(Credit: Askonas Holt /Gregor Röhrig / Julien Fauguere / Chris Singer) The Bayerische Staatsoper has announced a major change to its 2020-21 season, adding several productions to the slate. New Productions The company will world premiere “7 Deaths of Maria Callas” on Sept. 1, 2020. The opera had previously been slated to have its first performances at the tail-end of {…}
The Malmö Opera has announced its 2020-21 season. The Swedish opera house kicks off its season with “Transformations in Hell.” The opera by composer Isabelle Aboulker and librettist Jean-Pierre Vaguer will be directed by Dite Hammar and stars Tor Lind The, Hanna Fritzson, Linnea Andreassen, and Teresia Books. Performance Dates: July 25 – August 22, 2020 Next on the slate {…}
This week as you continue at home, there are a number of new albums that you can check out. Here are the latest releases we recommend you listen to. Cavalleria Rusticana Marek Janowski and the Dresdner Philharmonie present a new recording of Mascagni’s masterpiece. The new recording brings together an acclaimed group of soloists Melody Moore as Santuzza, Brian Jagde {…}
The weekend is here and there are some very interesting options for those interested in experimenting with a more expansive repertory. Orphée Aux Enfers – Salzburg Festival, Austria Anne Sofie von Otter, Max Hopp, Kathryn Lewek, and Joel Prieto headline a new production of Offenbach’s operetta by Barrie Kosky. Enrique Mazzola conducts the production which also stars Marcel Beekman, Nadine Weissmann, Lea Desandre, Martin Winkler, Frances Pappas, Rafał Pawnuk, Vasilisa {…}
May 1, 1786. That is the day that, for many, the greatest opera of all-time had its very first performance. “Le Nozze di Figaro” has held the stage ever since, performed by all the great interpreters all over the world. The work has also developed a healthy discography over the ages both on audio and visual media, making it impossible {…}
Mozart’s “La Clemenza di Tito” has only had 45 performances to date at the Metropolitan Opera. Compared to other major works by the iconic composer, that number is rather low. The opera actually had its Met premiere on Oct. 18, 1984. It’s history with the company has been marked by a wide range of major stars in the three main {…}
The Finnish National Opera has announced a new season that includes the first two installments of a new Ring, a major co-production of “Ariadne auf Naxos” and a revival of a new Swedish opera. The company also continues to offer free live streams on its website. To open the season, Esa-Pekka Salonen will conduct the new production of “Das Rheingold” {…}
The Hamburg State Opera has announced its 2019-20 season featuring six new productions and a number of revivals. There is also a mix of contemporary repertoire with classic and repertory staples. Here is a look at what to expect. New Productions Elbenita Kajtazi, Renate Spingler, Hellen Kwon, Peter Galliard, Stefan Sevenich, Iwan Iwanowitsch, and Julian Arsenault star in a new production of Shostakovich’s “The {…}
This week, Debussy’s masterwork “Pelléas et Mélisande” returns to the Metropolitan Opera stage for the first time since 2011. The opera will feature Paul Appleby and Isabel Leonard in the title roles respectively. Appleby will be the 15th Pelléas in Met history while Leonard will be the 17th singer to inhabit the role of his doomed lover Mélisande. Here is {…}
The Salzburg Festival has announced it 2019 season with five new productions, two revivals, and two concert operas. Here is a look at what audiences can expect this season. Productions The 2019 Salzburg Festival opens with Mozart’s “Idomeneo.” Teodor Currentzis and Peter Sellars team up again after “La Clemenza di Tito” with a cast that includes Russell Thomas (Idomeneo), Paula Murrihy {…}
Anne Sofie von Otter has spoken out against the #MeToo movement. The mezzo-soprano, whose husband committed suicide after being accused of sexual misconduct noted in an interview with Die Zeit, that her husband Benny Fredriksson went into the “deepest depression” after being cast out of his job and, ultimately, drove him to take his own life. The mezzo was critical of {…}
