(Credit: Opernhaus Zürich official website) The Opernhaus Zürich has announced that it will cancel all the regular performances until at least May 1, 2021 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic concerns and anticipated restrictions in the cultural sector. Among the canceled productions are Richard Strauss‘ operatic masterwork “Capriccio,” concert performances of Rossini’s opera “La donna del Lago,” as well as {…}
(Credit: Opéra National de Paris) The General Director of Opéra National de Paris Alexander Neef has officially confirmed the cancelation of Richard Strauss’ opera “Capriccio.” The opera house has also canceled the whole run of Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte.” Neef has stated that the stage rehearsals for Verdi’s opera “Il Trovatore” have been discontinued and that the opera house is exploring {…}
(Credit: Vincent Pontet / OnP) The Opéra National de Paris has canceled its run of Richard Strauss opera “Capriccio.” The news were confirmed on the social accounts of several soloists who were scheduled to take part in the production. Opera was slated to star Diana Damrau, Wolfgang Koch, Pavol Breslik, Audun Iversen, Günther Groissböck, Ekaterina Gubanova, Graham Clark, Wolfgang Ablinger‑Sperrhacke, {…}
(Credits: © Jiyan Chen / (c) Wilfried Hösl) Rai5 will broadcast a 2019 concert from the Berlin Philharmonic featuring soprano Diana Damrau on Jan. 6 at 9:15 p.m. CET. The Berlin Philharmonic Chief Conductor Kirill Petrenko conducted. The program for the concert includes the overture from “Girl Crazy” and “An American in Paris” by George Gershwin; “If I loved you” {…}
Soprano Eugenia Ratti died in her hometown of Piacenza on November 16, 2020 at the age of 87. Ratti was a contemporary of Maria Callas, singing opposite the famed soprano in 1957 at Teatro alla Scala as Lisa in the Visconti production of “La sonnambula,” conducted by Leonard Bernstein. She also replaced Callas as Rosina in The Dallas Opera’s 1959 {…}
(Credit: © Pascal Albandopooulos) Opéra National du Rhin has announced that the Slovakian tenor Pavol Breslik has canceled his recital in Strasbourg on Oct. 21, 2020. The opera house stated that the reason for cancelation is the indisposition, not COVID-19 related. The cancelation comes after Breslik pulled out of the last two performances of Bizet’s “Les Pêcheurs de Perles” on {…}
(Credit: Dario Acosta NY) German mezzo-soprano Tanja Ariane Baumgartner is one of the most sought-after opera singers of our time. Baumgartner has been a member of the ensemble at Oper Frankfurt since the 2009-10 season. During her time in Frankfurt, Tanja Baumgartner made appearances in numerous operas including “Carmen,” “Giulio Cesare in Egitto,” “Don Carlo,” “Medea,” “Die Frau ohne Schatten,” {…}
As Renée Fleming, “America’s Diva,” introduced the third to last piece in a program that ranged from Handel to Cantaloube to Harold Arlen, the beloved singer sighed deeply. It was a testament to the magic and beauty she had spun singing one of the standout numbers of her concert, “O mio babbino caro” from Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi.” She sang the {…}
It might not be a coincidence that Teatro Real decided to program the last theatrical composition of Strauss after the last one of Verdi. “Capriccio” was presented at the Teatro Real for the very first time, in a new production directed by Christof Loy. The performance also featured the debut of Malin Byström (Countess Madeleine), the baritone Josef Wagner (Count), {…}
The title role in Puccini’s “Tosca” is quite possibly the biggest diva in all of opera. The role requires stamina, vocal prowess and an incredible singing actress who can convey all the complex emotions the character faces throughout the evening. It’s a role that every soprano dreams of and one that can elevate a career to stardom. It’s a role {…}
Of Richard Strauss’ 15 completed operas, his last opus “Capriccio” is arguably the most abstruse. For a start, it isn’t even called an opera but a “Conversation Piece for Music.” Many Strauss scholars are baffled by this highly cerebral, seemingly escapist bagatelle composed in the midst of the mayhem of World War II. It was as if Strauss and librettist {…}