It’s a busy weekend in North America with close to 70 performances taking place all over the continent. With so much activity from such major companies, pinning down just a handful to recommend to the operagoer was a rather challenging task. But here is a look at five performances to see this weekend around the States and Canada. As One {…}
The summer festival season continues with a few companies putting on new and exciting productions. Portland Opera showcases its new production of “Così fan tutte” on Friday, while Wolf Trap Opera unveils its own “Tosca.” Pittsburgh Opera Festival debuts its own “Xerxes” production that same night. Charlottesville Opera continues its production of “Rigoletto,” as does Central City Opera with “Carmen,” {…}
The summer continues its torrid pace with a number of major companies showcasing production premieres. The Glimmerglass Festival kicks off its 2017 season on Friday with “Porgy and Bess,” which stars Musa Ngqungwana. The same goes for the Pittsburgh Festival Opera, which debuts that same night with “Sweeney Todd,” which also plays on Sunday. Meanwhile, Des Moines Metro Opera showcases {…}
The Des Moines Metro Opera has announced the repertory for its 2018 season which will also include the company’s 46th Summer Festival and two Stages Series. The company’s season will include such operas as “Die Fledermaus,” “Rusalka,” Jonathan Dove’s ever-popular “Flight,” and a production of Kaminsky/Campbell/Reed’s one-act opera “As One. There will also be a production of Aaron Copland’s “The Tender {…}
If you surveyed the most recent 1,000 opera reviews, “testosterone” would not be one of the top hits. Unless you were Googling the Des Moines Metro Opera’s new production of “Billy Budd,” which promises to be the hit of its 45th season. Energized by the transformative performance of Zachary James as the “villain” John Claggart, this story is about much {…}
Turandot is tricky. A huge chorus, thundering orchestra, and over half a dozen other principal singers build audience expectations for an act and a half before the star sings a note, and then, like a rocket, the soprano must go from zero to escape velocity with her dazzling introduction, her explanation for her cruelty to her suitors in the aria {…}
As we get deeper into the summer, the opera world starts to slow down ever so slightly in North America. But there are still some major events taking place over the weekend, including a historic one. San Francisco Opera closes out its run of “Don Giovanni” which features a stellar cast that includes Ildebrando d’Arcangelo and Ana María Martinez among {…}
With the summer underway, the opera world remains in full swing. Opera in Ozarks is the big company to make headlines this weekend as the company showcases two performances. “Le Nozze di Figaro” gets a look on Friday while “Susannah” gets a showcase on Saturday. Wolf Trap Opera also gets a major showcase with “La Pietra del Paragone” on Friday {…}