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Special Features

Page to Opera Stage: Destruction of Self in Thomas Mann’s & Benjamin Britten’s ‘Death in Venice’

https://operawire.com/page-to-opera-stage-destruction-of-self-in-thomas-manns-benjamin-brittens-death-in-venice/

“Page to Opera Stage” looks at stories – real-life or fiction, old and new – that have inspired operas, and the ways these narratives have been edited and dramatized to fit a new medium. In this instalment, Thomas Mann’s “Death in Venice” proved the inspiration for a very different opera  It is often said all writers draw from their own {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Bayreuth Baroque Festival 2021 Review: Carlo il Calvo

https://operawire.com/bayreuth-baroque-festival-2021-review-carlo-il-calvo/

(Photo: Falk von Traubenberg) Very occasionally we are fortunate enough to experience an opera production that leaves an indelible imprint on our memories; a never-forgotten experience in which adjectives such as ‘brilliant,’ ‘breath-taking’ or ‘stunning’ come to mind and can be used without any sense of exaggeration. Such was the case with Bayreuth Baroque Festival’s performance of Nicolà Porpora’s opera {…}

Behind the Scenes, Interviews

Q & A: Barbara Hendricks on the UNHCR, Compassion & Refugees

https://operawire.com/q-a-barbara-hendricks-on-the-unhcr-compassion-refugees/

(Credit: © UNHCR/Markel Redondo) Opera audiences may know Barabra Hendricks for her historical operatic performances and her forays into jazz. But for the past 35 years, Hendricks has dedicated her work to the UNHCR as the longest-serving Goodwill Ambassador. She has traveled to Mozambique, Zambia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, and Cote D’Ivoire as an ambassador and visited refugee {…}

IndieOpera

Hartford Opera Theater to Present ‘Fortune’s Children’

https://operawire.com/hartford-opera-theater-to-present-fortunes-children/

Hartford Opera Theater is set to present the world premiere of “Fortune’s Children: A Zoom Opera” on Oct. 16 and 17, 2020. The new work, composed and written by David Wolfson, will be performed live with three singers from different states including Darius A. Gillard, Markel Reed, and Thao Nguyen. The opera takes place at the beginning of the next {…}

Special Features

‘Death in Venice’ (in San Francisco) – One of OperaWire’s Writers Remembers Britten Opera Production From a Unique Perspective

https://operawire.com/death-in-venice-in-san-francisco-one-of-operawires-writers-remembers-britten-opera-production-from-a-unique-perspective/

San Francisco’s spring opera production of “Death in Venice” in 1975 was the real deal—the ingenious novella of German writer, Thomas Mann, turned into a haunting and exquisite opera by the English composer Benjamin Britten, libretto by Mfanwy Piper. The production was created by the remarkable Gerald Freedman, a well-known  American theater and opera director, assistant not only to New {…}

News

Berlin’s Leading Epidemiologists Claim that Attending Opera Performances With Full Audiences is Safe

https://operawire.com/berlins-leading-epidemiologists-claim-that-attending-opera-performances-with-full-audiences-is-safe/

(Credit: Deutsche Oper Berlin / Leo Seidel) UPDATE: Since the publication of this article, the Charité’s leadership has distanced itself from the statements made in this article. Here is the full update.  Leading German epidemiologists from Berlin’s Clinic Charité have published a revised study suggesting that opera houses and concert halls should allow every seat in the audiences to be {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Arizona Opera 2019-20 Review: Riders of the Purple Sage

https://operawire.com/arizona-opera-2019-20-review-riders-of-the-purple-sage/

(Credit: Tim Trumble) On February 29, 2020, Arizona Opera presented Craig Bohmler and Stephen Mark Kohn’s opera “Riders of the Purple Sage,” a revival of the production seen and much appreciated there in 2017. In 2020, the stage picture was updated with powerful new projections by Greg Emetaz that add to the gorgeous desert colorations gracing the mountains and rocks {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Seattle Opera 2019-20 Review: Eugene Onegin

https://operawire.com/seattle-opera-2019-20-review-eugene-onegin/

(Photo Credit: Sunny Martini / Seattle Opera) Seattle Opera’s production of Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin” has travelled around, being co-owned by regional opera companies in Kansas City, Honolulu, Detroit, Atlanta, and Seattle, with costumes rented from Santa Fe Opera. And while it was musically and emotionally rewarded, the mounting on January 11 was visually staid. Roads Not Taken For Tchaikovsky’s opera {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Metropolitan Opera 2019-20 Review: La Traviata

https://operawire.com/metropolitan-opera-2019-20-review-la-traviata/

(Credit: Marty Sohl/ Metropolitan Opera) On Jan. 10, 2020 Verdi’s “La Traviata” returned to the stage in Michael Mayer’s production. It was the first revival of the production which scored a divisive reaction from the critics and the audience last season when it premiered. For this revival the Met brought superstar Aleksandra Kurzak, who was taking on the role of {…}