Die Tote Stadt – Opernhaus Zürich – April 21- June 1, 2025

Dmitri Tcherniakov returns to the Opernhaus Zürich following productions of “Pelléas et Mélisande,” “Die Sache Makropulos,” and “Jenůfa.” Swiss conductor Lorenzo Viotti will perform Korngold’s score with an incredible cast led by Vida Miknevičiũte und Eric Cutler. The cast will also include Björn Bürger, Evelyn Herlitzius, Rebeca Olvera, Siena Licht Miller, Nathan Haller, Álvaro Diana Sanchez.

Festen – Royal Opera House – February 11-27, 2025

In 1998 Thomas Vinterberg took the world by storm with his film “Festen.” The film was made under the Dogme95 rules or “vows of chastity,” as named by von Trier and Vinterberg, where the idea was to allow traditional storytelling, raw performance style, and specific themes to be told without elaborate special effects and technology. Shooting was to be done on location, in natural light, and with hand-held cameras.

Now composer Mark-Anthony Turnage and librettist Lee Hall come together to adapt the story to the opera stage.

Richard Jones directs the work with Edward Gardner conducting. The work will star an all-star cast that includes Allan Clayton, Stéphane Degout, Gerald Finley, Rosie Aldridge, Natalya Romaniw, Thomas Oliemans, Susan Bickley, Philippa Boyle, Peter Brathwaite, Marta Fontanals-Simmons, Aled Hall, Julian Hubbard, Clare Presland, John Tomlinson, Ailish Tynan, Kitty Whately, Jeremy White, Kiera Lyness, Elizabeth Weisberg, Miranda Westcott, Andrew O’Connor, Patrick Ashcroft, Luke Price, Dawid Kimberg, and Eugene Dillon-Hooper. 

Khovanshchina – Salzburg Easter Festival – April 12-21, 2025

Mussorgsky’s rarely performed masterpiece will get a new production in Salzburg this spring by Simon McBurney. Vitalij Kowaljow, Thomas Atkins, Matthew White, Andre Schuen, Ain Anger, Nadezhda Karyazina, Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke, Natalia Tanasii, Allison Cook, Theo Lebow, and Rupert Grössinger lead the stellar cast with Esa Pekka Salonen conducting.

Regarding the work, Salonen said, “The special thing about ‘Khovanshchina’ is that if you changed a few names in the libretto, it would describe current events. I can’t think of any other opera where that would be the case.”

Il Nome Della Rosa – Teatro alla Scala – April 27-May 10, 2025

Following the haunting Met premiere of Jake Heggie’s first opera, “Dead Man Walking,” the company presents his 2010 adaptation of Herman Melville’s legendary novel. Leonard Foglia brings his acclaimed production, which has already been seen in Dallas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. and Karen Kamensek conducts.

The cast will include Brandon Jovanovich as Captain Ahab, Stephen Costello as Greenhorn, baritone Peter Mattei as Starbuck, and Ryan Speedo Green as the Queequeg. The cast also features soprano Janai Brugger as Pip, tenor William Burden as Flask, and baritone Malcolm MacKenzie as Stubb.

Norma – Wiener Staatsoper – Feb. 22-May 26, 2025

In February, the Wiener Staatsoper is set to open a new production of Bellini’s “Norma” directed by Cyril Teste with two casts, including important role debuts. The first cast will feature Juan Diego Flórez in his role debut as Pollione and Federica Lombardi in her role debut as Norma. Ildebrando D’Arcangelo and Vasilisa Berzhanskaya will join them. Michele Mariotti conducts. Then in May, Freddie De Tommaso and Lidia Fridman will take over the lead roles. Antonino Fogliani conducts the second cast.

Otello – Staatsoper Stuttgart – May 18-July 18, 2025

One of the most interesting role debuts will be seen this season at the Staatsoper Stuttgart when Matthew Polenzani sings his first interpretations of Verdi’s Otello; the tenor has become well-known for his lyric roles in such Verdi operas as “La Traviata,” “Rigoletto,” and “Don Carlo,” but “Otello” is a very different type of vocal challenge. It will be interesting to see how he manages it.

Following her expansively sensual production of “Juditha triumphans,” director and set designer Silvia Costa will take on the Verdi masterpiece with Stefano Montanari conducting. The cast will also include Joseph Tancredi, Esther Dierkes, Itzeli Jáuregui, and Daniel Miroslaw. Arsen Soghomonyan will alternate with Polenzani in the title role. 

The Listeners – Lyric Opera of Chicago – March 30 – April  11, 2025