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Reviews

Opéra-Théâtre de Metz 2024-25 Review: Tosca

https://operawire.com/opera-theatre-de-metz-2024-25-review-tosca/

(© Philippe Gisselbrecht – Opéra-Théâtre de l’Eurométropole de Metz) After having offered “La Rondine” at the opening of the season and before “La Messe de Requiem” at the Saint Etienne Cathedral in Metz on November 29, the Opéra-Théâtre de Metz is featuring Puccini’s “Tosca” from November 15 to 21. Illuminating Production Details First of all, Patrick Méeüs‘s set is one {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Festival d’Aix-en-Provence 2024 Review: Madama Butterfly

https://operawire.com/festival-daix-en-provence-2024-review-madama-butterfly/

(Photo credit: © Ruth Walz) Puccini in Aix-en-Provence is not an obvious combination, and it was not until 2019 with Christophe Honoré’s “Tosca” production that Lucca’s maestro made his debut in the festival. It was an ultra-revisionist “Tosca”: two primissime donne on the stage, several videoclips, and many other bold choices. It was glorious and thought-provoking. Therefore, expectations for a “Madama {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Lyric Opera of Chicago 2023-24 Review: Aida

https://operawire.com/lyric-opera-of-chicago-2024-review-aida/

Though the most iconic grand opera in the art form’s canon, Verdi’s “Aïda” shouldn’t challenge a house of Lyric’s caliber too strenuously. The work requires four good-to-great singers, but we expect a top-five American opera house to arrange them. Though “Aïda” lends itself to maximalist stagings, smaller companies pare it down successfully by foregoing equestrian participants, or downshifting parades to {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Lyric Opera of Chicago 2023-24 Review: Terence Blanchard’s ‘Champion’

https://operawire.com/lyric-opera-of-chicago-review-terence-blanchards-champion/

(Photo: Michael Brosilow) Fresh from a Metropolitan Opera premiere last spring (and its subsequent Grammy Award victory), Terence Blanchard’s first opera in jazz, “Champion,” enjoyed its Lyric Opera of Chicago premiere in James Robinson’s vivid and effective staging, a co-production on January 27th, 2024. A dazzling cast led by Justin Austin as Emile Griffith made a powerful case for repeated {…}

Special Features

Best of 2023: OperaWire’s Staff on the Best Performances of the Year

https://operawire.com/best-of-2023-operawires-staff-on-the-best-performances-of-the-year/

And we’re back. And as has become the tradition here at OperaWire, we have asked our writers to select their choices for the opera performances that truly marveled them in 2023. So without further ado, here are our writers’ picks. Enjoy! Joao Copertino This year, in my opinion, the best performance was Aix-en-Provence’s “Picture a Day Like This,” a world premiere {…}

DVD and CD Reviews, Reviews

CD Review: Pentatone’s ‘Un Ballo in Maschera’

https://operawire.com/cd-review-pentatones-un-ballo-in-maschera/

The forces behind the Dutch label Pentatone are deserving of every accolade for producing beautifully engineered recordings. This is especially important considering that heavy hitters like Warner and Sony only hesitatingly, and with big marketing efforts, venture into the operatic realm, knowing that its share of profitability has long become a calculated and somewhat unwanted risk. Critics will surely remember {…}

News

Claudia Pavone, Maria Mudryak & Chiara Amarù Lead Teatro Verdi Pisa’s 2023-24 Season

https://operawire.com/claudia-pavone-maria-mudryak-chiara-amaru-lead-teatro-verdi-pisas-2023-24-season/

The Teatro Verdi Pisa has announced its 2023-24 season featuring five operas and four new productions. The season opens with Rossini’s “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” in a new production by Luigi De Angelis. The cast includes Chiara Amarù, Gurgen Baveyan, Dave Monaco, Arutro Espinosa and Roberto Abbondanza. Francesco Pasqualetti conducts. Performance Dates: Oct. 27 & 29, 2023 Puccini’s “La Rondine” {…}

Interviews, Stage Spotlight

Q & A: Tenor Brian Jagde on His Journey from Baritone to Tenor

https://operawire.com/q-a-tenor-brian-jagde-from-baritone-to-tenor/

Photo: Fay Fox Brian Jagde spent his early voice coaching years under his teachers’ misguided notion that he was a baritone. Born in Long Island, New York, and raised just outside New York City, he eventually obtained both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in voice. Under the guidance of New York voice coach Michael Paul, he switched to tenor and went {…}