Many directors who dabble in the lyric theatre seem to think that they know better than the librettist or composer what an opera is about. “Improvements” can range from the introduction of a new character into the drama (eg. Mariusz Treliński’s ubiquitous “Mr. O” in “Yevgeny Onegin” for the Teatr Wielki in Warsaw) to scrawling a specific word onto the {…}
After writing three largely unsuccessful operas in which he devoted his talents to imitating the German, Italian, and French styles, Richard Wagner finally found what made him tick with “Der Fliegende Holländer,” his fourth opera. The work debuted on Jan. 2, 1843, and represents a major shift for the composer toward what he would eventually realize in his greatest operas. {…}
Being a general and artistic director for any opera company is quite a massive challenge. Especially a growing one like the Atlanta Opera. Now imagine giving yourself another massive job on top of such, say director of three productions for your upcoming season. Most people would balk at the proposition, but not Tomer Zvulun who is not only running the {…}
From South Africa to America. Between those two countries is a vast ocean and traversing from the former to the latter presents a number of major challenges, not only physical, but emotional and economic. Opera is rife with characters battling the ocean on their way to success or tragedy. Just to name a few are the characters in Jake Heggie’s {…}
This is a review for the final performance of the run, which took place on May 12, 2017. The first opera I saw during the Metropolitan Opera’s 2016-17 season was Richard Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde.” So it was only fitting that the last one I saw this season was “Der Fliegende Holländer,” the first to truly establish the composer as {…}
Every opera singer has a dream of performing at the Metropolitan Opera in a leading role. The dream takes a lot of work and hours of rehearsing, practicing, auditioning and, in many ways, luck. But it also takes years of building an international career. For Amber Wagner 2017 marks her first big contract with the theater after making her debut {…}
Wagner’s first masterpiece “Der Fliegende Holländer” returns to the Metropolitan Opera on Tuesday, April 25 after a seven-year absence. Despite being well-known throughout the opera world, “The Flying Dutchman,” as translated in English, has had a rather interesting history at the Met marked by long hiatuses. The opera opened the 1889-1890 season in its first-ever performance. The cast that included {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has just announced a major cast change – Jay Hunter Morris will not perform “Der fliegende Holländer” this season. The tenor first became a star at the Met when he saved the day during the company’s Ring Cycle premiere, taking on the role of Siegfried when Gary Lehman canceled eight days before the opening of the massive {…}
On Dec. 7 Pablo Heras-Casado and Alex Olle will be live on Facebook to answer questions about the upcoming production of Wagner’s “Der Fliegende Hollander” at the Teatro Real de Madrid. Heras-Casado and Olle will talk about Wagner’s early work and what audiences should expect from the new production. They will also answer questions from audience members asked on Facebook, {…}