It’s Valentine’s Day, a momentous occasion to celebrate love and romance. Romance is at the heart of opera with the art forms pull coming from our connection with beautiful love affairs. Most everyone melts at Rodolfo and Mimì’s blooming love in “La Bohème” or Alfredo and Violetta’s in “La Traviata.” We admire the sacrifice of Roméo and Juliette or even {…}
Two major cancellations were announced on Monday at the Metropolitan Opera. First it was announced that Diana Damrau would not partake in the second performance of “I Puritani” on Tuesday, Feb. 14 and then it was revealed tenor Marcelo Alvarez would also withhold from performing the performance of “Carmen” on Feb. 15. Pretty Yende, coming off a thrilling running of {…}
This review is for the performance on Friday, Feb. 3, 2017. When Sophie Koch cancelled all of her performances for Bizet’s “Carmen” at the Metropolitan Opera, attention immediately turned toward Clémentine Margaine, who was set to make her Met debut on Feb. 3. Instead the French mezzo saw her first performance at the history house pushed up two weeks. Of {…}
With each passing week, the opera world gets the lates ton the 2017-18 season. The Atlanta Opera has joined the fray announcing the six operas that its audiences will get to clamor over between November 2017 and June 2018. The Flying Dutchman – Nov. 4, 7, 10, 12 (2017) Wagner’s early masterwork gets a new production by the company’s General {…}
Roberto Aronicia will take over the role of Don Jose on Feb. 7 and 11 in Bizet’s “Carmen” at the Metropolitan Opera. The tenor will step in for Marcelo Alvarez who is ill. Aronica becomes the second tenor this season who is filling in for Alvarez. On opening night Rafael Davila made a heroic debut as he stepped in an {…}
The Aix-en-Provence festival has announced the schedule for 2017, which will feature one new production after another with many of opera’s greatest singers. Pinocchio – July 3-16 The festival will kick off with the World Premiere of Phillippe Boesmans’ “Pinocchio” on July 3, 2017. The opera will feature Chloé Briot in the title role with Stéphane Degout as the troupe {…}
Amore Opera has just announced its next two opera productions for May and June with gypsies dominating their thematic material. The company’s main website revealed that Bizet’s “Carmen” and Donizetti’s “La Zingara” would be taking the stage to close out the 2017-18 season. The former work is one of the best known in the entire repertoire while the latter is {…}
The Los Angeles Opera’s 2017-18 season promises to feature a number of major classics and some new works as well. Carmen In total there are eight operas, including “Carmen” which kicks off the new season on Sept. 9. The 6-show run stars Ana María Martinez in the title role while Amanda Woodbury plays Michaela. Alexander Vinogradov portrays Escamillo and James {…}
Minnesotans craving more opera will have their prayers answered when the Skylark Opera Theatre reopens its doors this coming February. After a brief hiatus last year, the organization, which has been around for over 35 years is making a return with “The Tragedy of Carmen.” The work is a reimagined take of George Bizet’s classic opera “Carmen.” The adaptation is {…}
Clémentine Margaine will make her Metropolitan Opera debut on Jan. 19, 2017, a full two weeks earlier than previously expected. The Mezzo soprano, who is playing “Carmen,” will replace Sophie Koch who dropped out of all her performances due to illness, according to the Met’s press department and as originally reported by Parterre. Margaine was originally scheduled to make her {…}
UPDATE: On Tuesday, Jan. 17 it was announced that Sophie Koch would not be singing the role at the Met and that Clémentine Margaine would be taking over the entire run. For more information, read OperaWire’s coverage on the news. Opera’s most famous gypsy returns to the Metropolitan Opera stage on Thursday, Jan. 19. This year’s run of “Carmen” will {…}