(Credit: Javier del Real) To close out its run of “Il Trovatore,” the Teatro Real de Madrid presented a cast featuring Saioa Hernández, Celso Albelo and Artur Ruciński (Marina Rebeka was originally scheduled but cancelled). Celso Albelo who took charge of the title role has an exceptional, unique voice. High voices are lighter and smaller, their middle range is usually {…}
On July 10, the Teatro Real de Madrid is set to stream a performance of “Il Trovatore” on My Opera Player. The cast will include Marina Rebeka, Piotr Beczala, Artur Ruciński, and Ksenia Dudnikova. Nicola Luisotti conducts the production by Francisco Negrín. The stream is part of the Teatro Real’s opera week which will also see the company broadcast past recordings {…}
(Photo: Karpati & Zarewicz) Polish baritone Artur Ruciński is one of those artists for whom opera has never been merely a display of vocal mastery. For more than 25 years, he has built an extensive Verdi repertoire, returning to its great roles with fresh eyes each time. In Madrid, where Ruciński is performing Count di Luna in Giuseppe Verdi’s “Il {…}
The Teatro Massimo di Palermo has announced its 2026-27 season. Opera Camille Saint-Saëns’s “Samson et Dalila” will be directed by Jean-Louis Grinda and conducted by Emmanuel Villaume. Martin Muehle and Varduhi Abrahamyan star in the title role. Performance Dates: Nov. 22-29, 2026 Alessandro Baldessarri, Peter e Jill Gabriel’s “Non dirmi che hai paura” will be directed by Laura Ruocco. Performance Dates: {…}
The Polish National Opera has announced its 2026-27 season. New Productions Keri-Lynn Wilson conducts the world premiere of Maxim Kolomiiets’ “The Mothers of Kherson” in a production by Barbara Wysocka. The cast includes Izabela Matuła, Hanna Sosnowska-Bill, Weronika Wojtkowska, Elissa Pfaender, Małgorzata Walewska, Jadwiga Postrożna, Andrei Bondarenko, Katarzyna Wietrzny, Tomasz Rak, Ólafur Sigurdarson, Tadeusz Szlenkier, and Adrian Domarecki. Performance Dates: Oct. 16-27, 2026 Paweł Mykietyn’s {…}
The Liceu Opera+ has announced its 2026-27 streaming season. The season opens with “Aida” with Anna Pirozzi, Ksenia Dudnikova, Piotr Beczała, and Igor Golovatenko. Shirin Neshat directs the production. Stream Date: Oct. 25, 2026 Adrian Noble directs Bellini’s “I Capuleti e I Montecchi” with Marko Mimica, Lisette Oropesa, Raffaella Lupinacci, and Iván Ayón Rivas. Stream Date: Nov. 22, 2026 Giacomo {…}
The Gran Teatre del Liceu has announced its 2026-27 season. Shirin Neshat directs Verdi’s “Aida” with four sopranos taking on the title role. Anna Netrebko, Anna Pirozzi, Olga Maslova, and Ewa Plonka star alongside Ekaterina Semenchuk, Ksenia Dudnikova, Fiorenza Cedolins, Yusif Eyvazov, Piotr Beczała, Arsen Soghomonyan, Artur Ruciński, Igor Golovatenko, Ariunbaatar Ganbaatar, Riccardo Fassi, George Andguladze, Manuel Fuentes, Alexander Köpeczi, {…}
The Polish National Opera will continue its “Great Voices” series on Feb. 8, 2026 with a concert featuring Artur Ruciński and Pretty Yende. The two artists will perform music by Giuseppe Verdi, Vincenzo Bellini, and Giacomo Puccini. Alfonso Todisco conducts the evening. Ruciński is a specialist in Verdi and the bel canto repertoire and is among the most recognized and {…}
(Photo: Ken Howard / Met Opera) Less is more! That was what Sandro Sequi did well in his traditional 1976 production of “I Puritani” at the Metropolitan Opera. Originally staged for Joan Sutherland, the production was a vehicle for the great divas of the Bel Canto repertoire. And while it was admittedly a product of its time, the last three {…}
(Credit: Paola Kudacki / Met Opera) The Metropolitan Opera is set to present a new production of Bellini’s “I Puritani.” This will make the first new staging of the opera in 50 years with Charles Edwards directing the new production. Edwards known for his stage and set designs and previously created scenery for four Met productions by David McVicar. Lisette {…}
Following the concert with Aleksandra Kurzak and Roberto Alagna at the Polish National Opera, the company will present three more concerts with great voices. On Feb. 8, 2026, the company will present a concert by Polish baritone Artur Ruciński and South Africa’s star Pretty Yende. That will be followed by a concert featuring Tomasz Konieczny and Camilla Nylund on April {…}
