Brandon Jovanovich, Clay Hilley, Nina Stemme, Elisabeth Teige, Iain Paterson Lead ‘Der Ring des Nibelungen’ at Deutsche Oper Berlin

(Credit: Bernd Uhlig) The Deutsche Oper Berlin has announced its upcoming performances of Wagner’s iconic “Der Ring des Nibelungen.” Wagner’s tetralogy will star number of renowned Wagnerian singers, including Brandon Jovanovich as Siegmund; Elisabeth Teige as Sieglinde; Nina Stemme in the role of Brünnhilde; Clay Hilley as Siegfried; Derek Welton as Wotan in “Das Rheingold”; Iain Paterson as Wotan/Der Wanderer; {…}

Oct 2, 2021

Concerto Köln & Kent Nagano to Present Historically-Informed Performances of Wagner’s ‘Das Rheingold’

This November, Concerto Köln alongside conductor Kent Nagano will present historically-informed performances of Wagner’s “Das Rheingold.” The performances come as part of their “Wagner Readings” project, which was started in 2017 and began to develop this artistic/scientific approach to the tetralogy, bringing together scholars of multiple disciplines. The first concert will be held on Nov. 18 at the Kölner Philharmonie, {…}

Jul 12, 2021

Bayerische Staatsoper Announces Cast Changes for ‘Salome’

The Bayerische Staatsoper has announced two cast changes for its performances of Strauss’ “Salome” on July 25 and 28, 2021. The company announced that Wolfgang Koch will take over the role of Jochanaan for Iain Paterson while Derek Welton will take over the role of 1st Nazarene for Milan Siljanov. Koch is no stranger to the Bayerische Staatsoper as he has {…}

May 20, 2021

Anita Rachvelishvili, Liudmyla Monastyrska & Russell Thomas Highlight Deutsche Oper Berlin’s June Performances

(Credits: Dario Acosta / Opéra National de Paris official website / Fay Fox) The Deutsche Oper Berlin has announced that it will reopen its doors to the audiences in June 2021, after seven month-long hiatus. Per the official press release, the reopening is epidemiologically possible as the seven-day COVID-19 incidence in Berlin has gone below the critical value of 100. {…}

Feb 13, 2021

Michael Spyres, Ekaterina Semenchuk & Diana Damrau Lead Berlin Philharmonic Online Festival

(Credits: © Marco Borrelli / OnP / © Alexey Kostromin / OnP / © Jiyan Chen) The Berlin Philharmonic Online Festival’s “The Golden Twenties” will be held from February 13 until February 27, 2021. For the purpose of this article, we will focus only on the vocal works. First up is Igor Stravinsky’s “Oedipus Rex.” The showcase will star Ekaterina {…}

Feb 12, 2021

Sara Jakubiak & Brian Jagde Lead Stream of ‘Das Wunder Der Heliane’ From Deutsche Oper Berlin

(Credit: Deutsche Oper Berlin official website) Deutsche Oper Berlin has announced that it will stream the 2018 production of Korngold’s operatic masterwork “Das Wunder der Heliane” between Feb. 18 and Feb. 21, 2021, on its official website. The opera, which was recorded on the DVD on the NAXOS label, stars Brian Jagde, Josef Wagner, Okka von Damerau, Derek Welton, Gideon {…}

Jan 11, 2021

Nina Stemme, Sara Jakubiak, Iain Paterson & Jonathan Tetelman Highlight Deutsche Oper Berlin Revamped Spring Performances

(Credits: © Sasha Arutyunova / Ashley Plante / ARSIS Artists official website / Jonathan Tetelman official website) The Deutsche Oper Berlin has announced plans for the rest of the 2020-21 season. Berlin’s largest opera house has been quite cautious in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and has only published the monthly schedule. The Deutsche Oper Berlin will reopen its {…}

Dec 14, 2020

Sondra Radvanovsky, Piotr Beczala, Roberto Alagna, Aleksandra Kurzak Headline Vienna State Opera’s Streaming Options This Week

The Vienna State Opera has announced its streaming options over the next week. Here is a full rundown of what audiences can check out on the company’s official streaming platform. The week kicks off with Henze’s “Das Verratene Meer” in a live performance. Simone Young conducts a cast that includes Vera-Lotte Boecker, Bo Skovhus, Josh Lovell, Erik Van Heyningen, Kangmin {…}

Sep 19, 2020

Wiener Staatsoper Announces Cast Change for ‘Elektra’

(Credit: Wiener Staatsoper) The Wiener Staatsoper has announced the cast change for Richard Strauss’ opera “Elektra.” Tenor Thomas Ebenstein will take over the role of Aegisth for the presentations on Sep. 19 and Sep. 22, 2020., replacing Jörg Schneider. The opera house did not specify the reason for the cast change. Ebenstein will join a cast that includes Ricarda Merbeth {…}

Sep 8, 2020

Q & A: Bass-Baritone Derek Welton on ‘Elektra,’ Greek Tragedy, & the Salzburg Festival

Bass-baritone Derek Welton started his journey toward performing on the big stages in Australia when, after language studies and social work in 2004, he discovered his passion for singing. Then, an unexpected grant and a victory in the Australian Singing Competition helped Welton continue his path to Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Soon thereafter, the singer was {…}

Sep 5, 2020

Tenor Štefan Margita Tests Positive For COVID-19

(Credit: Dusíkovo divadlo official website) Famed Slovakian tenor Štefan Margita and his wife Hanka both tested positive for the novel COVID-19 coronavirus. Margita posted a message on his Facebook profile, stating “Our dear ones, we did not want to burden you with our worries. Yes, we both tested positive for COVID. So you don’t have to learn from the various {…}