Lisette Oropesa, Sabine Devielhe & Dorothea Röschmann Headline L’Orchestre de Paris’ 2019-20 Season

L’Orchestre de Paris has announced its 2019-20 season! For the purposes of this article, we will focus primarily on vocal performances. The season will kick off with a concert led by Karina Canellakis, newly appointed Chief Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. Dorothea Röschmann will be featured vocally, performing alongside the orchestra and chorus. The program is set to include {…}

Feb 1, 2019

Daniele Rustioni Appointed Chief Conductor Of Ulster Orchestra

Daniele Rustioni has been appointed to become the Chief Conductor of the Ulster Orchestra. The orchestra announced that Rustioni will succeed Rafael Payare in September 2019. In a press statement, Rustioni noted, “I perceived a special connection with the Ulster Orchestra ever since I first set foot on the podium at Ulster Hall as a guest conductor a couple of {…}

Oct 23, 2018

Opéra de Lyon 2018-19 Review: Mefistofele

The old Irish proverb “Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t” is particularly applicable to Barcelona-born director Àlex Ollé. Without insinuating any untoward obsession with Satan, in the past ten years Ollé has had numerous dramaturgical dalliances with the Prince of Darkness. First was the cutesy “[email protected]” in collaboration with Fura dels Baus co-director Carlos Padrissa. In {…}

Jul 16, 2018

Teatro Regio Di Torino 2017-18 Review: Don Giovanni

The Stone Guest, standing at the back of the stage, offers Don Giovanni his hand and demands that he repent for his dissolute life. Staying true to his nature, Don Giovanni refuses and, amid the flames and screams, is dragged down to Hell, bringing the scene to an end. As usual, many in the audience assume the opera has finished. The {…}

Jun 4, 2018

Leo Nucci, Stéphane Degout, Anna Pirozzi Among Major Stars At Opéra De Lyon’s 2018-19 Season

The Opéra de Lyon has recently announced its offerings for the 2018-19 season, which will feature staged productions, concerts, and the Opera Underground series. Here’s a look at what’s on offer for next season. Opera Boito’s “Mefistofele” opens the season with the company’s Music Director Daniele Rustioni leading the musical forces. Evgenia Muraveva takes on the two lead roles of {…}

Apr 11, 2018

Opéra de Lyon 2017-18 Review – Don Carlos: Even With An Auto-Da-Fé, Christophe Honoré’s Production Never Catches Fire

“Don Carlos” or “Don Carlo?” In French or Italian? Four acts or five? Three hours or four? Paris, Naples, Milan or Modena version? Pas de deux or pas de nul? Verdi’s longest opera is so full of revisions, rewrites, authorized or impious corrections, it is impossible to nominate a definitive score. The master music dramatist tinkered with this opera for 20 {…}

Apr 5, 2018

Opéra de Lyon 2017-18 Review – Macbeth: Ivo van Hove Turns Shakespeare & Verdi Into a “Bonfire of the Vanities” Video Game

Muttering the word “Macbeth” in a theatre is worse than hollering “Free Booze” at an AA meeting. The so-called “Macbeth curse” has existed since Shakespeare’s regicidal highland fling first appeared in 1606. Legend has it that on the opening night Lady Macbeth (played as Elizabethan/Stuart traditions demanded by a teenage boy) took method acting a bit far and dropped dead. Nowadays the {…}

Mar 24, 2018

Opéra de Lyon Season 2017-18 – Attila: Verdi Opera Rants & Rampages But Daniele Rustioni Reigns

Giuseppe Verdi didn’t think much of political oppressors no matter if they were civilized Habsburg princes with good table manners or arriviste autocrats with one hand on the guillotine and the other in the till. Some of the least attractive characters in his operas ranged from pushy regicidal wives and vengeful Venetian psychopaths to homicidal high priests of Ptah and {…}

May 17, 2017

Best of Metropolitan Opera 2016-17: James Levine & The Best Conductors Of the Season

We’ve talked up the finest female performers. We’ve engaged in a discussion about the best men onstage. Now we shift over to the best conductors of the year, the artists that make the entire production work. In this edition, we only picked five, given that, unlike the other categories, there are far fewer to choose from. Here are our favorite {…}

Apr 14, 2017

Daniele Rustioni To Lead 3 Verdi Operas & Britten’s War Requiem As Part of Opera de Lyon’s 2017-18 Season

Conductor Daniele Rustioni is poised to change things up at the Opera de Lyon in coming seasons. The Italian maestro was presented as the newly minted Music Director of the company at a private reception in New York on Thursday at the Bar Boulud on Broadway. Along with him was Lyon Opera’s own General Director Serge Dorny to reveal the {…}

Apr 2, 2017

Metropolitan Opera 2016-17 Review – Aida: Conductor Daniele Rustioni Dominates, Leads Riveting Cast In Memorable Performance

I preface this by stating that this review is for the performance on March 31, 2017. I would also like to recognize that this is just one, performance of a seven-performance run. In an ideal situation, I would attend every performance and write a detailed review of the overall work. As it stands, I can only go on my perspective of one performance. Despite being such a familiar opera, {…}