The Royal Opera continues its 2016-17 season with the first revival of David McVicar’s 2010 production of Cilea’s “Adriana Lecouvreur.” The opera will star Angela Gheorghiu, who created the production in 2010 and who has dominated the character for the past six years. Hrachuhi Bassenz will alternate with Gheorghiu in her Royal Opera debut. Brian Jagde will also star as {…}
Joseph Calleja will appear in the Official Opening Concert of the 2017 Maltese Presidency of the Council of the European Union on Monday, Jan. 16, 2017. The tenor made the announcement via social media on Thursday. He will perform selections from “Die Zauberflöte,” Flotow’s “Martha,” “Roméo et Juliette,” “Werther,” “Tosca,” “Le Cid” and a number of Verdi operas including “Rigoletto” {…}
Violetta, the heroine of Verdi’s “La Traviata,” is one of the iconic roles of the operatic repertoire, the measuring stick by which almost all sopranos are judged. Singing the role for many is an indication for them that they have “arrived” in the opera world. It is so imbued with depth and intensity that years and years of performance reveal {…}
Angela Gheorghiu and Ramon Vargas will reunite for the opening opera gala concert at the International Music Festival of Cesky Krumlov. The concert which will take place on July 3 will conducted by Leoš Svárovský and will feature the PKF – Prague Philharmonia, However, details of the concert have not been announced. Gheorghiu and Vargas have performed in many productions together, most {…}
30 performances. Seven cities. Five house debuts and two role debuts. That is what tenor Brian Jagde faces in 2017. The first half of 2017 that is. The tenor, who has been growing in prominence over the last few years, is slated for a monstrous calendar year that will see him make more house debuts than he ever has before. {…}
Gounod’s beloved “Romeo Juliette” returns to the Met on New Years Eve with a star cast that includes two singers that had electric chemistry in another great French work a few years ago. The Performers Diana Damrau and Vittorio were a dynamic duo when they took the stage for Massenet’s “Manon” back in March 2015. Their chemistry was revered by {…}
On Dec. 31 Diana Damrau will make her role debut as Juliette in Gounod’s “Romeo et Juliette” in a special New Year’s Eve gala at the Metropolitan Opera. The occasion will also mark the premiere of Bartlett Sher’s acclaimed staging from the Salzburg Festival. With such a momentous occasion Operawire takes a look at past Juliettes who have graced the {…}
Thursday December 22 is the 158th birthday of one of the greatest opera composers of all time – Giacomo Puccini. The Italian composer is best known for his brilliant melodic invention and his operatic output, while relatively small when compared with the likes of Italian predecessors such as Verdi, Rossini or Donizetti, is among the most popular in the entire {…}
This week opera fans will be excited to look back at some of the most acclaimed recordings as Warner Classics will re-release a number of classic opera recordings. Angela Gheorghiu’s recital recordings For years Gheorghiu was one of Warner Classics most beloved artists. She recorded numerous complete operas and numerous recital recordings including her final one which was an homage {…}
Joseph Calleja has revealed that he is recording a new Verdi album for Decca. The tenor revealed that a Verdi album was in the works via his Twitter account on Wednesday. “Recording today our Verdi Album in Valencia with #vittoriovitelli #ramontebar,” he wrote. On Thursday, he put a picture on Instagram alongside famed Romanian soprano Angela Gheorghiu stating “Today recording {…}
It’s holiday season and that calls for holiday music. But why settle for listening to your favorite tunes with any old voices when you can have some of finest in history to take you through the merry times. Here is a look at some of the best holiday albums from the world’s greatest opera singers. The Three Tenors – Christmas {…}