Joseph Calleja has withdrawn from his upcoming performances of “Parsifal” at the Bayreuth Festival. In a statement, Calleja said, “Due to a persistent throat infection, I was advised by my doctor to withdraw from the current production of Parsifal here in Bayreuth. Goes without saying that this was a very hard decision to take, and I am so sorry for {…}
(© Semperoper Dresden/Matthias Creutziger) Semperoper Dresden is set to bring back Willy Decker’s production of “Der Ring des Nibelungen” this February. This revival will celebrate the 20th anniversary of this staging’s first performances and the first in five years. In sum, there will be two cycles – one starting on Jan. 27 and running through Feb. 1 and a second {…}
The Fondazione Teatro Petruzzelli has announced its 2023 season. Here is a look at the operatic and vocal performances. Opera The season opens with Rossini’s “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” with Cecilia Molinari, Amira Elmadfa, Levy Sekgapane, Cesar Cortes, Marcus Werba, Gurgen Baveyan, Gianluca Buratto, Nicolò Donini, Marco Filippo Romano, and Stefano Marchisio. Stefano Montanari conducts teh production by Davide Livermore. Performance Dates: Jan. 22-29, {…}
As the Russian war on Ukraine continues to escalate, more performers are canceling their planned performances in Russia. According to Tagesspiegel, after the announcement of a “Tristan und Isolde” in Moscow, three of its cast members distanced themselves from the commitment. The performance, which is set for November, saw tenor Andreas Schager remove his name from the announcement while baritone {…}
(Credit: Enrico Nawrath) And now we have entered the realm of the absurd. Those who read my reviews for “Das Rheingold” and “Die Walküre,” know that I was quite critical of director Valentin Schwarz’s approach, which proved hostile to the original libretto in most of his “creative” choices. But this production of “Siegfried” somehow managed to push beyond those limits {…}
The Fondazione Petruzzelli has announced its 2023 season featuring eight productions. The season will open with Rossini’s “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” with Cecilia Molinari, Amira Elmadfa, Levy Sekgapane, Cesar Cortes, Markus Werba, Gurgen Baveyan, Gianluca Buratto, Nicolò Donini, Marco Filippo Romano, and Stefano Marchisio. Stefano Montanari conducts Davide Livermore’s production. Performance Dates: Jan. 22-29, 2023 Ian Storey, Elena Gabouri, Jane {…}
Teatro Real concludes Wagner’s epic tetralogy “Der Ring des Nibelungen” with nine performances of the fourth title, “Götterdämmerung,” after having presented one opera per season, beginning with “Das Rheingold” in 2019. Unfortunately, the production of this fourth opera, directed by Robert Carsen and Patrick Kinmonth, turned out to be repetitive, meaningless, and plain. Dull & Meaningless One of the main {…}
Semperoper Dresden has announced its 2022-23 season featuring 10 brand new and 30 returning productions in both opera & ballet and its Junge Szene program. Here is a look at the opera productions Premieres “chasing waterfalls Angus Lee/phase7/kling klang klong” makes its world premiere conducted by the composer Angus Lee and staged by Sven Sören Beyer. The cast includes Eir {…}
(Credit: Mathias Leidgschwendner) The Staatsoper Unter den Linden has announced that mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Gubanova will not be appearing in the role of Ortrud in Wagner’s “Lohengrin” for the final performance of the opera in 2021 on Dec. 12. As a result, mezzo-soprano Okka von der Damerau will take over the role. The mezzo will join a cast that includes Martin {…}
(Credit: Achim Graf) The Staatsoper Unter den Linden has announced that mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča will not be appearing in the title role of Camille Saint-Saëns’ opera “Samson et Dalila” for the entire run ending Dec. 19, 2021. The mezzo-soprano already missed the opening night performance on Dec. 5 and was replaced by mezzo-soprano Anna Lapkovskaja. Lapkovskaja will now take over {…}
(Credit: Bregenz Festival official website) The Bregenz Festival has announced its 2022 slate, featuring four operas and international stars. Here is the full slate. Operas Rossini’s “L’Italiana in Algeri” stars Maria Barakova as Isabella, Alberto Comes as Mustafa, Sarah Yang as Elvira, and Spencer Britten as Lindoro. The cast also includes Florence Losseau, Hubert Kowalczyk, and Pierpaolo Martella. Jonathan Brandani {…}