(Photo: © Vincent Pontet) A few moments before the start of the opera, a friend of mine told me that this is the first time Aquarius has been in Pluto’s orbit since 1789. Whether or not that is true, I cannot say; I did not have the willingness to check. Still, it could be a sign from the stars that {…}
(Photo credit: Monika Rittershaus) Who’s afraid of double bills? We all love “Cav.” and “Pag.,” and there is some room in everyone’s heart for a “The Human Voice” meets “Bluebeard’s Castle;” nevertheless, Gluck’s Iphigenia operas performed together was a bit of a challenge. The operas, lasting two hours each, are easily stand-alone pieces, and—even though they share a protagonist—they appear {…}
The Greek National Opera has announced its 2024-25 season. Corinne Winters, Véronique Gens, Tassis Christoyanniszu, Alexandre Duhamel, Dionysios Sourbis, and Stanislas de Barbeyrac star in Gluck’s “Iphigénie en Aulide” & “Iphigénie en Tauride” double bill. Michael Hofstetter conducts the new production by Dmitri Tcherniakov. Performance Dates: Oct. 10-30, 2024 Rachmanioff’s “Aleko” and Bartók’s “Bluebeard’s Castle” will be presented in a double {…}
The Opéra de Marseille has announced its 2024-25 season. Opera Michele Spotti conducts Bellini’s “Norma” with Anne Delbee directing. Karine Deshayes stars in the title role with Salomé Jicia, Enea Scala, and Patrick Bollei. Performance Dates: Sept. 26-Oct. 3, 2024 Alexandra Marcellier, Eugénie Joneau, Thomas Bettinger, and Marc Scoffoni star in Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly.” Paolo Arrivabeni conducts Emmanuelle Bastet’s production. Performance {…}
(Credit: Vincent Pontet) Making “La Bohème” in Paris is a strenuous task. After Claus Guth’s unpopular sideral production, it became evident that the City of Light’s operagoers are not eager to see overly conceptual approaches to Puccini’s opera. However, no ambitious stage director will merely imitate one of the many Zeffirelli productions. This is why Theatre des Champs-Elysées brought out {…}
The Opéra de Lille has announced its 2023-24 season celebrating its 100th anniversary. Opera Jarrett Ott sings the title role of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni“ alongside James Platt, Emőke Baráth, Eric Ferring, Chiara Skerath, Vladyslav Buialskyi, Sergio Villegas, and Marie Lys. Emmanuelle Haïm conducts the production by Guy Cassiers. Performance Dates: Oct. 5-15, 2023 Daniel Brenna and Annemarie Kremer star in {…}
France’s Opera de Marseille has announced its 2021-22 season featuring seven operatic productions. Here is a look: The season will open with Rossini’s “Guillaume Tell” starring Alexandre Duhamel, Enea Scala, and Angélique Boudeville. Michele Spotti conducts the new production by Louis Désiré. Performance Dates: Oct. 12-20, 2021 Nino Machaidze stars in Rossini’s “Armida” alongside Enea Scala, Matteo Roma, Chuan Wang, {…}
Opéra National de Bordeaux has announced its rich 2021-22 season. For the purpose of this article we will focus only on vocal performances. Here is the full slate. Opera A semi-staged version of Meyerbeer‘s “Robert Le Diable” opens the season. The opera stars Erin Morley, Nicolas Courjal, Amina Edris, Nicolas Darmanin, Joel Allison, Paco Garcia, and John Osborn in the {…}
(Credit: Javier del Real/Salva Lopez) The Théâtre des Champs-Elysées has announced its 2021-22 season featuring some of the biggest stars in the world, staged operas, and concert operas. Staged Opera Debussy’s “Pelléas et Mélisande“ will be conducted by François-Xavier Roth and directed by Eric Ruf. Patricia Petibon, Stanislas de Barbeyrac, Sir Simon Keenlyside, Jean Teitgen, and Lucile Richardot star. Performance {…}
The Spain National Orchestra and Chorus has announced its 2021-22 season featuring world-class soloists and some of the greatest masterworks in the repertoire. For this article, we will only focus on the vocal and operatic performances. David Afkham conducts Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with soloists Julia Kleiter and Karen Cargill. Performance Dates: Oct. 8-10, 2021 Miguel Ángel García Cañamero conducts {…}
The Gran Teatre del Liceu has announced its 2021-22 season featuring new productions, concerts, and a special 175th-anniversary gala. Here is a look at the new season. Opera The first opera of the season is set to be Strauss’ “Ariadne auf Naxos” starring Iréne Theorin and Johanni van Oostrum sharing the title role. They will be accompanied by Samantha Hankey, {…}