Anna Netrebko, Jonas Kaufmann, Diana Damrau, Elīna Garanča, Golda Schultz, Sonya Yoncheva, Cecilia Bartoli & Benjamin Bernheim Lead Opernhaus Zürich’s 2025-26 Season

The Opernhaus Zürich has announced its 2025-26 season. Here is a look at the productions and concerts. Premieres Simon Steen-Andersen and Liliana Nikiteanu lead “Wie du warst! Wie du bist!” Performance Dates: Sept. 20, 2025-July 11, 2026 Diana Damrau, Günther Groissböck, Angela Brower, Bo Skovhus, and Emily Pogorelc star in a new production Strauss’ “Der Rosenkavalier.” Joana Mallwitz conducts the {…}

Mar 1, 2025

Monteverdi Festival Reveals 2025 Slate

The Monteverdi Festival has announced its 2025 edition. First up is “Madrigali allo Specchio,” featuring music by Monteverdi, Stradella, and Marini. Antonio Greco conducts the Soloists and Orchestra Monteverdi Festival – Cremona Antiqua. The showcase is presented in collaovration with the Trame Sonore and Chamber Music Festival in Mantua. Performance Date: June 1, 2025 Next up is “Vespro della Beata Vergine” {…}

Feb 2, 2025

Opéra de Monte-Carlo 2024 Review: Mozart in Monaco Festival

(Photos: Marco Borrelli) The Opéra de Monte-Carlo ushered in the new year with two standout productions as part of the “Mozart in Monaco” festival, organized by the resident Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo. The festival’s first offering was a semi-staged “Don Giovanni,” presented by the Wiener Staatsoper on January 19th. Cecilia Bartoli, director of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, continued her fruitful {…}

Dec 3, 2024

Lisette Oropesa, Asmik Grigorian, Jonas Kaufmann, Diana Damrau, Cecilia Bartoli & Sabine Devieilhe Lead Salzburg Festival’s 2025 Season

The Salzburg Festival has announced its 2025 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances. Opera Bas Wiegers conducts Michael Jarrell’s “Kassandra” with actress Dagmar Manzel and the Ensemble Modern. Performance Date: July 23, 2025 Salvatore Sciarrino’s “Macbeth” will be conducted by Vimbayi Kaziboni. Cody Quattlebaum, Alice Rossi, Leonardo Cortellazzi, Iris van Wijnen, and Davide Giangregorio. Performance Date: July 25, {…}

Nov 8, 2024

Elīna Garanča, Cecilia Bartoli & Thomas Blondelle Lead Lucerne Festival’s 2025 Summer Seson

The Lucerne Festival has announced its 2025 summer season. Here is a look at the vocal performances. The Lucerne Festival Orchestra and Riccardo Chailly perform Mahler with Elīna Garanča. Performance Date: August 15, 2025 The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra and Keri-Lynn Wilson perform Strauss and Beethoven. Rachel Willis-Sørensen is the guest soloist. Performance Date: August 18, 2025 Rossini’s “Il Barbiere di {…}

Oct 23, 2024

Jonas Kaufmann, Diana Damrau, Sonya Yoncheva, Rolando Villazón, Jonathan Tetelman & Aigul Akhmetshina Lead Festspielhaus Baden-Baden’s 2025 Season

The Festspielhaus Baden-Baden has announced its 2025 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances. Camilla Nylund, Andreas Schager, and Pietari Inkinen perform an evening of Wagner, Strauss, Kálmán, Lehar, Performance Dates: Jan. 12, 2025 Zum Rahmenprogramm des Festivals Gianandrea Noseda, Hanna-Elisabeth Müller, and Philharmonia Zürich lead an all-Strauss program. Performance Dates: Feb. 22, 2025 Andris Nelsons conducts Mahler’s {…}

Aug 15, 2024

Salzburg Festival 2024 Review: La Clemenza di Tito

(Photo credit: © SF Marco Borrelli) Is it possible to be merciful with fascists? In Robert Carsen’s reading of Mozart’s “La Clemenza di Tito” the answer must be a reverberant “No”—otherwise, the moment one turns their back, they will not miss the opportunity to stab it. Robert Carsen often enjoys updating opera plots, making them reflections of current politics—often achieving {…}

Jun 3, 2024

Jonas Kaufmann, Diana Damrau, Cecilia Bartoli, Elīna Garanča & Michael Spyres Lead Philharmonie Essen’s 2024-25 Season

The Philharmonie Essen has announced its 2024-25 season. Here are the vocal performances of the season. Evelina Liubonko, Sarah Romberger, Thomas Hobbs, and Kresimir Strazanac perform works by Arcangelo Corelli, Francesco Durante, and Georg Friedrich Händel alongside Rias Kammerchor Berlin. Performance Date: Sept. 7, 2024 Graun’s “Adriano in Siria” will star Noah Hellwig, Valer Sabadus, Roberta Mameli, Maayan Licht, David {…}

May 29, 2024

Anna Netrebko, Cecilia Bartoli, Pretty Yende, Jonas Kaufmann, Roberto Alagna & Benjamin Bernheim Lead Opéra de Monte-Carlo’s 2024-25 Season

The Opéra de Monte-Carlo has announced its 2024-25 season. Festival Centenaire Puccini Giacomo Sagripanti conducts Puccini’s “La Rondine“ in Concert. Pretty Yende, Charles Castronovo, Deanna Breiwick, Juan Francisco Gatell, and Roberto de Candia. Performance Date: Oct. 30, 2024 Anna Netrebko, Nino Machaidze, Mariam Battistelli, Yusif Eyvazov, and Florian Sempey lead Puccini’s “La Bohème.” Biagio Pizzuti, Giorgi Manoshvili, and Matteo Peirone {…}

May 23, 2024

Salzburg Whitsun Festival 2024 Review: La Clemenza di Tito

(Credit: Matthias Horn) The Whitsun Festival in Salzburg this year is titled “Tutto Mozart” and is dedicated to the city’s most famous son. The program features only one full opera, “La clemenza di Tito,” written by Mozart in 1791 while he was finishing “The Magic Flute,” making it his final opera. Created to commemorate the coronation of Emperor Leopold II {…}

May 17, 2024

Cecilia Bartoli, Andrè Schuen, Tassis Christoyannis & Barbara Hannigan Lead New CD/DVD Releases

Welcome back for this week’s look at the latest CD and DVD releases in the opera world. This week audiences will get to hear a new “Winterreise” recording, a compilation album, a new song cycle, and a masterwork. Schubert: Winterreise Deutsche Grammophon releases Andrè Schuen and Daniel Heide’s latest album, which completes the recordings of Schubert’s three big song cycles. {…}