Les Talens Lyriques at Salle Cortot 2025 Review: Mezzo-Soprano Ambroisine Bré With Harpsichordist & Conductor Christophe Rousset

(Photo: © Les Talens Lyriques) The Salle Cortot was built in 1929 by architect Auguste Perret and is adjacent to the École Normale de Musique de Paris, founded by Alfred Cortot in 1919. The performance hall is dedicated to teaching French music to local and international students. It hosts intimate concerts and recitals for approximately 400 audience members and is {…}

Oct 9, 2025

Bayreuth Baroque Festival 2025 Review: Terra Mater

(Photo: Clemens Manser) One of the highlights of this year’s Bayreuth Baroque Festival was a concert entitled “Terra Mater,” directed and designed by Christina Pluhar, featuring the L’Arpeggiata ensemble and mezzo-soprano Malena Ernman. The concert was an exploration of 17th and 18th century musical representations of nature in its many forms, interpreted from a 21st century perspective by the performers. {…}

Dec 4, 2024

Ravenna 2024 Review: Il Ritorno Di Ulisse In Patria

(Photo: Zani-Casadio) In his program notes, the director, Pier Luigi Pizzi, writing about “Il Ritorno di Ulisse in Patria,” stated that “the opera speaks for itself,” adding, “we must not induce or force its interpretation… It is up to the audience to confront it, to think about it, and to decide for themselves whether or not it is worthwhile.” Even {…}

Jul 3, 2024

Monteverdi Festival Cremona 2024 Review: Quando Farinelli Incontrò Monteverdi

(Photo: Francesca Faelutti) After hotfooting it across the city, the enthusiastic audience members from the festival’s first concert of the evening arrived at the Museo del Violino for concert number two, starring male soprano Samuel Mariño and the Concerto De’ Cavalieri, directed by Marcello di Lisa. Entitled “When Farinelli met Monteverdi,” the concert was described as an “imaginary but impossible {…}

Jan 16, 2024

Q & A: Soprano Roberta Mameli on Her Career and Role as Poppea

(Photo: Laurent Guizard) Soprano Roberta Mameli has a voice that immediately makes an audience sit up and take notice. The fact that she is not even more well-known than she is currently, is no doubt down to the fact that she tends to specialize in baroque and, to a lesser extent, Mozart, with only occasional forays into other repertoire. Hers {…}

Nov 24, 2021

Michael Spyres, Golda Schultz, Sabine Devieilhe & Emily D’Angelo Lead Festival D’Aix-En-Provence’s 2022 Season

The Festival D’Aix-En-Provence has announced its 2022 slate featuring a varied repertoire and international stars. The festival will begin on July 4 and is set to run through July 23, 2022. Here is a look at the upcoming season: Mahler’s “Resurrection” will be conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen in a production by Romeo Castellucci. Golda Schultz and Marianne Crebassa star. Performance {…}

Nov 16, 2021

Teatro Dante Alighieri, Ravenna 2021 Review: L’Orfeo

(Photo: Zani-Casadio) In the space of three days, Ravenna’s Teatro Tradizione Dante Alighieri performed two operas, both of which involved trips into the afterlife. The first, “Il Viaggio di G.Mastorna” was a contemporary opera by Matteo D’Amico in which the hero Mastorna is killed in an airplane crash and condemned to journey through a modern-day purgatory in search of peace. {…}

Jun 29, 2021

Sydney Mancasola, Nicole Chevalier, Arturo Chacón-Cruz, Scott Hendricks, Annette Dasch, Francesca Dotto Lead Komische Oper Berlin’s 2021-22 Season

(Credits: LA Opera official website / Jan Windszus Photography / Lena Kern / Mark Janssen / Georg Schlosser / In Art Management official website) The Komische Oper Berlin has announced its 2021-22 season. Here is a look at the operatic and vocal performances. Opera – Premieres Enescu’s rarely performed masterwork “Œdipe” opens the season. The opera features Jens Larsen, Joachim {…}

Jun 21, 2021

Karine Deshayes, Sabine Devieilhe & Philippe Jaroussky Highlight Opéra de Rouen Normandie’s 2021-22 Season

(Credits: © Aymeric Giraudel / Fabien Monthubert / © Simon Fowler) Opéra de Rouen Normandie, France has announced its 2021-22 season. For the purpose of this article, we will only focus on the operatic and vocal performances. Here is the full slate. Opera and Musicals Verdi‘s “Il Trovatore” opens the season with Lionel Lhote as Count di Luna, Brigitta Kele {…}

Jun 16, 2021

Deutsches Nationaltheater & Staatskapelle Weimar Announces 2021-22 Season Featuring Iris Vermillion & Andreas Fischer

(Credit: © Deutsches Nationaltheater und Staatskapelle Weimar) The Deutsches Nationaltheater & Staatskapelle Weimar has announced its 2021-22 season. For the purpose of this article we will only focus on vocal works. Opera Stewart Copeland and Jonathan Moore’s opera “Electric Saint” opens the season with Gregor Bühl conducting a production by Jonathan Moore. Premiere Date: Sept. 5, 2021 Johann Strauss‘ “Die {…}

Jun 11, 2021

Renée Fleming, Diana Damrau, Joyce DiDonato, Lise Davidsen & Ian Bostridge Lead Elbphilharmonie Hamburg’s 2021-22 Season

(Credits: Operabase official website / Jiyang Chen / Simon Pauly / Ray Burmiston / Opus 3 Artists official website) The Elbphilharmonie Hamburg has announced its 2021-22 season. For the purposes of this article, we will focus on the vocal works only. Baritone Matthias Goerne presents works by Richard Wagner alongside conductor Manfred Honeck. Performance date: Aug. 29, 2021 Soprano Diana {…}

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