The Teatro San Carlo has announced cast changes for its productions of “La Damnation de Faust” and “Anna Bolena.” For its production of Berlioz’s oratorio, the company said that Charles Castronovo will be replaced by John Osborn in the role of Faust while Anita Rachvelishvili will be replaced by Daniela Barcellona in the role of Marguerite. Finally, Edwin Crossley-Mercer will be {…}
Annalisa Stroppa has signed with GM Art&Music for General Management. The Italian mezzo recently performed at the Donizetti Opera Festival and later performs the role of Suzuki in “Madama Butterfly” at the Bregenz Festival. She will also perform in a production of “La Gioconda” in Las Palmas, Spain. A graduate of the Conservatory of Brescia, she made her debut on {…}
Who could outshine the great Javier Camarena singing “La Favorite” on the stage of the famous Donizetti festival? A consummate master of Bel Canto, singing the role of the head-over-heels-in-love novice, leaving the monastery to meet the woman of his dreams. Ah, we were certainly hooked on it. And yet, this year in Bergamo, the audience had to prepare to {…}
(Credit: Michele Monasta) On Nov. 18, the Donizetti Opera Festival will open its 2022 festival with “La Favorite.” The opera is rarely performed but has been a showcase for many mezzo-sopranos in the history of opera. For this new production, Annalisa Stroppa will return to Bergamo and make her role debut as Léonor. The mezzo, who first sang with the {…}
On November 21, the Società del Quartetto di Milano and international opera singers will present “Uniti per Verdi,” an event to save Sant Agata, Verdi’s home. The gala, which was organized by Ricardo Frizza and Francesco Meli will also feature Eleonora Buratto, Massimo Cavalletti, Roberto de Candia, Chiara Isotton, Roberta Mantegna, Caterina Piva, Piero Pretti, Annalisa Stroppa, Riccardo Zanellato, and {…}
The Donizetti Opera Festival is set to present “La Favorite.” The festival will present a critical edition edited by Rebecca Harris-Warrick, which reinstates the original French version as conceived by Donizetti for its first performance at the Théâtre de l’Académie Royale de Musique in Paris in 1840. Riccardo Frizza will conduct the work with a cast that includes Annalisa Stroppa {…}
This week audiences will get a chance to hear complete recordings of many great operas rare and standard repertoire. Here is a look at the recordings you can not miss. Theodora Lisette Oropesa, Joyce DiDonato, Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian, Michael Spyres, and John Chest star in Erato’s new release of Händel’s “Theodora.” The album features Maxim Emelyanychev, Chief Conductor of the instrumentalists {…}
The final production of the Festival Verdi was “La Forza del Destino,” one of the most difficult of Verdi’s work to present. Aside from its massive cast, the work also requires multiple set changes and an epic landscape. How a director goes about approaching it can be a huge challenge. For the Festival Verdi, they found a great director in {…}
The Donizetti Opera Festival has announced its 2022 edition. The festival will present a new critical edition of “La favorite,” by Rebecca Harris Warrick from Ricordi. Music Director Riccardo Frizza will direct the operatic masterpiece. The production – newly co-produced with the Opéra National de Bordeaux – is directed by Valentina Carrasco with her team composed of Carles Berga and Peter van Praet for set {…}
Annalisa Stroppa is in the prime of her career performing on the great stages in the opera world and singing a diverse repertoire that spans Verdi, Donizetti, Bizet, Offenbach, Puccini, and Bellini. This week she returns to one of her signature roles in Bellini’s “Norma.” The mezzo, who has become a specialist in the Bel Canto repertoire, has championed the {…}
The XXII Festival Verdi has announced its 2022 programing. Here is a look at what the world-famous festival will offer Verdi lovers. The season opens with a new production of Verdi’s “La Forza del Destino.” Roberto Abbado conducts the 1869 Milano Critical edition with Anna Pirozzi, Gregory Kunde, Amartuvshin Enkhbat, Marko Mimica, Roberto de Candia, Annalisa Stroppa, and Andrea Giovannini. {…}