Premiering on December 24, 1871, at the Khedivial Opera House in Cairo, Egypt, Giuseppe Verdi’s “Aida” is one of opera’s best-loved and most enduring works. Verdi was commissioned by Isma’il Pasha, who was governor of Egypt, in celebration of the opening of Egypt’s Khedivial Opera House, although the premiere was delayed due to complications from the temporary capture of Paris {…}
Time to have some fun. Here is our debut quiz feature for OperaWire.com. Every week, we will bring you a fun quiz so that you can get a new perspective on how you fit into the opera world you so love. In honor of the world premiere of Verdi’s “Aida,” which took place on Dec. 24, 1871, we bring you {…}
James McCracken, born on Dec. 16, 1926, is known today as one of the great American tenors of the 20th Century. Shockingly, he wasn’t always viewed that way. In fact, a great portion of his early career, spent at the Metropolitan Opera, was spent in the shadows of other things. He sang a whopping 596 performances with the company, but {…}
Karine Babajanyan is well known for her wide-ranging repertoire in the lirico-spinto fach, performing the works of Verdi and Puccini and many of the Verismo composers. She has particularly become well-known for her interpretations of “Madama Butterfly,” “Tosca,” “Aida,” Amelia in “Un Ballo in Maschera” and has travelled to many of the leading theaters including the Berlin Staatsoper, the Hamburg Staatsoper, {…}
Anna Netrebko is set to star in three new co-productions at the Metroplitan Opera and the Bolshoi. In their first co-production collaboration ever, the Bolshoi and the Met have announced plans to create new productions of “Aida,” “Salome” and “Lohengrin,” with performances to set to take place in New York and Moscow between 2019 and 2022. The two companies will {…}
Performances of Washington National Opera’s (WNO) production of Giuseppe Verdi’s ‘Aida’ are well underway. While the production finishes its run on September 23rd, there remains great interest, and for good reason. With set and costume designs drawing inspiration from Los Angeles-based artist RETNA, audiences will no doubt find much novelty in this classic work set within the ancient world of {…}
The Arena di Verona has announced its 2018 summer festival, which will feature five operas over the course of two months. The festivities kick off on June 22, 2018, with Bizet’s “Carmen.” The opera runs through August 31 for a total of 13 performances. June 23, 2018, marks the first performance of “Aida,” which will run for 16 performances, the {…}
Regina Resnik is often cited as one of the great American mezzos of the 20th century. Born on August 30, she managed an international career that spanned a whopping five decades and became a house favorite with such companies as La Scala, the Paris Opera, the Royal Opera, the Vienna State Opera, and of course, the Metropolitan Opera, where she {…}
Anna Netrebko will be sing two different productions of “Aida” at the Metropolitan Opera in two different seasons. Per Parterre, “A spokesman for Anna Netrebko informs parterre box that the diva is scheduled to sing Aïda at the Met during the 2018-2019 season in the existing production by Sonja Frisell. She will reprise the role in 2020-2021 in a new production of {…}
Anna Netrebko has confirmed the Metropolitan Opera’s 2020-21 production of “Aida.” According to Platea Magazine, Netrebko will open a new production that will be conducted by Yannick Nezet-Seguin. The soprano also confirmed it on Instagram. But there will be a twist. According to the Spanish Magazine, Netrebko will sing a new production. She is also scheduled to take on Sonja Frisell’s {…}
Salzburg Festival is about luxury. The audience is filled with celebrities, the casts are filled with stars, and the (relatively) higher priced tickets, all show its luxury. Yet, what defines its luxury, for me, is its long rehearsal period. When Anna Netrebko said in an interview how she wanted more rehearsals and Riccardo Muti said “preparing an opera the way {…}