Q & A: Leo Nucci on COVID-19, His Return to the Stage & the Teatro alla Scala

https://operawire.com/q-a-leo-nucci-on-covid-19-his-return-to-the-stage-the-teatro-alla-scala/

Leo Nucci is one of the most famous baritones in the world. During his career, he has performed dozens of roles, but the one for which he is certainly most famous is that of Rigoletto. He has performed his signature role more than 500 times all over the world including Teatro alla Scala, Arena di Verona, Opernhaus Zurich, Teatro Regio {…}

News

Anthony Roth Costanzo, Missy Mazzoli, Nico Muhly Headline Works & Process’ Virtual Commissions

https://operawire.com/anthony-roth-costanzo-missy-mazzoli-nico-muhly-headline-works-process-virtual-commissions/

(Credit: Marylene Mey) Works & Process at the Guggenheim has announced that it will be granting $40,000 in commissioning funds to major artists that have featured in its programs over the years via Virtual Commissions. The aim of the Virtual Commissions program is for the artists to create new works, all less that five minutes in length, that will be {…}

Interviews, Stage Spotlight

Q & A: Bass Zachary James on Auditioning for Philip Glass, ‘Akhnaten’ At the Met & Laying an Egg in ‘The Love for Three Oranges’

https://operawire.com/zachary-james-on-auditioning-for-philip-glass-his-upcoming-met-debut-in-akhnaten-and-laying-an-egg-in-the-love-for-three-oranges/

(Credit: Matt Madison-Clark) Be careful around Zachary James. In his role as the cook in Prokofiev’s madcap “Love for Three Oranges” with Opera Philadelphia, he wielded a lethal ladle. If you were a fan of ESPN’s show, “Great Outdoor Games” you may have seen him handling an ax as a lumberjack, promoting the show in a television commercial. The New {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Innsbruck Early Music Festival 2019 Review: Ottone

https://operawire.com/innsbruck-early-music-festival-2019-review-ottone/

(Photo:Rupert Larl) Each year Innsbruck’s Early Music Festival stages a Barockoper:Jung production in the inner courtyard of the theological faculty in the city’s university, devoted to showcasing the talents of younger singers, including selected finalists from the previous year’s Cesti competition. This year’s presentation was Handel’s 1719 opera, “Ottone.” The libretto, by Stefano Benedetto Pallavicino and adapted by Nicola Francesco {…}

Special Features

Best of 2018: 11 Singers Who Had A Year To Remember!

https://operawire.com/best-of-2018-11-singers-who-had-a-year-to-remember/

It’s that time of year during which we look back at the past 365-ish days and the big moments that defined them. Every year, the opera world has its share of rising and breakout stars as well as opera singers who solidify or take their careers in new directions. Others make important debuts or create roles that audiences would have {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Washington National Opera 2017-18 Review – Don Carlo: Great Voices & A Brilliant, Fatalist Production Make Verdi Masterwork More Relevant Than Ever

https://operawire.com/washington-national-opera-2017-18-review-don-carlo-great-voices-a-brilliant-fatalist-production-make-verdi-masterwork-more-relevant-than-ever/

It’s somewhat of a cliché for Golden Age thinking to creep into the dialogue of the opera world. How many times have you heard someone make the claim that they don’t make great voices the way they used to? The obvious answer is that they don’t because the world has changed and so have tastes. But sometimes, you’ll find those {…}

Opera Meets Film, Special Features

Opera Meets Film: ‘Wall Street’ As a Modern Retelling of Verdi’s ‘Rigoletto’

https://operawire.com/opera-meets-film-wall-street-as-a-modern-retelling-of-verdis-rigoletto/

“Opera Meets Film” is a feature dedicated to exploring the way that opera has been employed in cinema. We will select a section or a film in its entirety, highlighting the impact that utilizing the operatic form or sections from an opera can alter our perception of a film that we are viewing. This week’s installment features Oliver Stone’s “Wall {…}

Interviews, Stage Reviews

Q & A: Alek Shrader and Daniela Mack on Living Opera Careers Together

https://operawire.com/q-a-alek-shrader-and-daniela-mack-on-living-opera-careers-together/

Tenor Alek Shrader and mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack have enormous operatic careers and have sung all over the world both individually and together. The couple has joined forces in such operas as “La Cenerentola” and Handel’s “Partenope” and this summer they will be reunited in Handel’s “Alcina” at Santa Fe Opera. I had the chance to speak with them on my {…}