This review was written by David & Francisco Salazar for the performance on Jan. 24, 2019. With the double bill of “Iolanta” and “Bluebeard’s Castle,” director Mariusz Trelinski sought to explore how the search for vision could lead to growth but inversely lead to darker truths and self-destruction. When his production returned to the Met Opera on Thursday, Jan. 24, {…}
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 {…}
Tchaikovsky’s “Iolanta” and Bartók’s “Bluebeard’s Castle” will return to the Metropolitan Opera as a double after a successful run a few seasons ago. On first look, it seems like a strange combination with the composers’ styles rather different overall. It takes a truly strong maestro to move from Tchaikovsky’s lush lyrical qualities to Bartók’s challenging harmonic structures. Hungarian maestro Henrik {…}
“Bluebeard’s Castle” holds a special place among the oeuvre of Béla Bartók, as it is his only opera. The work, which premiered on May 24, 1918, was actually composed in 1911 and modified a year later. A new ending was added in 1917. The premiere took place at the Royal Hungarian Opera House in Budapest and is unique in that {…}
The Hungarian State Opera has announced its first tour to the United States this fall. During a press conference in New York, general director Szilvester Okovacs was joined by artistic director Ferenc Anger to present the company’s tour. Heralded as the biggest endeavor by the opera company, the tour will showcase 350 musicians, four important Hungarian operas, and three ballet productions. {…}
The Irish National Opera is opening its first ever season starting on Jan. 9, 2018 with a gala concert. From there the company will showcase its first opera of the season on Feb. 24 when it kicks things off with Thomas Adès’ “Powder Her Face.” That will be followed by Patrick Mason’s new staging of “The Marriage of Figaro,” which will {…}
We are proud to introduce “Opera Meets Film,” 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 {…}
La Monnaie announced its 2017-18 season last week. As always, it features a plethora of offerings across opera, ballet, concert and chamber music. Let’s take a look at the offerings for opera lovers. Philippe Boesmans’ “Pinocchio” opens on Sept. 9, 2017, with Stéphane Degout leading the cast. Rossini’s “Tancredi” will appear for just two concert performances on October 11 and {…}