Deutsche Oper Berlin 2017-18 Review – Carmen: Clémentine Margaine & Charles Castronovo Gutted By Director Obsessed With Human Organs & Vivisections

Many opera directors today fall onto a particular idée fixe and refuse to let it go, no matter what dramaturgical or textual incongruities ensue. Vera Nemirova’s fazzoletto-laden “Otello” in Bucharest, Hans Neuenfels’ laboratory rats “Lohengrin” in Bayreuth or Krzysztof Warlikowski’s “Brokeback Mountain” “Eugene Onegin” in Munich immediately spring to mind. Joining the ignominious list is Norwegian theatre director, Ole Anders Tandberg’s {…}

Jan 17, 2018

San Francisco Opera 2018-19 Season To Feature Plácido Domingo, Matthew Polenzani, Sondra Radvanovsky, José Cura & Many More

The San Francisco Opera has announced its 2018-19 season, which features eight operas and one important concert performance. All of the productions will be brand new for the 2018-19 season. The season opens on Sept. 7, 2017, with the famed “Cavalleria Rusticana” and “Pagliacci” as directed by Jose Cura. The production will star Ekaterina Semenchuk, Roberto Aronica, and Dimitri Platanias {…}

Dec 31, 2017

4 Opera Parties ‘Worth Attending’ on New Year’s Eve

It’s New Years Eve! And for some opera fans, there is no better way to celebrate it than to kick back and listen to some opera. Obviously, we wouldn’t recommend a tragedy to kick off the year, but probably some excitement and joyous partying. And we all know that opera has some of the most raucous parties imaginable. So as {…}

Nov 2, 2017

Opera Meets Film: How Carmen’s Famed Toreador Aria Develops Character in Colombian Classic ‘La Estrategia del Caracol’

“Opera Meets Film” is 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 features the Colombian classic {…}

Nov 1, 2017

Royal Opera House 2017-18 Preview: How Peter Brook’s ‘La Tragedie de Carmen’ Revises Bizet’s Masterpiece

In a bold move, the Royal Opera House will showcase a rare production of “La Tragedie de Carmen” between Nov. 3 and Nov 14 at Wilton’s Music Hall. The opera, which uses passages from Bizet’s famous score is actually a reworking of the story to showcase a different angle that some purport is closer in line with the original novella {…}

Oct 25, 2017

Explore George Bizet’s Rare Operas Not Named ‘Carmen’ Or ‘Les Pêcheurs de Perles’

You know “Carmen.” And you’ve probably gotten to know “Les Pêcheurs de perles” quite well also. But what of George Bizet’s other operas? How many are there? What subjects do they narrate and explore? Here is a run down of those other operas from the famed composer, born on Oct. 25, 1838, under the name Alexandre César Léopold Bizet. Le {…}

Oct 24, 2017

Teatro Real De Madrid 2017-18 Review – Carmen: Calixto Bieito’s Vision Gains Relevancy in Spain’s Current Tumultuous Times

This marked my third time traveling to Madrid. What made this one unique was the number of Spanish flags in neighborhoods in the capital – a result of recent events in which autonomous Catalonia is seeking independence. That political backdrop brought further relevance to Calixto Bieito’s production of “Carmen,” seen at the beautiful Teatro Real on Thursday night. It’s a {…}

Oct 16, 2017

European Center of Music Launches Campaign to Save Home of Georges Bizet

The European Center of Music (CEM), in partnership with a number of cultural and financial agencies, has begun a fundraising campaign to preserve and restore the home of famed composer Georges Bizet. The campaign is part of CEM’s goal of creating a heritage site dedicated to the artists of the Romantic era who lived within the vicinity of Bizet’s home, {…}

Oct 13, 2017

The Career Milestones of Leona Mitchell

Leona Mitchell had a tremendous opera career. For years, the soprano, born on Oct. 13, 1949, was a leading singer at the Metropolitan Opera, dominating in such operas as “La Bohème,” “Carmen,” “Don Carlo,” “Die Zauberflöte,” and “La Forza del Destino,” among others. Her first-ever “Madama Butterfly” at the Met was proclaimed “a wedding of her beautiful, lyric voice to {…}

Sep 22, 2017

The Staged Opera Performances of Andrea Bocelli

Andrea Bocelli, born on Sept. 22, 1958, is one of the most famous tenors in the world, his fan base rivaling and quite possibly surpassing that of some of opera’s greatest artists. To put it succinctly, he has known how to balance the fine line between classical and popular music. Because of Bocelli’s blindness, a challenge that he has had {…}

Sep 20, 2017

Kristina Mkhitaryan To Make Royal Opera House Debut In ‘Carmen’

German soprano Anett Fritsch has withdrawn from singing the role of Micaëla in The Royal Opera’s “Carmen” due to pregnancy. As a result the role will be sung on Feb. 6, 10, 14, 20, 23 and March 3 and 6 by Russian soprano Kristina Mkhitaryan, who will make her Royal Opera debut in the role. She recently sung the role {…}

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