American conductor Matthew Straw has joined the roster of Maestro Arts roster. He will be managed by Rachel van Walsum. Straw’s conducting career has been marked by notable achievements. In 2022, he made his debut with the Rochester Philharmonic and served as Associate Conductor at Des Moines Metro Opera. As an assistant conductor, he has also worked with such organizations {…}
The Teatro dell’Opera di Roma has announced its 2023-24 season. The season opens with Botio’s “Mefistofele” with Simon Stone directing. Michele Mariotti conducts a cast that includes John Relyea, Maria Agresta, and Joshua Guerrero. Performance Dates: Nov. 27-Dec. 5, 2023 Michele Mariotti conducts Puccini’s “Tosca” with Anna Pirozzi, Vittorio Grigolo, and Erwin Schrott. Performance Dates: Dec.9-14, 2023 Damiano Michieletto directs Mozart’s “Die {…}
The Konzerthaus Dortmund has announced its 2023-24 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances. The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and Lahav Shani open the season with Hila Baggio. The concert will include music by Paul Ben-Haim, Betty Olivero, and Gustav Mahler. Performance Date: Sept. 3, 2023 Anna Lucia Richter and Ammiel Bushakevitz perform a recital of music by Wolkenstein, {…}
Kazuki Yamada/courtesy of CBSO The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) has unveiled its 2023-24 season, and it’s full to the brim with opportunities to hear some of the world’s finest music and musicians. With over 12 months of programming, the Orchestra has something for everyone. The Orchestra will also celebrate the 50th anniversary of the City of Birmingham Symphony {…}
(Photo : Vincent PONTET) This review is for the Jan 29, 2023 performance. It seems that the last century is far enough from us that “Peter Grimes” can be performed enthusiastically as “Tosca” and “La Forza del Destino.” And this Paris Opera new production is to die for! First things first: “Peter Grimes” is an opera that has aged better {…}
The Opéra National de Paris is set to showcase “Peter Grimes,” opening on January 26, 2023. The opera is directed by Deborah Warner, whose production premiered at the Teatro Real de Madrid in 2021. Conductor Alexander Soddy, who worked as the music director at the Nationaltheater Mannheim between 2016-22, will make his Paris Opera debut in the pit. Headlining the {…}
After a bumpy 2021, which still had numerous COVID cancelations, 2022 saw opera companies almost return to normalcy. There were setbacks like cyberattacks, a war that has destroyed a country, and companies losing funds from government agencies. But in all, it also showed how opera companies could unite through benefit concerts and through sheer artistry. And after releasing our favorite {…}
(Photo credit: Mark Allen/Barbican) What tenor Allan Clayton doesn’t know about misery probably isn’t worth knowing. His latest successes have been studies in anguish, specializing in alienated outsiders, or figures squatting on the borderland between life and death: Brett Dean’s “Hamlet,” “Peter Grimes” at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and the Met, and, latterly for London audiences, a standout {…}
The Park Avenue Armory has announced its 2023 season. Here is a look at the operatic and vocal performances for the season. Jonas Kaufmann stars in “Doppelganger” directed by Claus Guth. The work will also feature Helmut Deutsch and the music will include Schubert’s “Schwanengesang.” Performance Dates: Sept. 22-28, 2023 Recital Series Stéphane Degout and Cédric Tiberghien present a program {…}
(Credit: Richard Termine / Met Opera) (This review is for the performance on Oct. 26, 2022) The last time the Met Opera presented “Peter Grimes” was in 2008. The world has certainly changed quite a bit in that time and somehow, that timeless work’s themes seem all the more relevant than ever before. The opera opens on the trial of {…}
PBS has announced that it will begin broadcasting the Metropolitan Opera’s performance of “Hamlet” on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022. It will then be available for viewing in the New York Metro area on Nov. 13, 2022, on THIRTEEN. The opera by Brett Dean stars Allan Clayton, Sarah Connolly, Rod Gilfry, Brenda Rae, and conductor Nicholas Carter. Neil Armfield directed. Of {…}