Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Anna Netrebko, Renée Fleming, Shirley Verrett Headline Weeks 11 & 12 of Metropolitan Opera Nightly Streams

For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown theaters around the world, the Metropolitan Opera has announced not one but two weeks of nightly streams in advance. The next few weeks feature a mix of more recent performances with some classic showcases from decades ago. Here’s the rundown. Monday, May 25 – Berlioz’s La Damnation de Faust Conducted by James {…}

Apr 18, 2020

Opera Quiz: Which Opera Star Is It – April Edition?

There are a lot of opera stars born in April. They include the likes of Walter Berry, Leonard Warren, Monserrat Caballe, Lily Pons, Mariela Devia, Franco Corelli, Sondra Radvanovsky, Danielle De Niese, Natalie Dessay, Fiorenza Cossotto, Siegfried Jerusalem, Gianni Raimondi, Leo Nucci, Italo Tajo, and several others. So to celebrate the April birthdays we are going to dedicate this quiz {…}

Feb 24, 2020

Los Angeles Opera 2019-20 Review: Eurydice

There is a famous painting by Gustave Moreau called “Thracian Girl Carrying the Head of Orpheus on His Lyre” from 1865. The foreground shows exactly what the title describes. The background is harder to make out: some people are gathered on a cliff, one of them playing an aulos. Small tortoises walk near the Thracian woman’s feet, happily sauntering about {…}

Feb 10, 2020

Roberto Alagna, Venera Gimadieva & Alice Coote Headline Hamburg State Opera’s 2020-21 Season

Article in collaboration with Dejan Vukosavljevic The Hamburg State Opera has announced its 2020-21 season featuring six new productions and a number of revivals. Here is a look at the season. Oper Stabile Penderbayne’s “Unser kleines Scheißkaff” will be performed by Larissa Wäspy, Kady Evanyshyn, Ida Aldrian, Nicholas Mogg, Hubert Kowalczyk, Peter Galliard, and Katja Pieweck. Ingmar Beck conducts the {…}

Jan 31, 2020

Matthew Aucoin, Tamara Wilson, Cecilia Violetta López Headline Top 5 Operas to See This Weekend – North America

(Credit: Claire McAdams / Vanessa Preziose) Most people recognize that there is a major world premiere taking place this weekend. But the reality is that there are two. The weekend is also full of appetizing offerings and this weekend’s selections come down to a mix of classics with star casts as well as a Spanish-language masterpiece that undeniably deserves greater {…}

Nov 24, 2019

LA Opera To Present World Premiere Of ‘Eurydice’

(Credit: Steven Laxton) The LA Opera is set to showcase the world premiere of composer, conductor, writer, pianist, and 2018 MacArthur Fellow Matthew Aucoin’s “Eurydice.” The company will present six performances with star soprano Danielle de Niese and Joshua Hopkins in leading roles. The cast will also feature Rod Gilfry, John Holiday, Barry Banks, Stacey Tappan, Raehann Bryce-Davis, and Matthew {…}

Oct 23, 2019

Teatro alla Scala 2019-20 Review: Giulio Cesare in Egitto

(Credit: Brescia/Amisano – Teatro alla Scala) It is surprising that G.F. Handel’s “Giulio Cesare in Egitto” has had only one previous outing (back in 1956) at Milan’s Teatro alla Scala, as it is perhaps a work rich in veins of Italian national pride: a heroic tale based upon the valor and moral fortitude of one of Rome’s most glorious emperors, {…}

Oct 18, 2019

Olga Peretyatko, Jessica Pratt & Anna Pirozzi Headline International Weekend – (10/18-20)

(Credit: Teatro Regio di Torino/Royal Opera/Bilbao Opera This weekend is filled with new productions, season openings, role debuts and some of operas greatest masterpieces. Lolita – Prague State Opera, Czech Republic Rodion Shchedrin’s new opera gets another performance at the Estates Theatre with Pelageya Kurennaya in the title role, as well as Petr Sokolov, Alexander Kravets, Daria Rositskaya, Michaela Zajmi, {…}

Aug 15, 2019

Opera Meets Film: How Opera Adds Narrative Depth To Ridley Scott’s ‘Hannibal’

“Opera Meets Film” is a feature dedicated to exploring the way that opera has been employed in cinema. We will select a section or a film in its entirety, highlighting the impact that utilizing the operatic form or sections from an opera can alter our perception of a film that we are viewing. This week’s installment features Ridley Scott’s “Hannibal.’ {…}

Jul 27, 2019

Danielle De Niese To Replace Cecilia Bartoli At Teatro Alla scala

Danielle De Niese is set to make her Teatro alla Scala debut. The soprano was tapped to replace Cecilia Bartoli in the role of Cleopatra in Robert Carsen’s new production of Handel’s “Giulio Cesare.” De Niese will join a cast that includes Philippe Jaroussky, Sara Mingardo, and Bejun Mehta under the baton of Giovanni Antonini. The Australian soprano is currently {…}

Jun 18, 2019

Glyndebourne Festival 2019 Review: Cendrillon

(Credit: Richard Hubert Smith) French Composer Jules Massenet premiered his opera “Cendrillon” in 1899 at the Théâtre National de l’Opéra-Comique in Paris. Best known for its radical story-telling of the fairytale Cinderella, this opera is centered around dreams-versus-reality and highlights Massenet’s surrealistic tendencies before the surrealism movement even began. Glyndebourne is a legendary hub that produces “no ordinary opera,” therefore, {…}

danielle de niese