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Opera Meets Film, Special Features

Opera Meets Film: The Many Dynamics of Max Nosseck’s ‘Overture to Glory’

https://operawire.com/opera-meets-film-the-many-dynamics-of-max-nossecks-overture-to-glory/

The idea that opera is a controversial influence on society is not a new idea per se. Beginning in the early 17th century, the idea of “opera” in its formal meaning began to spread, and by the end of the next century, it had become a seminal part of cosmopolitan life in Baroque (then Classical) Europe. That being said, during the {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Janáček Brno Festival 2024 Review: Rusalka

https://operawire.com/janacek-brno-festival-2024-review-rusalka/

(Photo: Národní divadlo Brno) Fairytales often speak directly to our unconscious, revealing drives and truths that are not always apparent to our conscious selves. It is therefore not surprising that many tales are replicated across countries and cultures, even if the characters and details vary. The Slavic fable of Rusalka, for example, has counterparts with the French Melusine, Germanic Nixie {…}

DVD and CD Reviews, Reviews

CD Review: Gordon Getty’s ‘Goodbye, Mr. Chips’

https://operawire.com/cd-review-gordon-gettys-goodbye-mr-chips/

The score of Gordon Getty’s “Goodbye, Mr. Chips” breathes all the unpretentiously sweet melancholy of its many predecessors – from James Hilton’s 1933 novella of the same title to subsequent adaptations as, among others, radio plays and lavishly cast movie musicals. Yet it is not exactly the feel-good opera advertised in Pentatone’s press release; rather, the eponymous Mr. Chips – {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Opernhaus Zürich 2024-25 Review: Un ballo in maschera

https://operawire.com/opernhaus-zurich-2023-24-review-un-ballo-in-maschera/

(Photo by : Herwig Prammer) In 1857, when the Teatro San Carlo in Naples commissioned a new opera from Giuseppe Verdi, he selected a libretto by Antonio Somma, inspired by the real-life assassination of King Gustav III of Sweden. The king was shot in 1792 by political opponents during a masked ball at the Stockholm Opera. Somma added a romantic {…}

Interviews, Stage Spotlight

Q & A: Rachel Fenlon on Her Debut Album ‘Winterreise’ & Accompanying Herself

https://operawire.com/q-a-rachel-fenlon-on-her-debut-album-winterreise-accompanying-herself/

(Credit: © Clara Evens) On Oct. 11, Rachel Fenlon made history with her debut album on Orchid Classics, becoming the first ever to sing and accompany herself in Schubert’s masterpiece “Winterreise” on recording. Fenlon has self-accompanied herself at prestigious festivals and venues such as Fundación Juan March, the Oxford Lieder Festival, Festival de Lanaudière, Martha Argerich Festival Hamburg, Ottawa Chamberfest, National {…}

News

MasterVoices to Present ‘Strike Up the Band’

https://operawire.com/mastervoices-to-present-strike-up-the-band/

MasterVoices opens its 2024-25 season with a concert staging of “Strike Up the Band,” with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. The work will be performed on Oct. 29 at Carnegie Hall. Ted Sperling leads the 120–member MasterVoices Chorus and the MasterVoices Orchestra with soloists Shereen Ahmed, Phillip Attmore, Victoria Clark, Lissa deGuzman, Claybourne Elder, Christopher Fitzgerald, {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Rossini Opera Festival 2024 Review: Ermione

https://operawire.com/rossini-opera-festival-2024-review-ermione/

(Photo: Amati Bacciardi) “Ermione” managed only seven performances when premiered at Naples’ San Carlo in 1816 before being shelved. It had to wait until 1987 to be revived, when it received its first modern staging at the Pesaro Rossini Opera Festival. Since then, it has had numerous performances, with each adding to its reputation as one of the composer’s most {…}

Business, News

Maryland Opera Announces New General Director

https://operawire.com/maryland-opera-announces-new-general-director/

(Credit: Maryland Opera) The Maryland Opera has announced the appointment of its new General Director, Jason Buckwalter. Buckwalter is a well-known member of Baltimore’s classical music and theater community, performing with companies such as Baltimore Opera, Lyric Opera Baltimore, Baltimore Concert Opera, Young Victorian Theatre Company, Annapolis Chorale, Annapolis Opera, and Washington National Opera. He first joined the Maryland Opera {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Opera Holland Park/Charles Court Opera 2024 Review: The Yeomen of the Guard

https://operawire.com/opera-holland-park-charles-court-opera-2024-review-the-yeoman-of-the-guard/

(Photo: Ellie Kurttz) John Savournin returned with Charles Court Opera for their fourth collaboration with Opera Holland Park, following 2023’s zesty “Ruddigore”. In 2024 they have opted for one of the most tonally and musically complex of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Savoy operas in “The Yeomen of the Guard”, whose mood is darker and dramaturgy complex, treading an awkward line between {…}