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. {…}

Apr 15, 2024

Opéra de Monte-Carlo 2024 Review: Their Master’s Voice

Photo: © OMC-Marco Borrelli On Sunday April 7th, 2024, the Opéra de Monte-Carlo concluded their 2023-2024 season with the world premiere of “Their Master’s Voice,” starring mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli and actor John Malkovich. The show was a coproduction with the annual music festival Le Printemps des Arts de Monte-Carlo, of which this performance was also the closing event. For voice {…}

Mar 26, 2024

Brandon Jovanovich, Elena Stikhina, Anna Bonitatibus & Christian Gerhaher Lead Opernhaus Zürich’s 2024-25 Season

Opernhaus Zürich has announced its 2024-25 season. Premieres Samuel Penderbayne’s “Wir pfeifen auf den Gurkenkönig” will be conducted by Thomas Barthel and Ann-Katrin Stöcker. Claudia Blersch directs the production which will star Liliana Nikiteanu, Sylwia Salamonska, Irène Friedli, Philipp Mayer, Stanislav Vorobyov, Valeriy Murga, Gary Martin, Martin Zysset, Carl Hieger, Christian Sturm, Indyana Schneider, Céline Akçağ, Sylwia Salamonska, and Rebeca {…}

Mar 22, 2024

Marion Cotillard, Jonas Kaufmann, Diana Damrau, Sonya Yoncheva, Juan Diego Flórez & Sabine Devieilhe Lead Philharmonie de Paris’ 2024-25 Season

The Philharmonie de Paris has announced its 2024-25 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances. Orchestre de Paris Klaus Mäkelä conducts music by Beethoven, Peteris Vasks, and Tchaikovsky. Lisa Batiashvili is the soloist. Performance Date: Sept. 11, 2024 Stanislav Kochanovsky conducts a program of music by Tchaikovsky, Ravel, and Alexandre Tcherepnine. Golda Schultz stars. Performance Date: Oct. 9, {…}

Feb 25, 2024

Cecilia Bartoli Joins Forces With Lang Lang in Recital

The Opéra de Monte-Carlo will present a recital featuring Cecilia Bartoli and Lang Lang on March 23, 2024. The performance will feature music by Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini, and others. “[Bartoli] encourages me to use my six senses when I play, to search for the softest dynamics and finest nuances and colors. I hope that our recital will be a source {…}

Jan 29, 2024

Opéra de Monte-Carlo 2024 Review: Giulio Cesare in Egitto

Photo: Marco Borrelli On Sunday January 28th, 2024, the Opéra de Monte-Carlo gave the penultimate performance of a new production of Handel’s “Giulio Cesare in Egitto,” the third in a series of Handel productions featuring Cecilia Bartoli, following “Ariodante” in 2019 and “Alcina” in 2023, both staged by Christof Loy. This time, the staging was entrusted to Davide Livermore, scenographer {…}

Dec 6, 2023

Benjamin Bernheim Asmik Grigorian, Juan Diego Florez, Elīna Garanča & Cecilia Bartoli Lead Salzburg Festival’s 2024 Season

(Credit: © SF / Peter Rigaud) The Salzburg Festival has announced its 2024 Season. Here is a look at the vocal performances. Opera Strauss’ “Caprricio” is set to be performed in concert form with Elsa Dreisig and Bo Skovhus as Countess and Count. The cast also includes Sebastian Kohlhepp (Flamand), Konstantin Krimmel (Olivier), Mika Kares (La Roche), Ève-Maud Hubeaux (Clairon), {…}

Sep 6, 2023

Salzburg Festival Releases Final Report for 2023

(Photo credit: Marco Borrelli) The Salzburg Festival has released the final report for its 2023 edition. In its 103rd year, the Salzburg Festival held 178 performances over 43 days at 15 venues. Directors of the Salzburg Festival, Kristina Hammer, Markus Hinterhäuser and Lukas Crepaz reported a “record quota” of 98.5% of seats filled at the 2023 festival. Over 241,000 visitors {…}

Aug 7, 2023

Salzburg Festival 2023 Review: Orfeo ed Euridice

(Credit: Photo © SF/Bernd Uhlig) When Cecilia Bartoli enters the stage, all eyes are on her. The leading headliner in Salzburg has made herself a living legend. I know many music-lovers, of all ages, who have fallen in love with opera first and foremost because of Cecilia. Such talent has made legions of fans—myself included— to feel entitled to use {…}