This Jan. 29, 2018, audiences the world over will get a chance to experience opera’s most famous gypsy from their computers as the Vienna State Opera presents Bizet’s “Carmen” on its live streaming service. This run of performances is notable because it features Piotr Beczala’s debut run of Don José. He will be joined by Margarita Griskova, Carlos Álvarez, and {…}
Many opera directors today fall onto a particular idée fixe and refuse to let it go, no matter what dramaturgical or textual incongruities ensue. Vera Nemirova’s fazzoletto-laden “Otello” in Bucharest, Hans Neuenfels’ laboratory rats “Lohengrin” in Bayreuth or Krzysztof Warlikowski’s “Brokeback Mountain” “Eugene Onegin” in Munich immediately spring to mind. Joining the ignominious list is Norwegian theatre director, Ole Anders Tandberg’s {…}
There have been a good number of performances of “The Pearl Fishers,” or “Les Pêcheurs de Perles,” around the country in recent years. Peggy Woolcock’s English National Opera production was seen at the Metropolitan Opera and LA Opera while the late Lee Blakely’s version was in Santa Fe’s 2012 season. The production viewed in probably the most locales is one {…}
“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 features the Colombian classic {…}
In a bold move, the Royal Opera House will showcase a rare production of “La Tragedie de Carmen” between Nov. 3 and Nov 14 at Wilton’s Music Hall. The opera, which uses passages from Bizet’s famous score is actually a reworking of the story to showcase a different angle that some purport is closer in line with the original novella {…}
The European Center of Music (CEM), in partnership with a number of cultural and financial agencies, has begun a fundraising campaign to preserve and restore the home of famed composer Georges Bizet. The campaign is part of CEM’s goal of creating a heritage site dedicated to the artists of the Romantic era who lived within the vicinity of Bizet’s home, {…}
Leona Mitchell had a tremendous opera career. For years, the soprano, born on Oct. 13, 1949, was a leading singer at the Metropolitan Opera, dominating in such operas as “La Bohème,” “Carmen,” “Don Carlo,” “Die Zauberflöte,” and “La Forza del Destino,” among others. Her first-ever “Madama Butterfly” at the Met was proclaimed “a wedding of her beautiful, lyric voice to {…}
“Les Pecheurs de Perles” is an opera composed by Georges Bizet, with the libretto written by Eugene Cormon and Michel Carre. Premiering on September 30, 1863, Bizet was only 24 years old when the curtain first rose. Despite having written previous operas, such as “Le docteur Miracle,” and having won the Prix de Rome scholarship to develop his skills in {…}
For an opera that’s so widely known and beloved by the public, it makes sense why the Los Angeles Opera would want to play it safe with its recent production of “Carmen.” On Sep. 9, 2017, the LA Opera opened its 2017-18 season with the Bizet masterpiece, with superstar soprano Ana María Martínez in the title role. Just four years {…}
On Sept. 9, 2017, the LA Opera opens its 2017-18 season with a repertory staple, Bizet’s “Carmen.” However, what makes this revival so appealing is the addition of a soprano in the title role instead of a mezzo-soprano. Ana María Martínez takes on the iconic role for the second time after receiving raves at the Houston Grand Opera. With the {…}
“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 features Pete Doctor’s “Up.” {…}