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 {…}
The Opéra de Marseille announced its 2018-19 season, featuring eight productions and a number of concert performances. The season will include a number of revivals and new productions as well as some of the biggest rising stars. Here is a look. Productions The season opens with Leo Nucci directing Verdi’s “Simon Boccanegra” starring Juan Jesús Rodriguez, Riccardo Massi, and Olesya {…}
The Komische Oper has announced its 2018-19 season featuring a seven new productions and a number of unique rarely performed works. Here is a look at what the season will offer. Premieres Korngold’s “Die tote Stadt” featuring Ales Briscein, Sara Jakubiak, and Gunter Papendell. Robert Carsen directs the rarely performed classic. Performance Dates: Sept 30; October 6, 14, 31; November 18, {…}
Mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie Von Otter has withdrawn from her involvement in Barrie Kosky’s upcoming comic opera cabaret titled “I wish I was a chicken,” which has been rescheduled for the following season. The move comes about in the wake of the tragic suicide of Von Otter’s husband, theatre director Benny Fredriksson. After sixteen years as CEO of Kulturhuset Stadsteatern in {…}
The Théâtre Champes-Élysées has announced its 2018-19 season. Let’s break it down Staged Productions Jérémie Rhorer conducts a new production of Verdi’s “La Traviata” with Deborah Warner directing. Vannina Santoni stars in the title role alongside Saimir Pirgu and Laurent Naouri. Performance Dates: Nov. 28-Dec. 9, 2018 Katie Mitchell directs Strauss’ “Ariadne Auf Naxos” with Camila Nylund and Roberto Sacca. Kate Lindsey and Olga Pudova round out {…}
This weekend a number of companies open their 2017-18 season featuring some of today’s biggest stars while other companies open new productions. Austria The Vienna State Opera’s continues its season with “Chowanschtschina” starring Ferruccio Furlanetto, Christopher Ventris, Herbert Lippert, Andrzej Dobber, Ain Anger, and Elena Maximova. The company also presents “Le Nozze di Figaro” with Carlos Álvarez, Dorothea Röschmann, and Adam {…}
Sebastian Fagerlund’s “Autumn Sonata” is slated for a live showcase on The Opera Platform later this month. Per the official website of The Opera Platform, the production from the Finnish National Opera will get a presentation on Sept. 23, 2017, at 6 p.m. local time. The opera stars Anne Sofie von Otter, Erika Sunnegardh, Tommi Hakala, Helena Juntunen, and Nicholas {…}
After showcasing a wide range of repertoire that will be showcased this fall in the United States, it’s time to look at the European theaters. With hundreds of houses around the world opening at the same time, it was challenging to put together this list. But after looking through several theaters, OperaWire has curated the must-see operas for this fall {…}
The Opera National Bordeaux has announced its 2017-18 season with a number of important stars headlining the year. The season starts off with Offenbach’s “La Vie Parisienne” on Sept. 23, 2017. The production by Vincent Huguet is set to star Anne-Catherine Gillet and Philippe Talbot. Marc Minkowski conducts. Paul Daniel leads a concert performance of Bellini’s “Il Pirata” with Joyce El-Khoury {…}