Luciano Pavarotti, Pene Pati, Ermonela Jaho Sandrine Piau, Lea Desandre, Maria Brea, Dame Sarah Connolly, & Arsen Soghomonyan Lead New CD/DVD Releases

Welcome back for this week’s look at the latest CD and DVD releases in the opera world. This week, Decca celebrates Pavarotti while many artists release solo albums. There are also some historical performances that audiences will not want to miss. Songs of Passion The new album is a collection of vocal and instrumental music by John Dowland and Henry {…}

Jun 26, 2025

Aleksandra Kurzak, Anita Rachvelishvili, Anna Pirozzi, Roberto Algana, Cellia Costea & Marina Viotti Lead Greek National Opera’s 2025-26 Season

The Greek National Opera has announced its 2025-26 season. Fabrizio Ventura conducts Ponchielli’s “La Gioconda” with Oliver Mears directing. Anna Pirozzi stars alongside Alisa Kolosova, Tassos Apostolou, Anita Rachvelishvili, Arsen Soghomonyan, Francesco Pio Galasso, and Dimitri Platanias. Performance Dates: Oct. 19-Nov. 7, 2025 Aleksandra Kurzak and Cellia Costea star in Puccini’s “Tosca” alongside Marcelo Puente, Roberto Alagna, Dimitri Platanias, and Tassis {…}

May 30, 2025

Metropolitan Opera 2024-25 Review: The Queen of Spades

(This review was written in collaboration with Francisco Salazar) The road to the Met Opera’s second performance of “The Queen of Spades” on Wednesday, May 28, was almost as dramatic as the opera itself. The role of Hermann is a monster. One of the most difficult in the repertoire, not only does it challenge the tenor taking it on with {…}

May 19, 2025

Metropolitan Opera Changes Lead Tenor for ‘The Queen of Spades,’ Again

(Credit: Metropolitan Opera / Ken Howard ) The Metropolitan Opera has announced another major cast change for “The Queen of Spades.” The role of Hermann will now be sung by Arsen Soghomonyan. It was originally announced with Brian Jagde taking on the role, but the tenor withdrew from the production in favor of Brandon Jovanovich, who is no longer listed {…}

Apr 20, 2025

Jessica Pratt, John Osborn, Nino Machaidze, Francesca Dotto, Markus Werba & Kristine Opolais Lead Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège’s 2025-26 Season

The Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège has announced its 2025-26 season. Opera Giampaolo Bisanti conducts Gound’s “Faust” in Thaddeus Strassberger’s production. The cast includes John Osborn, Erwin Schrott, Nino Machaidze, Markus Werba, and Elmina Hasan. Performance Dates: Sept. 12-20, 2025 Sieva Borzak conducts Mozart’s “Così fan tutte” with a cast that includes Francesca Dotto, Josè Maria Lo Monaco, Maxim Mironov, Vittorio Prato, {…}

Jan 15, 2025

Vienna State Opera Announces Tenor Change for ‘Cavalleria Rusticana’ Performance

The Wiener Staatsoper has announced a cast change for its Jan. 15 performance of “Cavalleria rusticana.” The company revealed that tenor Arsen Soghomonyan will make his house debut and take on the role of Turridu, replacing Jonathan Tetelman, who is ill. Soghomonyan has performed with the Stanislawski-Theater, Royal Opera House, Bayerische Staatsoper, Washington National Opera, and Palau de Les Arts. {…}

Jun 1, 2024

National Symphony Orchestra Concludes Season with Verdi’s ‘Otello’

The National Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Gianandrea Noseda are set to conclude the 2023–2024 with Verdi’s “Otello.” On June 7 and 9, the conductor will lead a cast that includes Arsen Soghomonyan in the title role, Erika Grimaldi as Desdemona, and Roman Burdenko as Iago. They will be joined by Jennifer Johnson Cano as Emilia, Francesco Marsiglia as Cassio, Aaron {…}

Jul 21, 2023

Festival d’Aix-en-Provence 2023 Review: Otello

Credit: Vincent Beaume When Pierre Audi, the director of Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, announced that Jonas Kaufmann and Ludovic Tézier would sing in a one-night-only concert version of “Otello,” tickets sold out in a minute. Even admittance for critics was scarce, and the festival gave seats out only when audience members turned in their tickets. Ill in London, Kaufmann canceled. This reviewer’s {…}

Jun 3, 2023

Eleonora Buratto, Javier Camarena & Francesco Meli Lead Palau de les Arts’ 2023-24 Season

Valencia’s Palau de les Arts’ 2023-24 season featuring opera, recitals, concerts, and zarzuela. Opera Dima Orsho and Carla Nahadi Babelegoto star in “Women at Point Zero.” Performance Date: Sept. 15, 2023 James Gaffigan conducts Tchaikovsky’s “The Queen of Spades” in Richard Jones’ production. The cast includes Arsen Soghomonyan, Doris Soffel, Ekaterina Guseva, Elena Maximova, Roman Burdenko, and Nikolay Zemlianskikh. Performance {…}

Apr 12, 2023

Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Announces Cast Change for ‘Otello’

The Maggio Musicale has announced a cast change for its production of “Otello.” The company said that the title role will be performed by Arsen Soghomonyan, who will replace the originally announced Fabio Sartori. Soghomonyan is a soloist with the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Music Theatre. Prior to his debut as a tenor was the leading baritone of the Theatre. He {…}

Mar 11, 2023

Erika Grimaldi, Michael Sumel & Joélle Harvey Lead National Symphony Orchestra’s 2023-24 Season

The National Symphony Orchestra has announced its 2023-24 season. Here is a look at the vocal performance for the season. Gianandrea Noseda conducts soloists Denis Kozhukhin, Elena Stikhina, Sergey Skorokhodov, and Alexey Markov in Rachmaninoff’s “The Rock,” Piano Concerto No. 4, and “The Bells.” Performance Dates: Sept. 28-30, 2023 Kevin John Edusei and Katerina Burton lead a program that includes {…}