(Photo credit: Tristram Kenton) Profane escapes scale heights heretical in offbeat tales. These contests of one-upmanship with God breed killers; lesser sinners stray with strangers. Dvořák’s unnamed “Spectre’s Bride” – the leading lady of his 1885 cantata – steals away with a dead demon. Four decades later a Chinese adventurer is robbed and killed in Bartók’s “The Miraculous Mandarin,” a {…}
(Photo credit: Hilary Scott) Last weekend, Symphony Hall was, on a generous account, less than two-thirds full. If you asked anyone why they were there, nine out of ten people would have said: “to listen to Bártok’s Castle.” The few others would be admirers of Alisa Weilerstein, who played the concert’s first half: Haydn’s c-major cello concerto. Chiaroscuro programing. Bartók’s {…}
Credit: Danae Kinova The Olympia City Music Theatre Maria Callas has unveiled its 2023-24 season, which includes three operas in both staged productions and concert versions. The season features a blend of Greek artists and international stars, including a concert by soprano Julie Fuchs. For the purposes of this article only opera and classical voice performances are listed. The season {…}
On June 15, 2023, Libero Canto will open their concert tour of Hungarian Folk songs honoring Béla Bartók. Titled “Ágról Ágra: from Branch to Branch,” the a capella program will see a number of folk songs in their traditional forms, with arrangements by contemporary composers such as Song Yi Jeon, Guillermo Klein, and LC’s Marisa Michelson and Sara Serpa. There {…}
The Greek National Opera is set to present a double bill of “Bluebeard’s Castle” and “Gianni Schicchi” this March. The production, which features Themelis Glynatsis rendition of the Bartok opera and John Fulljames’ take on the Puccini classic, opens on March 9 and runs for four performances through the 24th, 2023. This is Glynatsis’ first production for the mainstage of {…}
(Credit: Sim Canetty Clarke/ Christina Raphaelle) Gerald Finley and Susan Bullock are two world-class artists who have performed at all the major opera stages the world over. Collectively, they have appeared at The Metropolitan Opera, the English National Opera, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Wiener Staatsoper, Canadian Opera Company, Carnegie Hall, Opera North, La Scala, Sydney Opera, La Monnaie, {…}
The English Symphony Orchestra is set to release a video performance of “Bluebeard’s Castle” between August 13-17, 2021. The showcase will be conducted by Kenneth Woods, who will be joined by April Fredrick as Judith and David Stout as Bluebeard, who previously worked together on “Jane Eyre” in 2016. “Vocally, David and April are perfect for Bartók’s two roles, which {…}
(Credits: © Yiorgos Mavropoulos / Andreas Weiss) The Herbstgold Festival in Eisenstadt has announced its 2020 Edition. For the purposes of this article, we will focus only on vocal performances. The festival opens with a concert starring soprano Marlis Petersen, mezzo-soprano Anke Vondung, tenor Werner Güra, and bass Florian Boesch. The program includes Haydn’s Symphony No. 30 in C major {…}
The Brooklyn Art Song Society is set to showcase a concert featuring the music of Bela Bartok, Zoltan Kodaly, and Leos Janacek on Feb. 7, 2020 at the Brooklyn Historical Society in New York. The concert will feature sopranos Lucy Fitz Gibbon and Caitlin Mead alongside mezzo-sopranos Kate Maroney and Allison Gish, as well as tenor Dominic Armstrong. Brooklyn Art {…}
“Opera Meets Film” is a feature dedicated to exploring the way that opera has been employed in cinema. We will select a section or a film in its entirety, highlighting the impact that utilizing the operatic form or sections from an opera can alter our perception of a film that we are viewing. This week’s installment looks at Joanna Hogg’s {…}
On Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019, the Metropolitan Opera will revive its double bill of “Iolanta” and “Bluebeard’s Castle.” The former work will receive its eighth performance at the Met on Thursday in just its first revival with the company. However, the history of “Bluebeard’s Castle” and its 31 performances with the company is intriguing. The work itself is rather brief {…}