Opera Holland Park 2023 Review: La bohème

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(Photo: Opera Holland Park 2023 © Craig Fuller) Part of “La bohème’s” appeal is surely in its cinematic quality. Puccini’s score does so much meticulous work that directors sometimes feel that they have little to do other than show the singers to the stage – and ensure they take the right cues from the orchestra. There are sudden close-ups and {…}

News

Tanglewood Festival Announces Cast Change for July 29 Performance

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The Tanglewood Festival has announced a cast change for the July 29 performance. The festival said that “mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard has had to withdraw from this Saturday’s performance of Berlioz’s ‘Les Nuits d’été’ due to illness.” As a result, American contralto Avery Amereau will make her BSO debut and will perform the Berlioz in her place. The remainder of the {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Teatro Nuovo 2023 Review: Poliuto

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Santiago Ballerini as Poliuto. Credit: Steve Pisano Donizetti’s opera “Poliuto” is an odd duck with an intriguing history. Although completed in 1838, it did not premiere until ten years later, on November 30, 1848, at Teatro San Carlo. The delay resulted from disapproval from royal Neapolitan censors, who gave a big thumbs down to portraying a saint as a jealous {…}

Opera Meets Film, Special Features

Opera Meets Film: Fiction Meets Fairytale In Henry Cass’ ‘The Glass Mountain’

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The idea of putting a movie inside of movie isn’t new, just look at films like “Matinee” (1993) and “The Stunt Man” (1980). But what about an opera inside an opera-based film? This is also not new. For example, the 1947 British film, “Take My Life.” For British director Henry Cass, however, the idea was realized in his 1949 film, {…}

News

David Portillo Awarded 2024 Sphinx Medal of Excellence

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(Credit: Kristen Hoebermann) David Portillo has been awarded the Sphinx Medal of Excellence for 2024. The award is the highest honor bestowed by the Sphinx Organization, recognizing extraordinary classical Black and Latinx musicians. The award includes a $50,000 career grant and annually recognizes three artists who early in their career demonstrate artistic excellence, outstanding work ethic, a spirit of determination, {…}

Interviews, Stage Spotlight

Q & A: Mezzo-Soprano Aigul Akhmetshina on Discovering Her Own Voice

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(Photo Credit: andre uspensky) Russian Mezzo-Soprano Aigul Akhmetshina is being hailed as one of the most exciting opera singers in a generation. Called “The New Netrebko” by renowned critic David Mellor, she sings with a rare, coloratura mezzo voice. A luminary of the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme, she debuted at just 21-years-old at the Royal Opera House in the {…}

News

Obituary: Soprano Rachel Yakar Dies at 87

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French soprano Rachel Yakar passed away at the age of 87 on June 24, 2023. Yakar was born March 3, 1936 in Lyon. She studied with Germaine Lubin at the Paris Conservatoire and in 1963 made her debut at the Strasbourg opera. Yakar was known for performing Mozart roles such as Donna Elvira in “Don Giovanni” and First Lady in {…}

News

Richard Mantle, Lucy Crowe, Nicky Spence, Ivor Bolton to Receive Major Distinctions as Part of King’s Birthday Honours

https://operawire.com/richard-mantle-lucy-crowe-nicky-spence-ivor-bolton-to-receive-major-distinctions-as-part-of-kings-birthday-honours/

A number of major figures of the opera world have received major distinctions as part of the King’s Birthday Honours. Opera North’s general director Richard Mantle will be knighted while conductor Ivor Bolton will be a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). Finally, soprano Lucy Crowe and tenor Nicky Spence will be Officers of the Order of {…}

News

Leeds Lieder Loses Funding from Arts Council

https://operawire.com/leeds-lieder-loses-funding-from-arts-council/

Leeds Lieder has announced that it has been unsuccessful in its application to the Arts Council for funding for the 2023 festival. The festival announced that it was rejected for a grant of £60,000 and as a result, it will no longer be able to live-stream for this year’s events as the organization has been left “severely depleted.” In a {…}

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Opera Holland Park 2023 Review: La bohème

Tanglewood Festival Announces Cast Change for July 29 Performance

Teatro Nuovo 2023 Review: Poliuto

Opera Meets Film: Fiction Meets Fairytale In Henry Cass’ ‘The Glass Mountain’

David Portillo Awarded 2024 Sphinx Medal of Excellence

Q & A: Mezzo-Soprano Aigul Akhmetshina on Discovering Her Own Voice

Obituary: Soprano Rachel Yakar Dies at 87

Richard Mantle, Lucy Crowe, Nicky Spence, Ivor Bolton to Receive Major Distinctions as Part of King’s Birthday Honours

Leeds Lieder Loses Funding from Arts Council