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News

Bryn Terfel to Retire Scarpia With No Future Met Opera Plans

https://operawire.com/bryn-terfel-to-retire-scarpia-with-no-future-met-opera-plans-in-the-future/

On Jan. 9, Bryn Terfel is set to return to the Met after 13 years in “Tosca.” The bass-baritone will sing his final Scarpia performances according to the New York Times. The bass-baritone, who is now 60, has slowly been retiring roles from his repertoire. Terfel was originally set to premiere the David McVicar production but fell ill before opening {…}

News

Obituary: Lighting Designer Rainer Casper Dies at 60

https://operawire.com/obituary-lighting-designer-rainer-casper-dies-at-60/

Lighting designer Rainer Casper has died at 60. Born in 1964,  Casper initially worked at the Cologne Theater before working as head of lighting at the Leipzig Theater, the Hannover Theater, and the Volksbühne at Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz in Berlin, where his collaboration with Frank Castorf began. With Castroff he notably designed the lighting for the “The Ring of the Nibelung” at {…}

News

James Gaffigan to End Tenure at Palau de les Arts at Close of 2024-25 Season

https://operawire.com/james-gaffigan-to-end-tenure-at-palau-de-les-arts-at-close-of-2024-25-season/

El Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia has announced that James Gaffigan will conclude his tenure as music director at the close of the 2024-25 season. The U.S. American conductor has been with the company since 2021, and during his tenure, the orchestra expanded from 54 to 76 musicians. He has led a number of major productions include Mozart’s “Requiem,” {…}

Interviews

Q & A: Mikhail Timoshenko On His Opera Career & Philanthropic Path

https://operawire.com/q-a-mikhail-timoshenko-on-his-opera-career-philanthropic-path/

(Photo: Annemone Taake) Russian baritone Mikhail Timoshenko began his musical and theatrical training in Mednogorsk, then at the Franz Liszt University in Weimar and the Hans Eisler in Berlin. From 2015 to 2017, he was a member of the Académie de l’Opéra national de Paris.
He sang in the world premiere of Joanna Lee’s “Vol Retour” and performed the role of {…}

News, Streaming

How to Listen to Teatro La Fenice’s New ‘Otello’ with Francesco Meli

https://operawire.com/how-to-listen-to-teatro-la-fenices-new-otello-with-francesco-meli/

(Credit: Michele Crosera) On Nov. 26, 2024, Rai Radio 3 will broadcast Verdi’s “Otello” from the Teatro La Fenice. The new production by Fabio Ceresa will be conducted by Myung-Whun Chung. Francesco Meli will sing the title role for the first time, Karah Son as Desdemona, and Luca Micheletti as Iago. The cast will be rounded out by Francesco Marsiglia, Enrico {…}

News

Metropolitan Opera Settles Lawsuit with Mezzo-Soprano Wendy White

https://operawire.com/metropolitan-opera-settles-lawsuit-with-mezzo-soprano-wendy-white/

(Credit: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera) The Metropolitan Opera has finally settled its lawsuit with mezzo-soprano Wendy White. The New York Times is reporting that the case was settled after White was expected to return to court this month, but when a deal was reached with the Met, a scheduled trial was called off. According to the Times, neither the Met nor {…}

Interviews

Q & A: Italian Baritone Bruno Taddia On His Role as Licinius in Spontini’s ‘La Vestale’

https://operawire.com/q-a-italian-baritone-bruno-taddia-on-his-role-as-licinius-in-spontinis-la-vestale/

(Photo: Matilde Fassò) Italian baritone Bruno Taddia is embarking on his most challenging role yet as Licinius in Gaspare Spontini’s “La Vestale,” with libretto by Étienne de Jouy, for the Pergolesi Spontini Festival in Jesi. OperaWire dives headfirst into asking Taddia all about how he connects with this role and what it means to him as he performs for this {…}

News

William Kentridge Named Artist in Residence at Bergen International Festival

https://operawire.com/william-kentridge-named-artist-in-residence-at-bergen-international-festival/

The Bergen International Festival has named William Kentridge the Artist in Residence for the 2025 season. The festival announced that Festival Director Lars Petter Hagen invited two of the South African artist’s stage productions to Bergen. The Bergen International Festival 2025 will open with Kentridge’s latest performance, “The Great Yes, The Great No,” which had its world premiere this past {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Royal Ballet and Opera 2024-25 Review: Eugene Onegin

https://operawire.com/royal-ballet-and-opera-2024-25-review-eugene-onegin/

(Photo: Tristram Kenton) “Eugene Onegin,” Tchaikovsky’s reworking of Pushkin’s verse novel into seven ‘lyric scenes,’ has not been seen on the Covent Garden stage for nearly a decade. Ted Huffman’s new staging would have been an event for that reason alone, but its significance was underlined by the fact that it sees one of the most striking young directors making {…}