After leaving the premiere of La Fenice’s production of “Mefistofele,” I dried two little tears from my eyes and, in a burst of emotion, was possessed by one thought: how underrated Boito is. Usually relegated merely to the place of the fanciest of Verdi’s librettists, Boito was much more. His works extend from a few musical pieces to many (untranslated {…}
The Teatro Real de Madrid has announced its 2024-25 season. Opera Nicola Luisotti and Andrés Salado conduct Cilea’s “Adriana Lecouvreur” in David McVicar’s production. The production will star Ermonela Jaho, Maria Agresta, Brian Jagde, Matthew Polenzani, Elīna Garanča, Ekaterina Semenchuk, Nicola Alaimo, and Manel Esteve. Performance Dates: Sept. 23-Oct. 11, 2024 Charpentier’s “David et Jonathas” will be performed in concert with Petr Nekoranec, Gwendoline Blondeel, Jean-Christophe {…}
The Opéra de Paris has announced its 2024-25 season. Opera Verdi’s “Falstaff” opens the season with a cast that includes Ambrogio Maestri, Olivia Boen, Marie-Andrée Bouchard-Lesieur, Andrei Kymach, Gregory Bonfatti, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Iván Ayón-Rivas, and Federica Guida. Michael Schønwandt conducts the production by Dominique Pitoiset. Performance Dates: Sept. 10-30, 2024 Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” will star Eleonora Buratto, Elena Stikhina, Aude {…}
Verdi’s “I Vespri Siciliani” was last on the stage in Naples back in 2011, featuring the original French version created by the composer for the Opera de Paris in 1855. This year, however, Teatro San Carlo is showcasing the Italian rendition, which is more commonly performed in Italy, without the ballet sequences. The narrative, crafted by Eugene Scribe’s libretto, revolves {…}
And we’re back for this week’s edition of the major CD and DVD releases on offer. Those looking for legendary performances will be thrilled by some of this week’s releases. But there are also two solo albums of great interest. Let’s check it out. Mahler Pioneers SOMM RECORDINGS announces “Mahler Pioneers,” a major addition to the Mahler catalog with the {…}
On April 13, 2023, the Metropolitan Opera opened its April run of Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’Amore.” Bartlett Sher’s 2012 production was met with new life thanks to a number of stunning debuts from the cast. The staging itself presents a view of Italy during unification which neither rebukes nor flatters the historical context of the work, leaving an authentic, if understated, {…}
(Credits Gianfranco Rota) This year’s edition of the Donizetti Opera Festival is yet another perfect example of how much diversity there can be in the repertoire of one great Italian composer. As with every previous year, as I looked at the line-up of three operas chosen for the festival, I was left wondering which one was going to be the {…}
The Opéra de Lyon has announced its 2022-23 season featuring opera, concerts, and ballet. here is a look at the vocal performances of the season. Daniele Rustioni conducts the new production by David Hermann of Wagner’s “Tannhäuser.” The cast includes Simon O’Neill, Christoph Pohl, Robert Lewis, Pete Thanapat, Elena Guseva, and Irène Roberts. Performance Dates: Oct. 11-30, 2022 Massenet’s “Hérodiade” will be performed in {…}
The Donizetti Opera Festival has announced its 2022 edition. The festival will present a new critical edition of “La favorite,” by Rebecca Harris Warrick from Ricordi. Music Director Riccardo Frizza will direct the operatic masterpiece. The production – newly co-produced with the Opéra National de Bordeaux – is directed by Valentina Carrasco with her team composed of Carles Berga and Peter van Praet for set {…}
The Teatro alla Scala has announced a concert for peace. The performance will be held on April 4 with Riccardo Chailly conducting the orchestra and the theater Choir in Rossini’s Stabat Mater. The concert will be dedicated to the population affected by the conflict in Ukraine and will feature soloists Rosa Feola, Juan Diego Flórez, and Alex Esposito. With the {…}
After struggling with the general rise in COVID infections, the Palau de Les Arts managed to lift its curtain to present “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” on the 23rd of January, after cancelling the original premiere date of January 20th. Expectations were high, as this production used one of the most complete critical editions (by M. Kaye & J.C. Keck), which contains {…}