Every six years or so, we’re gifted with an operatic gem from composer George Benjamin and playwright Martin Crimp. Their fourth and latest collaboration, “Picture a day like this,” is a revelation. This live recording, released by Nimbus Records, features the composer conducting the Mahler Chamber Orchestra at the work’s 2023 Aix-en-Provence Festival premiere. While Benajmin and Crimp’s colleagues on {…}
(Photo credit: Monika Rittershaus) Who’s afraid of a double bill? Part two. If Gluck’s Iphigénies required stamina from Aix operagoers, the double bill of Peter Maxwell Davies’s “Eight Songs for a Mad King” and György Kurtág’s “Kafka-Fragments” beseech us to be attentive. It was just an hour and a half of music, and the performances were vivid. But the musical {…}
The Opus Klassik Awards have announced its 2024 winners. The Female Singer of the Year went to Anna Prohaska for “Maria Mater Meretrix,” while the Male Singer of the Year went to Konstantin Krimmel for Schubert’s “Die schöne Müllerin.” The Conductor of the Year award went to Klaus Mäkelä for Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring & The Firebird,” while the {…}
Torino’s Rai Orchestra has announced its 2024-25 season. Here are the vocal performances. Giuseppe Mengoli conducts a program of Mahler and Beethoven with pianists Bruce Liu and Leonor Bonilla. Performance Dates: Nov. 21 & 22, 2024 John Axelrod conducts the Women’s Chorus of the Teatro Regio di Torino in a program of music by Berio and Holst. Performance Dates: Jan. {…}
The Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano has announced its 2024-25 season. Here are the vocal performances. Michele Gamba conducts Verdi’s Requiem with Maria Teresa Leva, Deniz Uzun, Giovanni Sala, and Adolfo Corrado. Performance Dates: Oct. 31-Nov. 3, 2024 Huandel’s “Messiah” will star Anna Prohaska, Chiara Tirotta, Ilker Arcayürek, and Liviu Holender. Christoph Koncz conducts. Performance Dates: Dec. 13 & 15, 2024 {…}
Barcelona’s L’Auditori has announced its 2024-25 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances. Ludovic Morlot conducts soloists Nuria Rial and pianist Lucas Debargue in a program of music by Frederic Mompou, George Gershwin, and Maurice Ravel. Performance Dates: Oct. 4-6, 2024 Rufus Wainwright’s “Dream Requiem” will be conducted by Ludovic Morlot and will star soprano Anna Prohaska. Performance Dates: {…}
The Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, Spain has announced its 2024-25 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances. Palau 100 Sarah Connolly jons Anima Aeterna Brugge and Pablo Heras-Casado for Mahler’s “Rückert Lieder.” The program also includes music by Bruckner. Performance Date: Oct. 24, 2024 Philippe Herreweghe leads a program that includes pianist Kristian Bezuidenhout, Collegium {…}
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra has announced its 2024-25 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances which include Anna Prohaska as the 2024/25 TSO Spotlight Artist. Jukka-Pekka Saraste conducts Mozart’s Requiem with Siobhan Stagg, Karen Cargill, Frédéric Antoun, and Dashon Burton. The concert also features Brahms’ Symphony No. 3. Performance Dates: Oct. 9-12, 2024 John Adams and Anna Prohaska perform works by {…}
The Lucerne Festival has announced its 2024 season. Here are the vocal performances. Kent Nagano conducts Wagner’s “Die Walküre” with a cast that includes Simon Bailey, Maximilian Schmitt, Sarah Wegener, Åsa Jäger, and Dimitry Ivashchenko. Performance Date: August 21, 2024 The Klangforum Wien, Cantando Admont, and Beat Furrer perform Beat Furrer’s “Begehren.” Performance Date: Sept. 1, 2024 The Jupiter Ensemble, Thomas {…}
Bayreuth Baroque Opera Festival has announced its 2024 slate. First up is Porpora’s “Ifigenia in Aulide.” The new production by Max Emanuel Cencic will be conducted by Christophe Rousset and stars Jasmin Delfs, Lena Belkina, Max Emanuel Cencic, Dennis Orellana, Vince Yi, and Daniel Giuliani. Performance Dates: Sept. 5 – 15, 2024 Jakub Jósef Orlinski appears in performance with Il Pomo {…}
(Photo Credit: Jean-Louis Fernandez) Reviewing a new opera is always a hard task. Beyond the many difficulties of reflecting on an extremely elaborate piece of work, after only one or two hearings, there is also a major difficulty for the critic when addressing unavoidable questions like, “is the new work any good?” This often transforms itself into a more dangerous {…}