Anna Netrebko, Marina Rebeka, Sonya Yoncheva & Elīna Garanča Lead Staatsoper Unter den Linden’s 2023-24 Season

Berlin’s Staatsoper Unter den Linden has announced its 2023-24 season. The season will showcase numerous revivals and new productions. Premieres Calixto Bieito directs a new production of Verdi’s “Aida” with Grigory Shkarupa, Elīna Garanča, Ekaterina Semenchuk, Marina Rebeka, María José Siri, Yusif Eyvazov, Ivan Magrì, René Pape, Erwin Schrott, Vladislav Sulimsky, and Alfredo Daza. Nicola Luisotti conducts. Performance Dates: Oct. {…}

Sep 21, 2022

Svetlana Sozdateleva Leads Metropolitan Opera’s ‘Lady Macbeth of Mtsenk’

(Photo: Evan Zimmerman / Met Opera) The Metropolitan Opera is set to revive Shostakovich’s “Lady Macbeth Mtsenk” in Graham Vick’s 1994 production. The production, which will be performed six times, opens on Sept. 29 with Russian soprano Svetlana Sozdateleva in the lead role of Katerina Ismailova. The soprano, who is making her Met debut, has performed the role to great {…}

Jun 4, 2022

Eleonora Buratto, Magdalena Kožená, Ismael Jordi, Cecilia Bartoli & Juan Diego Flórez Lead Palau de Les Arts’s 2022-23 Season

The Palau de les Arts in Valencia has announced its 2022-23 season featuring opera, zarzuela concerts and inetrnational stars. Opera Jamie Man’s “Zelle” will be showcased with countertenor Steve Katona, Ryoko Aoki, Jackie Janssens, Asko|Schönberg, Wiek Hijmans, Joey Marijs, and Tatiana Rosa. Man conducts his work. Performance Date: Sept. 16, 2022 Alex Esposito, Eleonora Buratto, Silvia Tro Santafé, and Ismael {…}

Apr 23, 2022

Royal Opera House Review 2021-22: Lohengrin

(Photo: Clive Barda) David Alden’s 2018 production of “Lohengrin,” Wagner’s hokey fable of love, fidelity, and politics, is receiving its first revival from Peter Relton at the Royal Opera House. Alden’s setting is generic postwar Europe, all bombed out windows and bare brick, with buildings at precariously jaunty angles (sets by Paul Steinberg). In the ruins of this world Konig {…}

Mar 6, 2022

Metropolitan Opera 2021-22 Review: Ariadne auf Naxos

(Credit: Marty Sohl/Met Opera) It’s been 11 years since the Metropolitan Opera presented Richard Strauss’ opera within an opera, “Ariadne auf Naxos.” One of the composer’s intimate works, “Ariadne” features some of Strauss’ most popular music. To pull this work off effectively, it requires four particularly great voices. For this run, the Met Opera put together a starry cast that {…}

Feb 12, 2022

Lise Davidsen Headlines Metropolitan Opera’s ‘Ariadne auf Naxos’ Revival

Richard Strauss’s “Ariadne auf Naxos” returns to the Metropolitan Opera for the first time since 2011. The opera, based around an opera within an opera and featuring a unique blend of comedy and drama, will star Soprano Lise Davidsen, following her performances earlier this season as Eva in Wagner’s “Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.” Conductor Marek Janowski takes to the podium to {…}

Dec 9, 2021

Georg Zeppenfeld Replaces René Pape in Wiener Staatsoper’s ‘Parsifal’

(Credit: Georg Zeppenfeld) The Wiener Staatsoper has announced that bass René Pape will not be appearing in the role of Gurnemanz in the run of Wagner’s “Parsifal.” As a result, German bass Georg Zeppenfeld will take over the role. Zeppenfeld joins a cast that includes Wolfgang Koch, Anja Kampe, Nikolay Sidorenko, Artyom Wasnetsov, Carlos Osuna, Erik Van Heyningen, Patricia Nolz, {…}

Dec 1, 2021

Royal Opera House Announces Cast Changes for ‘Tosca,’ ‘Lohengrin’ & ‘Don Pasquale’

(Credit: Royal Opera House official website) The Royal Opera House has announced multiple cast changes for its upcoming productions of Puccini’s “Tosca,” Wagner’s “Lohengrin,” and Donizetti’s “Don Pasquale.” Per an official press release, Oksana Lyniv will conduct the full run of Tosca in 2021, replacing Francesco Ivan Ciampa who was due to conduct the performances on Dec. 11, 14 & {…}

Nov 3, 2021

Brandon Jovanovich, Clay Hilley, Nina Stemme, Elisabeth Teige, Iain Paterson Lead ‘Der Ring des Nibelungen’ at Deutsche Oper Berlin

(Credit: Bernd Uhlig) The Deutsche Oper Berlin has announced its upcoming performances of Wagner’s iconic “Der Ring des Nibelungen.” Wagner’s tetralogy will star number of renowned Wagnerian singers, including Brandon Jovanovich as Siegmund; Elisabeth Teige as Sieglinde; Nina Stemme in the role of Brünnhilde; Clay Hilley as Siegfried; Derek Welton as Wotan in “Das Rheingold”; Iain Paterson as Wotan/Der Wanderer; {…}

Oct 28, 2021

Deutsche Oper Berlin Announces Multiple Cast Changes For ‘Der Ring des Nibelungen’

(Credit: Klaus Frahm) The Deutsche Oper Berlin has announced multiple cast changes for Wagner’s “Der Ring des Nibelungen.” For the performances of “Die Walküre” on Oct. 29, Nov. 10 & 17, 2021, Iain Paterson will replace John Lundgren in the role of Wotan. Paterson joins a cast that includes Brandon Jovanovich as Siegmund, Elisabeth Teige as Sieglinde, Tobias Kehrer as {…}

Jul 30, 2021

DVD Review: Dutch National Opera’s ‘I Pagliacci/Cavalleria Rusticana’

Naxos has recently released the new production of Robert Carsen’s “I Pagliacci/Cavalleria Rusticana,” which opened the 2019/20 season at the Dutch National Opera. It is a new development, as historically it has been Opus Arte which release Amsterdam’s operatic DVDs. Opus Arte always included interesting footage from rehearsals and interviews with the cast and creative team in their DVDs. Naxos {…}

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