The Royal Opera House, in partnership with The Luna Drive In Cinema, will bring the opera and ballet to British audiences at drive-in theaters set up at iconic venues, a press release dated July 10 stated. The Opera House and Ballet will screen “La bohème,” “La traviata,” “Swan Lake,” and “Alices Adventures in Wonderland” at Blenheim Palace, Warwick Castle, Allianz {…}
Even as we get deeper into the summer and watch theaters reopen, it is important to keep our focus on the important dialogues of racial equality taking place. We continue to recommend checking out the several online shows such as Karen Slack’s “KikiKonversations,” Kenneth Overton’s “Black Opera Live,” and “The Sitdown with LB,” hosted by Lawrence Brownlee. You can also add {…}
Diana Damrau has announced her upcoming album entitled “Tudor Queens.” The new recording sees the coloratura soprano taking on the crowns of three different Tudor queens, the central characters in operas by Donizetti. In the new album, she performs the final scenes of Donizetti’s “Anna Bolena,” “Maria Stuarda,” and “Roberto Devereux.” Damrau is accompanied by Sir Antonio Pappano and the {…}
(Credit: Musacchio & Ianniello) The Royal Opera House will continue its “Live from Covent Garden” series on June 27, 2020. The concert will be hosted by Katie Derham and will feature conductor Antonio Pappano leading the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House in a performance of music by Handel, Donizetti, Rossini, Verdi, Gershwin, Catalani, Leoncavallo, Sorazabal, and others. The performance {…}
The Royal Opera House has announced its first concert since the lockdown due to the spread of COVID-19. The concert is scheduled for June 13, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. local time and will feature music by Britten, Handel, Butterworth, and Turnage performed by such artists as Louise Alder, Toby Spence, and Gerald Finley. The showcase will also feature a world {…}
Any new “Otello” recording is usually the focus of major conversation. The Verdi and Boito opera is undeniably one of the pinnacle works in the standard repertory, encompassing a vast array of emotional colors with some of the greatest music humankind has ever conjured up. And the world has seen some truly legendary recordings over the past century with some {…}
(Credit: Bill Cooper) Anticipation was already at fever pitch for this new production of “Fidelio” in London, even before Oliver Mears, Royal Opera Artistic Director, appeared on stage before curtain up, evidently the bearer of bad news. “Please don’t be alarmed,” he reassured: Tenor Jonas Kaufmann only had a cold, would indeed sing, and asked for our indulgence. “We’ve been {…}
This week sees the release of two debut albums and a special performance of “Die Walküre.” Mélodies Adriana Gonzalez releases her first album on Audaux Records accompanied by pianist Iñaki Encina Oyón, who is well known for performing neglected and unknown repertoire. The album will delve into early 20th-century French Mélodie with a focus on the exceptional expressive qualities of {…}
(Credit: Matt Dunham/PA) The Prince of Wales visited “the jewel in the crown of cultural excellence in the UK” to honor Antonio Pappano, Jonas Kaufmann, Debbie Wiseman and Rachel Portman. Prince Charles, president of the Royal College of Music, handed out awards at a ceremony where Pappano and Kaufmann were made honorary Doctors of Music, while Wiseman and Portman became {…}
(Credit: ROH / CATHERINE ASHMORE) Sony Classical has announced a new recording of Verdi’s “Otello” starring Jonas Kaufmann in the title role. The new recording is also set to star Carlos Alvarez as Iago and Federica Lombardi as Desdemonda with Antonio Pappano conducting the orchestra and choir Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. The new recording will mark Kaufmann’s first CD {…}
(Credit: Catherine Ashmore / ROH) Smothered in monochrome, Keith Warner’s 2017 production of Verdi’s “Otello” is a humorless parody of art deco design. Tar-colored towers hold its personages in a chokehold; escorting them onstage with sliding trays resembling CD player disc drives. Vertical slots in the abyss and square-shaped patterns often visible on casual sweaters sever the obscurity. In its {…}