6 Major Highlights From the Renée Fleming Celebration At The Metropolitan Opera Guild’s 83rd Annual Luncheon

https://operawire.com/6-major-highlights-from-the-renee-fleming-celebration-at-the-metropolitan-opera-guilds-83rd-annual-luncheon/

For decades Renée Fleming has been a shining star on the world’s great opera stages, none more so than the Metropolitan Opera. From her victory at the National Council Auditions in 1988 to her debut three years later to her final performance at the tail end of the 2016-17 season, Fleming was the Met’s diva. While her future as an opera star remains a {…}

Special Features

Celebrating One Year of OperaWire

https://operawire.com/celebrating-one-year-of-operawire/

One year ago today, Francisco and I launched this project entitled OperaWire. It had been many months in the making, the result of much planning and investigation. It was a risk, as many people let us know, emphasizing the fact that a regular newsite dedicated fully to opera didn’t exist. “There’s probably a reason for that,” one person told us. {…}

On This Day, Special Features

9 World Premieres That Starred Baritone Nathan Gunn

https://operawire.com/9-world-premieres-that-starred-baritone-nathan-gunn/

Nathan Gunn is one of America’s great modern-day baritones. Born on Nov. 26, 1970, he has had a wide-ranging career that has seen him appear in a wide range of repertoire, from classics by Mozart and Rossini, to romantic works from the French masters, to a number of modern operas. The latter operas are the ones in which he has {…}

Behind the Scenes, Interviews

The Masterpiece of French Opera – Conductor John Nelsons On His Lifelong Relationship & Warner Classics Recording of Berlioz’s ‘Les Troyens’

https://operawire.com/the-masterpiece-of-french-opera-conductor-john-nelsons-on-his-lifelong-relationship-warner-classics-recording-of-berliozs-les-troyens/

Back in 1973, 32-year-old conductor John Nelson took the stage at Carnegie Hall. He was leading his first-ever performance of Berlioz’s monumental opera “Les Troyens.” Little did he know at that moment that the piece could come to become one of the most important of his entire career. “I was a kid back then,” the conductor told OperaWire in a {…}

News

Metropolitan Opera To Release 50th Anniversary Gala

https://operawire.com/metropolitan-opera-to-release-50th-anniversary-gala/

The Metropolitan Opera has announced the release of its 50th Anniversary gala on CD. The company announced that it will be a 3-CD set featuring the artists that performed on May 7, 2017, when the Met celebrated its golden anniversary in Lincoln Center. Among the artists that performed multiple arias and were among the most memorable of the evening included Renée {…}

On This Day, Special Features

The Famous Trouser Roles of Tatiana Troyanos

https://operawire.com/the-famous-trouser-roles-of-tatiana-troyanos/

Tatiana Troyanos is widely admired as one of the greatest mezzo sopranos in all of history. Her musical commitment and ever-insightful interpretations have made her a figure admired by all. Many great singers of today, including Joyce DiDonato and Susan Graham, have seen her as a major influence on their artistry, with the former going so far as to say {…}

News

Mahler To Dominate Metropolitan Opera Orchestra’s Carnegie Hall Concerts

https://operawire.com/mahler-to-dominate-metropolitan-opera-orchestras-carnegie-hall-concerts/

The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra launches its Carnegie Hall series on May 31, 2017 and will showcase three diverse programs showcasing some of Mahler’s greatest vocal writing. The series kicks off on May 31 with Susan Graham and Matthew Polenzani in selections from “Des Knaben Wunderhorn” and Symphony No. 1. Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the program. On June 3, Salonen conducts mezzo-soprano Karen {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Metropolitan Opera 50th Anniversary Gala Review: Dmitri Hvorostovsky’s Surprise Return Among Many Highlights in a Memorable Night

https://operawire.com/metropolitan-opera-50th-anniversary-gala-review-dmitri-hvorostovskys-surprise-return-among-many-highlights-in-a-memorable-night/

As Music director Designate Yannick Nézet-Séguin kicked off the first notes of Bernstein’s Overture to “West Side Story,” audiences got to view a video showcasing the artistic design and progression toward the creation of the new Metropolitan Opera house. The graphic design and special effects hinted at a nostalgic evening filled with a look back, some looks forward, all while {…}