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News

Weekend Preview (3/3-3/5) – International: Aleksandrs Antonenko Returns To ‘Otello’ While Karita Mattila Returns To ‘Jenufa’

https://operawire.com/weekend-preview-33-35-international-aleksandrs-antonenko-returns-to-otello-while-karita-mattila-returns-to-jenufa/

Are you excited for the weekend? Well, we are as you will get to hear some of the most exciting stars singing in the world’s leading opera houses. Check it out right here! Austria At the Vienna State Opera, audiences will get the chance to see Puccini’s “Turandot” with a star-studded cast including Elena Pankratova, Heinz Zednik, Ryan Speedo Green, {…}

News

Weekend Preview – International (2/24-2/26): Ailyn Perez, Francesco Meli and Leo Nucci Preview Verdi’s “La Traviata” Among Weekend Highlights

https://operawire.com/weekend-preview-international-224-226-ailyn-perez-francesco-meli-and-leo-nucci-preview-verdis-la-traviata-among-weekend-highlights/

What are you seeing this weekend? Is it Verdi, Wagner, Mozart or more experimental composers like Jake Heggie and Kurt Weill? These are only some of the many composer’s the major theaters of the world will be showing this weekend. Austria The Wiener Staatsoper kicks off the weekend with two performances of “Die Zauberflöte” for kids, which is followed by {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Opera Australia 2026 Review: The Drover’s Wife

https://operawire.com/opera-australia-2026-review-the-drovers-wife/

George Palmer and Leah Purcell’s “The Drover’s Wife” had its world premiere in Brisbane in May and saw its first Sydney performance on August 7. In the program booklet, Opera Australia CEO Alex Budd says it is Opera Australia’s first First Nations work at the Sydney Opera House. In the words of the work’s co-librettist, director, and instigator Purcell, “Opera {…}

Behind the Scenes, Interviews

Q & A: Artistic Director Alexander Steinbeis on the 40th Anniversary of Kissinger Sommer

https://operawire.com/q-a-artistic-director-alexander-steinbeis-on-the-40th-anniversary-of-kissinger-sommer/

(Photo Credit: Hanna Becker) Alexander Steinbeis assumed the artistic directorship of the Kissinger Sommer festival, succeeding Kari Kahl-Wolfsjäger and Tilman Schlömp, in April 2021. Previously, he served for 13 years as managing director of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. In this role, he was responsible for the overall artistic planning, the introduction of numerous innovative concert formats, and worked closely with {…}

DVD and CD Reviews

CD Review: EuroArts’ ‘Norma’

https://operawire.com/cd-review-euroarts-norma/

All “Normas” are a spectacle, but some are more spectacular than others—or so the Orwellian  adage might go. Marina Rebeka, for instance, set the bar for dramatic intensity in her fiery CD  release from last year. By contrast, Melody Moore’s portrayal on EuroArts—though  dignified—leans toward restraint.  That is not to slight Moore or—indeed—any of her colleagues. As Norma, she commands {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Metropolitan Opera 2024-25 Review: The Magic Flute

https://operawire.com/metropolitan-opera-2024-25-review-the-magic-flute/

(Photos: © Met Opera) This holiday season’s production of Metropolitan Opera’s “The Magic Flute” brings joy and grandiosity to Met Opera’s stage, and audience members of all ages. Julie Taymor’s beloved production is a nostalgic showcase of thoughtful set designs, costume designs, and dancing. This is the abridged, English adapted version of Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte” designed to run in under {…}

DVD and CD Reviews, Reviews

CD Review: George Benjamin & Martin Crimp’s ‘Picture a day like this’

https://operawire.com/cd-review-george-benjamin-martin-crimps-picture-a-day-like-this/

Every six years or so, we’re gifted with an operatic gem from composer George Benjamin and playwright Martin Crimp. Their fourth and latest collaboration, “Picture a day like this,” is a revelation. This live recording, released by Nimbus Records, features the composer conducting the Mahler Chamber Orchestra at the work’s 2023 Aix-en-Provence Festival premiere. While Benajmin and Crimp’s colleagues on {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Salzburg Festival 2024 Review: Don Giovanni

https://operawire.com/salzburg-festival-2024-review-don-giovanni/

( Photo: © SF/Monika Rittershaus) All sinful things come wrapped in fascinating aesthetics. You know the feeling: something that is extremely beautiful and appealing, but disquieting—too pleasurable to be ethically good. That is Salzburg Festival’s “Don Giovanni”: a spectacular dramatic installation, a grandiose musical project, a lustful conception; yet sinfully wrong. First things first. This is a revival of Romeo {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Opera Theatre Saint Louis 2024 Review: La Bohème

https://operawire.com/opera-theatre-saint-louis-2024-review-la-boheme/

(Photo credit: Eric Woolsey) No matter the repertory selected, Opera Theatre Saint Louis’s (OTSL) 2024 season would have faced a significant challenge: following their memorable 2023 season and its refreshing inclusion of many singers of color. Surrounding a forgettable “Cosí Fan Tutte,” three productions made maximal artistic impact, including a fine “Tosca” starring Katie Van Kooten and Hunter Enoch as {…}