(Credit: Bill Cooper / Royal Opera House) The Royal Opera House will live stream the July 2, 2019 performance of Bizet’s “Carmen” via the company’s Facebook and YouTube pages. The showcase is part of BP Big Screens, which allows audiences in the UK the opportunity to experience culture for free. The performance on July 2 will feature Aigul Akhmetshina in {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced that Berlioz’s “La Damnation de Faust” will be performed in a concert version instead of in Robert Lepage’s acclaimed production. The company announced that “The decision to present ‘La Damnation de Faust’ in its more usual concert version is driven by the unanticipated technical demands of reviving the Met’s staged production, which proved to be {…}
The Russian Opera Workshop has announced that it will present two works by Tchaikovsky for this summer’s edition. The company will showcase “Iolanta” on June 25, 26, and 27 followed by “The Maid of Orleans” on July 30, 31, and August 1. The company previously presented ”The Maid of Orleans” in 2014; “Iolanta” got showcases in 2011 and 2015. Meanwhile, {…}
The Zurich Opera has announced its 2019-20 season which will feature a whopping 11 opera premieres and 17 opera revivals. Premieres “The Makropulos Case” will be the first offering of the season with Evelyn Herlitzius starring as Emilia Marty. Other cast members will include Sam Furness, Kevin Conners, Deniz Uzun, Scott Hendricks, and Spencer Lang, among others. Dmitri Tcherniakov will direct while {…}
Bryan Hymel has withdrawn from upcoming performances as the Duke in Verdi’s “Rigoletto.” The Metropolitan Opera has announced that Hymel has canceled due to personal reasons. As a result, Francesco Demuro will sing the Duke in the March 6, 9, 15, and 20 performances, while Matthew Polenzani will perform on April 26, May 1, and 4; tenor Stephen Costello will sing {…}
Verdi’s “Rigoletto” returns to the Metropolitan Opera on Feb. 12 with a cast that includes a number of major superstars, as well as a major debutante. Here is a look at the cast for the opera. Title Character Roberto Frontali will hit a major Met Opera milestone during the February/March run of performances – he will achieve his 100th Met Opera {…}
Opera Philadelphia has announced its 2019-20 season which will feature its annual festival, two world premieres, two company premieres and a number of concert performances. Here is a look. O19 Festival O19 launches its third annual festival with the world premiere production of “Denis & Katya,” a new chamber opera commissioned and produced by Opera Philadelphia in collaboration with Music {…}
This week, two major releases will be available commercially by three of the most acclaimed artists in the industry. Here is a look at what we recommend this week. Wolf: Italienisches Liederbuch Diana Damrau and Jonas Kaufmann team up for an album that puts a spotlight on Wolf’s complete Italian Lieder with pianist Helmut Deutsch. The new CD comes after {…}
Bryan Hymel has canceled his remaining performances of “Les Troyens” at the Opéra National de Paris. The company announced that due to family reasons Hymel would not be able to perform. As a result, Brandon Jovanovich will take over. Hymel was slated to perform three performances of the seven with Jovanovich performing four shows. It is the second high-profile cancellation {…}
It’s all about the New Year this weekend. So we chose five concerts that we believe you cannot miss. We wish you all a happy New Year and hope you enjoy the holidays. 350th Anniversary Gala, Opéra De Paris, France The Opéra de Paris rings in the New Years with a gala celebrating the company’s 350th anniversary. Sonya Yoncheva, {…}
Brandon Jovanovich is set to replace Bryan Hymel in four performances of “Les Troyens.” The Opéra National de Paris announced that Hymel, who was originally scheduled to perform all seven performances, will now only perform in the final three shows. Hymel recently completed a production of “Les Vêspres Siciliennes” at the Bayerische Staatsoper and recently accepted a position at the Academy of {…}