Photo: Andy Henderson This review is of the premiere on Friday, July 26, 2024. Bard SummerScape Festival 2024 took a daring leap, presenting Giacomo Meyerbeer’s “Le Prophète” in a fully staged production. This opera is a rarity, and after sitting through it, I can see why. It’s probably best left on the fringes of the repertoire but shouldn’t be missed {…}
Bard SummerScape is set to present the first-ever U.S. production of Meyerbeer’s “Le Prophète” in 47 years. The production of the Meyerbeer masterpiece will be directed by Christian Räth and conducted by Leon Botstein. It will star Robert Watson, Jennifer Feinstein, and Amina Edris. “’Le prophète’ is unique because, beyond its historical elements, it has so many parallels to the world that {…}
Bard Summerscape has announced its 2024 festival, which will center on Hector Berlioz and his world. Here is a rundown of vocal performances. The company will present Meyerbeer’s “Le Prophète” in a production by Christian Räth and conducted by Leon Botstein. The opera will star Robert Watson, Jennifer Feinstein, and Amina Edris. Performance Date: July 26 – August 4, 2024 As {…}
Bard Summerscape has announced its 20th anniversary season. For the purposes of this article, our focus will be solely on vocal performances. The centerpiece of the program will be a new production of Saint-Saëns’ “Henri VIII.” Leon Botstein conducts a cast starring Alfred Walker in the title role, Amanda Woodbury as Catherine of Aragon, and Lindsay Ammann as Anne Boleyn. {…}
Bard SummerScape is set to present Richard Strauss’s “The Silent Woman (Die Schweigsame Frau),” one of the composer’s rarely performed works. The production is set to be directed by German director Christian Räth. The work which is based on the on Epicoene, a comedy by Shakespeare’s contemporary Ben Jonson, represents the first and only fruit of Strauss’s collaboration with the celebrated {…}
Bard SummerScape will open with the world premiere of Ashley Tata’s interpretation of Molière’s “Dom Juan.” Tata along with an all-women production team birthed this production which combines the original 17th century France setting with the 1970s American cultural following Roe V. Wade. Tata describes this work by saying, “Our production is an invitation to collectively imagine a world where {…}
The Bard SummerScape festival is set to present R. Strauss’ “The Silent Woman (Die Schweigsame Frau),” the only true comic opera by Richard Strauss. The production will be a rare American presentation of the work with the new production directed by German director Christian Räth. The director noted, “in my eyes, ‘The Silent Woman’ is first and foremost a declaration {…}
The Bard Summerscape has announced its 2022 season dedicated to Rachmanioff. Here is a look at the opera and the concert series it will present. The festival is set to present Richard Strauss’s “Die Schweigsame Frau” in a fast-paced new production by Christian Räth. The opera will star Italian bass Andrea Silvestrelli, tenor David Portillo, soprano Jana McIntyre, and baritone {…}
Over the past few weeks we have returned to an old end-of-year tradition, spotlighting some of our standout artists of the year. And we will conclude that series with a return to our spotlight of the year’s best performances. As in the past, we have compiled the efforts of different members of our staff to create a list of our {…}
Bard SummerScape is set to present an encore stream of “Le Roi Arthus” starting on Oct. 25 (which is, incidentally, World Opera Day). Audiences who missed the summer production will get one week to stream the work via the company’s UPSTREAMING platform. The opera starred Norman Garrett in the title role alongside Sasha Cooke as Guinevère. Leon Botstein conducted the {…}
Chausson’s “Le Roi Arthus” is a masterpiece. The work, which the Frenchman, composed between 1886 and 1895, had its premiere in 1903, and has rarely been heard from again. Critics of the work have noted its heavy debt to the likes of Richard Wagner and César Franck, and on some level, one might be inclined to conclude that these open {…}