On December 19, 2018, The Metropolitan Opera premiered this season’s run of Mozart’s musical drama “The Magic Flute.” This production by Julie Taymor is notable for its English translation, abridged running time, and opulent presentation; these features concentrated the drama and allegorical meaning which would unfold in the hands of the company’s cast of artists. Squaring the Circle Taymor’s production {…}
It’s the holiday season and that means that the Metropolitan Opera is putting on Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” in its English iteration. This season’s revival will feature a number of veterans in this production, as well as some new faces. Erin Morley will headline as Pamina. She debuted at the Met in 2008 and has amassed 87 performances to date {…}
PBS will showcase “Così Fan Tutte” from the Metropolitan Opera as part of its Great Performances Series on Sunday, July 29, 2018. The broadcast will kick off at 12 p.m. EDT and will star Kelli O’Hara, Amanda Majeski, Adam Plachetka, Ben Bliss, Christopher Maltman, and Serena Malfi under the musical direction of David Robertson. The production, set on Coney Island {…}
The Santa Fe Opera has announced its 2019 season. While the 2018 season has yet to begin, the upcoming 2019 edition will showcase five productions, including one new world premiere. Here is a look Productions Vanessa Vasquez and Mario Chang lead Puccini’s “La Bohème” with a stellar cast that also includes Kirsten Mackinnon and Zachary Nelson. Jader Bignamini conducts the production {…}
It was intermission at the premiere of Phelim McDermott’s new Metropolitan Opera production of Mozart and Da Ponte’s “Così Fan Tutte” and someone made this statement to me. “It’s fun and everything, but why set it on Coney Island?” It’s a great point, but one could extrapolate that entire statement to the opera itself – “It’s got great music and {…}
The New York Choral Society will honor Stephanie Blythe in the company’s annual Spring Gala. The company will honor Blythe with the NYChoral Award for musical excellence. Blythe has performed all around the world and is considered one of the greatest mezzos of her generation. She returns to the Metropolitan Opera for “Cendrillon” and is also scheduled to make an appearance {…}
The Met Opera’s upcoming “Così fan tutte” is set to make a major splash in coming weeks. The new production set on Coney Island, which is set to feature more than a number of major tricks, will undeniably play a major role in its popularity. But any opera will live and die with its singing actors, and the cast that {…}
The Canadian Opera Company has announced its 2018-19 season, which will feature six operas. Every opera is undeniably the sum of all its parts, but there is certainly a lot to be said about how one performer can become the big story for his or her upcoming showcase. Here is a look at the six exciting singers to keep an {…}
The Seattle Opera has announced its 2018-19 season featuring five fully staged works. The season opens on August 11, 2018, with George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess.” Angel Blue stars as Bess alternating with Elizabeth Llewellyn while Alfred Walker and Kevin Short will alternate the role of Porgy. Lester Lynch and May Elizabeth Williams round out the cast. Francesca Zambello directs the {…}
The famed New York Festival of Song will celebrate its 30th anniversary in style. The event, founded three decades ago by Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, will feature four major concerts, all showcased at the Merkin Concert Hall in New York. The first of these performances will be one dedicated to Leonard Bernstein on Nov. 7, 2017. Entitled “Take Care {…}
The world’s greatest opera singers are immersed in a wide range of activities as the summer season hits its apex. Some are on vacation, while others are rigorously rehearsing for upcoming performances. Anna Netrebko previewed a section from “Aida” on her Instagram. The clip showed Netrebko in the rehearsal room alongside her colleagues and Riccardo Muti conducting. “Aida” opens on {…}