(Credit: Fotos von Bernd Uhlig, Kontakt: [email protected]) Often after watching a perplexing rendition of “Das Rheingold“, critics and public alike might proclaim: “Let’s see what will happen tomorrow night. Let us hold our judgement until then, to see where all of this is going.” And then, Herheim’s “Die Walküre” began, proving to be the worst of the cycle. The First {…}
(Photo credit: Bernd Uhlig) The man who gave the opera world its most dazzling 21st century “Parsifal,” Stefan Herheim, continues his quest to interrogate the Romantic text that is Richard Wagner’s “Ring of the Nibelungen.” Inspired refreshing of a 150-year-old work of art can provide new insights and flashes of illumination. But conceptual pyrotechnics can just as easily destroy its {…}
(Photo by Bernd Uhlig) I’m back in Berlin, a city I favor and enjoy so much, ready for yet another Ring cycle at Deutsche Oper, a large, comfortable 1850-seat theatre boldly designed in the Modernist style and simply ideal for large-scale productions. And none comes much larger than those penned by Giacomo Meyerbeer, Richard Strauss and Richard Wagner Therefore, with {…}
The Theater Dortmund has announced its 2024-25 season. Premieres Verdi’s “La Traviata” will get a new production by Vincent Boussard and Will Humburg will conduct. The opera will star Anna Sohn, Sooyeon Lee, Jessica Nuccio, Andrea Caré, Sungho Kim, and Mandla Mndebele. Performance Dates: Sept. 15, 2024-Jan 3, 2025 Gil Mehmert directs a new production of “Sweeney Todd” with Ks. {…}
(Credit: Jens Wegener) The Deutsche Oper am Rhein has announced its 2021-22 season. Here is the full slate. Opera Premieres Dorottya Láng and Bogdan Taloş star in Demis Volpi’s production of Béla Bartók’s “Bluebeard’s Castle” with Axel Kober conducting. Performance dates: Sep. 10 – Oct. 2, 2021 Mieczysław Weinberg’s opera “MaselTov!” spotlights Lavinia Dames, Kimberley Boettger-Soller, Anna Harvey, Sylvia Hamvasi, {…}
(Credit: Theater Dortmund) The Oper Dortmund has announced its 2021-22 season. Here is a look at the opera and the vocal performances of the season. Premieres Gabriela Scherer and Stéphanie Müther share the title role in Puccini‘s “Tosca.” James Lee performs Mario Cavaradossi, and Michael Volle and Mandla Mndebele alternate as Scarpia. Gabriel Feltz conducts a production by Nikolaus Habjan. {…}
(Credits: Simon van Boxtel / Sasha Vasiljev / Berliner Festspiele official website) Conductor Jaap van Zweden will return to the Royal Concertgebouw in the famed NTR Saturday series to conduct Beethoven’s only opera “Fidelio.” Van Zweden, who turns 60 on Dec. 12, will lead the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and the Dutch Radio Choir in the presentation of Beethoven’s operatic {…}
(Credits: Gregor Hohenberg/Sony / Rachel Harnisch official website / LA Opera official website / Deutsche Oper am Rhein official website) Stadtcasino Basel has announced its 2020-21 season. For the purpose of this article we will focus only on the vocal works. Here is the full rundown. Baritone Christian Gerhaher will perform works by Schoeck, Moser, and Schubert. Heinz Holliger conducts {…}
The Malmö Opera has announced its 2020-21 season. The Swedish opera house kicks off its season with “Transformations in Hell.” The opera by composer Isabelle Aboulker and librettist Jean-Pierre Vaguer will be directed by Dite Hammar and stars Tor Lind The, Hanna Fritzson, Linnea Andreassen, and Teresia Books. Performance Dates: July 25 – August 22, 2020 Next on the slate {…}