George Enescu International Festival, Bucharest 2025 Review: Lady Macbeth Of Mtsensk

https://operawire.com/george-enescu-international-festival-bucharest-2025-review-lady-macbeth-of-mtsensk/

(Photo: Alex Damian) This year’s George Enescu International Festival in Bucharest marked the 70th anniversary of the composer’s death, which it commemorated with more than 40 performances of his works. Such is the scope of the festival, which brought together more than 4,000 artists over a four-week period during August and September, that it had the time and space to {…}

IndieOpera

Bradford Opera Festival to World Premiere ‘The Last Machine Breaker: An Opera on Luddites, AI & Revolution’

https://operawire.com/bradford-opera-festival-to-world-premiere-the-last-machine-breaker-an-opera-on-luddites-ai-revolution/

The Bradford Opera Festival will present the world premiere of “The Last Machine Breaker: An Opera on Luddites, AI & Revolution.” The opera by composer Ben Crick and librettist Kamal Kaan, commissioned by the Festival and funded by the Arts Council, explores the parallels between the Industrial Revolution of 1812 and the modern-day AI revolution in the context of two intertwining {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Metropolitan Opera 2025-26 Review: Don Giovanni

https://operawire.com/metropolitan-opera-2025-26-review-don-giovanni/

(Photo: Ken Howard / Met Opera) Metropolitan Opera’s season premiere of Ivo van Hove’s production of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” took place on September 24, 2025. Van Hove’s production originally debuted at Ópera National de Paris in 2019 at the Palais Garnier and OperaWire reviewed the performance in detail, specifically highlighting the set design and overall aesthetic. It is also important {…}

Behind the Scenes, Interviews

Q & A: Conductor Victor DeRenzi on 44 Years at Sarasota Opera

https://operawire.com/q-a-conductor-victor-derenzi-on-44-years-at-sarasota-opera/

For 44 years, Victor DeRenzi has maintained his position at the helm of Sarasota Opera as its Artistic Director. During that time he has led over 900 opera performances. Among his major accomplishments with the company is a Verdi cycle that he initiated in 1989 and completed in 2016 with the aim to perform all of Verdi’s music. He also {…}

Reviews

Bayreuth Baroque Festival 2025 Review: Pompeo Magno

https://operawire.com/bayreuth-baroque-festival-2025-review-pompeo-magno/

(Photo: Clemens Manser) In 1637, the San Cassiano theatre opened its doors for the first time with a performance of Francesco Minelli’s “L’Andromeda,” an event that took opera out of the palazzi and drawing rooms of the aristocracy and into the public arena. Within a matter of only a few years, the city was awash with opera houses. Composers and {…}

Interviews, Stage Spotlight

Q & A: Soprano Sophie Junker On Playing Giulia In Cavalli’s ‘Pompeo Magno’ & Her Forthcoming Debut At The Wexford Festival Opera.

https://operawire.com/q-a-soprano-sophie-junker-on-playing-giulia-in-cavallis-pompeo-magno-her-forthcoming-debut-at-the-wexford-festival-opera/

(Photo: Alan Neilson) The main presentation at this year’s Bayreuth Baroque Festival was a lavish, fully staged production of Francesco Cavalli’s 1666 opera, “Pompeo Magno,” boasting a large cast of high-quality singers and actors. Playing the role of Giulia was the Belgian soprano Sophie Junker, who, since winning both the London Händel Competition in 2010 and Innsbruck’s Cesti Competition in {…}

News

The Atlanta Opera Names Chorus Masters for 2025-26 Season

https://operawire.com/the-atlanta-opera-names-chorus-masters-for-2025-26-season/

(Credit: Jesús Cornejo) The Atlanta Opera has announced its Chorus Masters for its upcoming season. The company revealed that Daniel Chervinsky, Lisa Hasson, and Walter Huff will take on the positions of Chorus Masters throughout the 2025 and 2026 season. Chervinsky will serve as Chorus Master for Verdi’s “La traviata” on Nov. 8 – 16, 2025, while Huff will serve as {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Bayreuth Festival 2025 Review: Tristan und Isolde

https://operawire.com/bayreuth-festival-2025-review-tristan-und-isolde/

(Credit: Enrico Nawrath) “They enter into blinding darkness those who worship chaos; into greater darkness still those who delight in shadow.” Upanishad, Verse IX Coming to Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde” for the first time must always remain a unique, emotional, musical experience. It is an opera of subtle interpretations, not only regarding the music and dramatic action, but perhaps more {…}