(Photo: Tristram Kenton) Robert Carsen’s new production of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Aida” opened at the Royal Opera House back in the autumn; now it is receiving its first revival as the 2022-23 season begins to wind up for the year. First time round it was conducted by Antonio Pappano; this time an equally distinguished British institution takes the musical reins in {…}
The Royal Opera House has unveiled its 2023-24 season. It all kicks off with a production of “Das Rheingold” directed by Barrie Kosky and conducted by Antonio Pappano. The opera stars Christopher Maltman, Christopher Purves, Sean Panikkar, Marina Prudenskaya, Kiandra Howarth, and Wiebke Lehmkulm. Performance Dates: Sept. 11 – 29, 2023 Next up is “La Forza del Destino” in a {…}
Photo: Ken Howard/Met Opera March 7, 2023, saw the second performance of the third cast in the Metropolitan Opera’s run of Verdi’s “La Traviata,” starring Angel Blue. Michael Mayer’s lavish production sets the stage for the unfolding tragedy in ways that both amplify and obscure certain aspects. From the overture, we’re presented with a tableau of the moment following Violetta’s {…}
Grammy Award-winning soprano Angel Blue will receive the 2023 Wharton Arts Lifetime Achievement Award. On Mar. 9, 2023, Blue will be honored with the prestigious award for her many historic performances and contributions to the performing arts world. She will perform Puccini’s “O mio babbino caro” and special collaborations with students from the New Jersey Youth Chorus, New Jersey Youth {…}
(Credit: Svetlana Pasedko) Aspen Music Festival & School has announced its 2023 season. For the purposes of this article, our focus will be solely on vocal performances. There will be several editions of the “Opera Encounters” throughout the season. The showcase features the Aspen Opera Theater and VocalARTS faculty leading emerging talents in opera scenes, musical theater, and art songs. {…}
The Grammy Awards have announced their 2023 winners. In the Best Opera Recording category Terence Blanchard’s “Fire Shut up in my Bones” took home the award. The recording to “Fire Shut Up In My Bones” features Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Angel Blue, Will Liverman, Latonia Moore, and Walter Russell III. David Frost, produced and the record features the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and {…}
San Francisco Opera has announced its 2023-24 season, the 101st in the company’s history. The season will open with an Opera Ball featuring Roberto Alagna and Aleksandra Kurzak. Eun Sun Kim conducts the San Francisco Opera Orchestra in a program of arias and duets. Performance Date: Sept. 8, 2023 Next up is “Il Trovatore” starring Arturo Chacón-Cruz, Angel Blue, Anita {…}
On December 30th, Detroit Opera ended its transformative 2021-2022 season with a concert production of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera “Aida,” his antepenultimate work whose Oriental plot and exotic aesthetics discredit the work’s premiere location, ironically the Khedivial Opera House in Cairo, Egypt. It seemed people of all kinds came to see this production, one of opera’s most infamous players. It should {…}
UPDATE: The Metropolitan Opera has confirmed that the new production of “Aida” will open during the 2024-25 season but will not OPEN the season. Verdi’s “Aida” is set to open the Metropolitan Opera’s 2024-25 season. The New York Observer unveiled the news in its review of the company’s current production by Sonja Frisell. The news source also added that Angel {…}
Photos: Dario Acosta The Richard Tucker Award and Gala came back in full force after two years with no awards. A galaxy of operatic stars was on hand for the event held in the newly renovated David Geffen Hall, which was designed to remedy the venue’s seemingly intractable issue with—of all things—acoustics. (Geffen Hall is the home of the New {…}
The Knights are set to present “Everlasting Light,” a holiday concert featuring two of opera’s biggest stars. The showcase, scheduled for Dec. 14, 2022 at the Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center, will be headlined by Angel Blue and Anthony Roth Costanzo. They will be joined by the Brooklyn Youth Chorus under Dianne Brekun Menaker. Eric Jacobsen conducts the performance. Audiences will {…}