Valeria Sepe is one most sought-after Italian sopranos of her generation. A graduate of the Conservatory “G. F. Ghedini” in Cuneo, she has performed at leading house in Firenze, Naples, Palermo, Parma and Verona, growing her reputation as a major Verdi, Puccini, and verismo interpreter. This season, Sepe will make her debut as Maddalena in “Andrea Chénier” and will sing {…}
(Credit: Karen Almond / Met OPera) The Metropolitan Opera will continue its HD season with Giordano’s “Andrea Chénier.” The opera will be screened to movie theaters on Dec. 13 and will star Sonya Yoncheva and Piotr Beczała. They will be joined by Principal Guest Conductor Daniele Rustioni and baritone Igor Golovatenko in Nicolas Joël’s 1996 production. The HD will mark {…}
(Credit: Karen Almond / Met Opera) Giordano’s “Andrea Chénier” is a glorious opera. Full of lush melodies, an elegant libretto, tense dramatic set pieces, and a propulsive pace it always baffles me how little attention it has gotten at the Metropolitan Opera in recent years. Since premiering in 1921, it has had 186 performances with the most recent prior to {…}
(Photo: Marty Sohl / Met Opera) The Metropolitan Opera is set to present Giordano’s “Andrea Chénier” for the first time since 2014. The opera will be presented six times between Nov. 24 and Dec. 13, 2025, and will star tenor Piotr Beczała, soprano Sonya Yoncheva, and baritone Igor Golovatenko. The opera will reunite Beczała and Yoncheva after performing in a {…}
OperaDelaware has announced its 2025-26 season. The season will open with a production of “Tosca.” The Puccini Opera will be presented in partnership with Opera Baltimore and features Emily Margevich in the title role. She made her mainstage debut with the company in 2024, taking on the role of Musetta in “La Bohème.” Joining her is John Pickle as Cavaradossi and {…}
The Wiener Staatsoper has announced two cast changes for its April 15 performance of “Andrea Chénier.” The company said that Saioa Hernandez will replace Sonya Yoncheva in the role of Maddalena, while George Petean will sing the role of Carlo Gerard replacing Luca Salsi. Hernandez took to her social media and said, “I’m happy to announce that tomorrow I’ll be {…}
The Wiener Staatsoper has announced a cast change for its April 12 performance of “Andrea Chenier.” The company said that George Petean will sing the role of Gerard, replacing Luca Salsi, who is ill. The change follows the opening night performance in which David Babayants jumped in mid-performance for Salsi making his house debut. He said, “First of all, I {…}
The Teatro Carlo Felice is set to present Umberto Giordano’s “Andrea Chenier.” The opera will be performed from Feb. 6 to Feb. 15 with Donato Renzetti conducting a production by Pier Francesco Maestrini. The production will star Fabio Sartori in Andrea Chénier, Amartuvshin Enkhbat, and Stefano Meo as Carlo Gérard, and Maria Josè Siri as Maddalena di Coigny. The cast also {…}
There’s been a lot of opera in 2024. And quite frankly, there’s been a lot of good opera. So as has become our tradition, here is a look at some of OperaWire’s editorial team’s picks for their personal favorite performances of 2024. Matt Costello: Act three of “Götterdämmerung” – Tanglewood It’s always a tricky thing to think about one’s “Performance {…}
“Andrea Chénier” is the greatest masterpiece of Umberto Giordano, one of the most prominent exponents of Verismo. The plot is based on historical events: poet and scholar André Chénier, who had sympathized with revolutionary ideas, was guillotined in 1794 during the Reign of Terror following the French Revolution of 1789. The libretto features a love story between Chénier and Maddalena {…}
(Credit: Mark Brenner) Barely a fortnight after His Majesty the King, opera luminaries, star singers, guests and audience all gathered to bid a fond and emotional farewell to Antonio Pappano as the Royal Opera House’s musical director; the maestro was back on the very same podium, guiding his musical charges through Giordano’s “Andrea Chénier.” Based loosely on the real-life French {…}