(Photo credit: Ali Wright) Whatever your views on Puccini, “Tosca” always draws a crowd. In a UK opera landscape mired by cuts and ever-tightening budgets, it is reassuring to see an opera festival that continues to stand on its own two feet, irrespective of Arts Council funding (or perhaps more accurately lack thereof). A full house then, as it was {…}
The Dallas Opera is set to premiere a new production of Wagner’s epic tale “Das Rheingold.” The opera returns to the company after a 20-year absence with Emmanuel Villaume conducting. Tomer Zvulun, General and Artistic Director of The Atlanta Opera, directs a cast led by Nicholas Brownlee as Wotan, Michael Mayes as Alberich, Amanda Echalaz as Fricka (TDO debut), Brenton {…}
(Credit: © Marc Brenner) “La Gioconda,” or “‘The Ballad singer” to give the opera its usual English translation, actually translates to, “The Happy Woman.” Irony overload, indeed, for an opera infused with sin, bitter revenge, betrayal, adultery, suicide, murder, cruelty and the Roman Inquisition. “La Gioconda” is a bit of a bizarre opera, by any standards. Encapsulating passion, violence and ultimately tragedy it {…}
(Credits: Dragana Ranković/Semperoper Dresden official website/ NZ Opera official website/ Bayerische Staatsoper official website/Bayerische Staatsoper official website) The New Zealand Opera has announced its 2022 slate, featuring numerous international artists and productions. “Summer of Opera” will take place in Wellington, Auckland, and at Hamilton Garden Arts Festival. The event will spotlight music by Bizet, Bernstein, and other famous composers. Performance {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced the next month of nightly streams which focus on a number of unique themes including operas in English, holiday works, and even an entire work dedicated to one of the most iconic artists of all time. Week 39– In Plain English Monday, December 7 – Thomas Adès’s The Tempest Starring Audrey Luna, Isabel Leonard, Iestyn Davies, Alek Shrader, {…}
Santa Fe Opera has announced a new digital performance series that will take place throughout July. The series, entitled “Songs from the Santa Fe Opera,” will celebrate the opening nights of the operas that the company was originally set to perform throughout the 2020 season. “We feel strongly about bringing the joy of opera to our communities during this difficult {…}
For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown theaters around the world, the Metropolitan Opera has announced not one but two weeks of nightly streams in advance. The next few weeks feature a mix of more recent performances with some classic showcases from decades ago. Here’s the rundown. Monday, May 25 – Berlioz’s La Damnation de Faust Conducted by James {…}
Angela Gheorghiu has canceled a performance of “Tosca” at the Royal Opera House. The soprano announced that due to illness she would be unable to sing today June 20, 2019. She stated, “Dear Freinds, I am very sad that due to a very bad cold that I have since yesterday morning I will not be able to perform tonight. I know {…}
This week, two new releases are set to hit the market. One comes from the Metropolitan Opera, while the other comes from one of the world’s rising stars. Here is a look at what we recommend this week. The Exterminating Angel Thomas Adès’ latest opera gets a release by Erato after its U.S. premiere at the Metropolitan Opera. The opera {…}
Luis Buñuel’s “The Exterminating Angel” is one of the iconic surrealist masterpieces of all cinema. Set at an upper-class dinner, the film analyzes how people revert to their basest of instincts when they get stuck in a room that they inexplicably cannot escape. The film succeeds in its ability to blend the normal with the unreal in rather claustrophobic fashion, {…}
The weekend kicks off with numerous companies performing some of Verdi’s timeless classics. There will also be Mozart, Wagner and some rare gems by Weill and Heggie. Check out what’s playing near you! Austria At the Vienna State Opera Puccini’s “Tosca” kicks off with Sae-Kyung Rim in the title role alongside Aleksandrs Antonenko and Marco Vratogna. On Saturday the company will {…}