On Jan. 21, 2027, Anna Netrebko will return to Mannheim for an evening of opera arias, duets, and trios. The concert will be held at the Rosengarten, and she is set to be joined by Brian Jagde and George Petean, and the Baden-Baden Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Marco Armiliato. The concert will include works by Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo {…}
(Credit: Monika Rittershaus) “La Forza del Destino” has always been considered a transitional work in Giuseppe Verdi’s output, bridging the purely romantic operas of his early period and the mature works where his musical language became more dramatic, direct, and personal. It was composed on a commission from the Imperial Theatre in St. Petersburg, where it premiered in 1862. The {…}
(Credit: Olga Rubio Dalmau) The Staatsoper Unter den Linden has announced that Anna Netrebko will replace Renée Fleming on Dec. 8, 2025. The company said that Fleming had to cancel the concert for health reasons and undergo necessary knee surgery. She has therefore canceled her entire European tour. In a statement, Netrebko said, “It is with great joy that I {…}
After Ukraine’s Ambassador to Switzerland Irina Venediktova sent letters to members of the Zürich Cantonal Council demanding that performances by Anna Netrebko and other artists at the Zurich Opera House be canceled, the Zürich Opera has noted that it will move forward with performances. According to Die Weltwoche, Venediktova expressed “deep concern” and also noted that a “personal exchange” took {…}
(Credit: Luciano Romano) On Oct. 4, the Teatro San Carlo brought a new production of Verdi’s “Un Ballo in Maschera.” The evening was much anticipated as it featured the role debut of Anna Netrebko as Amelia, and reunited the famed soprano with baritone Ludovic Tézier, following an exceptional “La Gioconda” last year. While the two superstars lived up to their {…}
(Credit: Luciano Romano) On Oct. 4, the Teatro San Carlo will present a production of “Un Ballo in Maschera.” The production, which is sold out, will star Anna Netrebko in her anticipated role debut as Amelia, alongside Piero Pretti as Riccardo and Ludovic Tézier as Renato. They will be joined by Elizabeth DeShong, who will make her house debut and {…}
(Credit: Marco Brenner) The Royal Opera House is set to bring Puccini’s “Tosca” to cinemas on Oct. 1, 2025. The new production by Oliver Mears is conducted by Music Director Jakub Hrůša and stars Anna Netrebko, Freddie De Tommaso, and Gerald Finley. When the production opened on Sept 11, critics raved and said, Netrebko’s “‘Vissi d’arte’ was excellent, dripping with {…}
(credit:Vladimir Shirokov) Olena Zelenska is speaking out about her disappointment with the Royal Opera House contracting Anna Netrebko. On a podcast with The Times, the first lady of Ukraine said, “Allowing Putin ally Anna Netrebko to sing at The Royal Opera House was not a betrayal, but was deeply saddening.” She used the Metropolitan Opera as an example for firing {…}
The Opéra National de Paris has announced its 2025-26 cinema season. The company will feature five performances in cinemas, including two operatic performances. The first operatic performance will be Verdi’s “Un Ballo in Maschera” conducted by Speranza Scapucci in a production by Gilbert Deflo. The cast includes Matthew Polenzani (Riccardo), Anna Netrebko (Amelia), Ludovic Tézier (Renato), Sara Blanch (Oscar), and Elizabeth {…}
The Teatro alla Scala has announced the theatrical release of “La Scala: The Force of Destiny.” The 90-minute feature-documentary directed by Anissa Bonnefont will be released on the Nov. 2 in theaters in France. The film is the first documentary co-produced under a new partnership between RAI Documentari & France Télévisions. This feature documentary produced by Federation Studios (Myriam Weil) {…}
(Credit: Marc Brenner) I’ve previously opined that Puccini’s Tosca is perhaps among the least plausible of tales in the repertory and that the problem with long-running or much revived productions is that, unless you can constantly attract new audiences, they can only stand the test of time for so long. This Oliver Mears’ exciting new production has the potential to {…}