https://operawire.com/obituary-nadezda-kniplova-dies-at-87/
International soprano Naděžda Kniplová has died at the age of 87. Born in Ostrava to a musical family, Kniplová began her vocal training from her father and later went on to study under Jarmila Vavrdová at the Prague Conservatory from 1947 to 1953. After conservatory she went on to make her professional opera debut in 1957 at the opera house {…}
https://operawire.com/teatro-real-review-2019-20-il-pirata/
(Credit: Javier del Real) The Teatro Real de Madrid presented Bellini’s rarely performed “Il Pirata” with three casts in an aesthetically powerful production by Emilio Sagi in what is likely to be one of the highlights of the 2019-20 season. While the headliners of the first cast were Sonya Yoncheva and Javier Camarena, it was the second cast of Yolanda {…}
https://operawire.com/donizetti-opera-festival-2019-review-lange-de-nisida/
Last year Opera Rara, in co-production with the Royal Opera House, presented the world premiere of Donizetti’s “L’Ange de Nisida,” a work that was written in 1839 for the Théâtre de la Renaissance in Paris. However, when the theatre went bankrupt, the opera was left unperformed and Donizetti used the music that was written for “La Favorite,” one of his {…}
https://operawire.com/wexford-festival-opera-2019-review-la-cucina-adina/
(Photos: Clive Barda) With a running time of about one hour 20 minutes, Rossini’s “Adina” is a little too short to justify presenting on its own, especially if the intention is to charge full ticket prices. But then, if it is going to be staged as part of a double bill, the question arises, with what? It is not as {…}
https://operawire.com/cal-performances-2019-20-review-renee-fleming-at-berkeley/
(Credit: Andrew Eccles) Renée Fleming, a house prima donna assoluta, retired from the Met Opera at the height of her powers only a couple years ago, covered in glory while enjoying warm and enthusiastic public acclaim. Her final appearance on the Met’s stage as the Marschallin in the Robert Carsen production of Strauss’ “Der Rosenkavalier” was given the exalted confetti {…}
https://operawire.com/gregory-kunde-kristine-opolais-headline-teatro-comunale-di-bolognas-2020-season/
The Teatro Comunale di Bologna has announced its 2020 season. Here is a look at what to expect. The season opens with Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde” conducted by Juraj Valčuha and in a new production by Ralf Pleger. Stefan Vinke and Ann Petersen take on the title role s with Albert Dohmen, Martin Gantner, and Ekaterina Gubanova. Performance Dates: Jan. 24-31, 2020 Karah Son, Cristina {…}
https://operawire.com/glyndebourne-festival-2019-review-cendrillon/
(Credit: Richard Hubert Smith) French Composer Jules Massenet premiered his opera “Cendrillon” in 1899 at the Théâtre National de l’Opéra-Comique in Paris. Best known for its radical story-telling of the fairytale Cinderella, this opera is centered around dreams-versus-reality and highlights Massenet’s surrealistic tendencies before the surrealism movement even began. Glyndebourne is a legendary hub that produces “no ordinary opera,” therefore, {…}
https://operawire.com/bucking-the-trend-karen-slack-on-her-unexpected-path-singing-modern-works/
Every singer’s path is laden with expectations. Often, these are not established by the artist themselves, but by the world around them. Karen Slack knows all about having to manage those expectations. She made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 2005 and was singing the major Verdi roles at the start of her career. But the soprano in a recent interview {…}
https://operawire.com/gran-teatre-del-liceu-barcelona-2018-19-season-review-la-gioconda/
When the the Gran Teatre del Liceu announced that legendary octogenarian Italian regista Pier Luigi Pizzi would be directing a new production of “La Gioconda” with Iréne Theorin making her title role debut, it was on paper at least, a must-see event. Unfortunately the parchment tended to perforate even before the prima when the celebrated Swedish diva canceled and second-cast {…}