from the position of music director with the orchestra.” DeMain is only the fourth music {…}