https://operawire.com/festival-diary-2019-wexford-festival-opera-day-4/
(Photo: Michele Monasta) The grey skies were still hanging over Wexford, but the festival was still in full swing and brightening up the town. The coffee shops and eateries were all buzzing and the day yet again promised to be an interesting one. It, of course, did not disappoint, but the first concert of the day came as a bit {…}
https://operawire.com/artist-of-the-week-piero-pretti/
(Credit: Christian Leiber/ ONP) This week the Metropolitan Opera is set to open its classic production of “Madama Butterfly” with some of the opera’s greatest interpreters and some Met favorites. And with the cast comes a new Met star, Piero Pretti. Pretti, who has established himself throughout Europe since his 2006 professional debut, will make his Met debut in his signature {…}
https://operawire.com/obituary-umberto-grilli-dies-at-85/
(Courtesy of Opera Musica) Italian tenor Umberto Grilli has died at the age of 85. Born on Sept. 4, 1934 in Pavia, Italy, Grilli was a well-known tenor who often replaced Luciano Pavarotti and enjoyed an international career performing at the Teatro La Fenice, Teatro alla Scala, Opera Scotland, Palermo, Bergamo, and Napoli. His repertoire included the works of Donizetti, {…}
https://operawire.com/artist-of-the-week-paolo-antognetti/
This week, the Maggio Musicale is set to open its 2019’20 season with an intriguing double bill. The two operas set to be presented will include Leoncavallo’s “Pagliacci” and the world premiere of Riccardo Panfili’s ‘”Noi, due, quattro…” with two very respected artists. But it is Panfili’s opera which will showcase two rising stars in the opera world. Paolo Antognetti {…}
https://operawire.com/q-a-bass-baritone-alex-esposito-on-singing-verdi-interpretative-honesty-the-monster-inside/
(Photo: Victor Santiago) Italian Bass-Baritone Alex Esposito has an established and successful career, particularly in roles from Mozart and Rossini operas, although he is certainly not to restricted to this repertoire. He has appeared in many of Europe’s premier theatres, including La Scala, Covent Garden, Berlin’s Staatsoper, Vienna’s Staatsoper and many more, and worked alongside many of the world’s leading {…}
https://operawire.com/mariusz-kwiecien-cancels-le-nozze-di-figaro-in-munich/
Mariusz Kwiecień has withdrawn from today’s performance of Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro.” The Bayerische Staatsoper announced that due to illness the baritone would not be able to perform the role of the Count. As a result, Christoph Pohl will replace the baritone. Pohl is currently performing a new production of Meyerbeer’s “Les Huguenots” at the Semperoper Dresden. He has {…}
https://operawire.com/anna-netrebko-maria-guleghina-the-top-6-operas-to-see-this-weekend-international-edition/
This weekend will be dedicated to favorites with some of the biggest singers performing signature roles. Turandot – Teatro Colón, Argentina Maria Guleghina stars in the title role of Puccini’s final work. The soprano appears alongside Verónica Cangemi, Kristian Benedikt, and legendary bass James Morris. Christian Badea conducts. Les Huguenots – Semperoper Dresden, Germany Venera Gimadieva and Jennifer Rowley make their highly anticipated {…}
https://operawire.com/obituary-franco-zeffirelli-dies-at-96/
Franco Zeffirelli has died at the age of 96 on June 15, 2019 after suffering from a long illness in his home in Rome. The great Italian director was born Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli in the outskirts of Florence, Italy to Alaide Garosi and Ottorino Corsi. Zeffirelli graduated from the Accademia di Belle Arti Firenze in 1941 and went to the {…}
https://operawire.com/carmen-giannattasio-nino-machaidze-jessica-pratt-headline-teatro-di-san-carlos-2019-20s-season/
The Teatro di San Carlo di Napoli has announced its 2019-20 season featuring an array of international stars and a number of concerts. Operas The season opens with a production of Tchaikovsky’s “The Queen of Spades” in a production by Willy Decker. Juraj Valčuha conducts the production, which is set to star Misha Didyk and Oleg Dolgov as Herman, Tómas Tómasson {…}