Verdi’s final masterpiece “Falstaff” will be live stream to audiences worldwide from the Vienna State Opera on Jan. 30, 2019. The Italian comedy will feature a production by David McVicar with James Conlon as the musical director. Carlos Alvarez takes on the title role with the likes of Simon Keenlyside, Jinxu Xiahou, Olga Bezsmertna, Hila Fahima, and Monika Bohinec also {…}
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 {…}
Suspension of disbelief is crucial in the opera-going world – its characters being frequently endowed with childlike minds that have no sense of time or fear of consequence. With its apparently ageless characters and scarcely tenable premise, Verdi’s tale of “Simon Boccanegra” – the 14th century’s first Doge of Genoa – has few laurels on which it can rest. Encompassing {…}
The Stone Guest, standing at the back of the stage, offers Don Giovanni his hand and demands that he repent for his dissolute life. Staying true to his nature, Don Giovanni refuses and, amid the flames and screams, is dragged down to Hell, bringing the scene to an end. As usual, many in the audience assume the opera has finished. The {…}
During the 2015-16 season, the Teatro alla Scala revived Verdi’s rarely performed opera “Giovanna d’Arco.” The opera, while never a standard piece of the repertoire, had a slight resurgence thanks to Renata Tebaldi and Monserrat Caballe in the mid 1900s. Other performers like Anna Moffo, Katia Ricciarelli, and Mariella Devia recorded the opening aria “Sempre all’alba.” But it was still {…}
The Teatro Regio di Torino has announced its 2018-19 season with a number of Italian operas and many rising stars. Here is a look at what the season has to offer. The season opens with Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” with two casts. Saioa Hernández and Karina Flores share the role of Leonora alongside Diego Torre and Arsen Soghomonyan who alternate the {…}
This week, Anna Netrebko, Barbara Hannigan, Leonard Bernstein and George Gagnidze release new DVDs and CDs. It will be a chance to see some of your favorite singers and conductors in signature roles as well as rarely performed works. Take a look! “Giovanna d’Arco” Anna Netrebko’s celebrated interpretation of Verdi’s early work comes to DVD. The production, which opened the {…}
Carlos Alvarez has been awarded the diploma of Honoris Causa from the University of Madrid. The Spanish baritone was given the honor on May 23, 2018, at the University where he studied medicine for four years. During his speech, Alvarez spoke of the importance of art for critical thinking and for the benefit of audiences and the community. Alvarez is currently {…}
Taking the biblical element out of “Samson et Dalila” makes about as much sense as setting “Madama Butterfly” in Botswana. Typical of many opera directors trained in the theater, Alexandra Liedtke seems to have limited understanding of Saint-Saëns’ music and even less about Lemaire’s libretto. As is often the case when a regisseur feels their genius may be unappreciated, Liedtke chose {…}
The Teatro de la Zarzuela has announced its 2018-19 season featuring a number of favorites and international stars. The season will also include concerts and recitals by some of the world’s greatest singers. Productions Pablo Sorozabal’s “Katiuska” opens the season with Guillermo Garcia Calvo conducting Ainhoa Arteta, Rocio Ignacio, and Maite Alberola sharing the title role. Carlos Alvarez, Ángel Odena, Jorge {…}
Decca Classics has announced the release of Verdi’s “Giovanna d’Arco” starring Anna Netrebko. The new DVD, which also stars Francesco Meli and Carlos Alvarez, is set to be released on June 15. The production was filmed from a run in 2015 when the opera opened the 2015-16 season and was the first production at La Scala since 1865. Riccardo Chailly conducted {…}