Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there. Opera is rife with fathers, many of whom are some of the greatest characters in the artform. But which of opera’s famous father’s is most closely related to your own father. Take this quiz, tell us about your father and find out which opera dad best resembles him! As always, have {…}
Earlier this week was siblings day, an opportunity to celebrate that unique and strange bond. Afterall, siblings are that kind of bond that features a wide range of challenging emotions. From hate to love, we’ve all heard those stories of fiercely close siblings and coldly distant ones. We’ve seen stories of conflicts between brothers and sisters, but we’ve also heard {…}
Wagner’s “Ring Cycle” will take over Vienna State Opera’s live stream service this week with two major performances. The cycle begins with “Das Rheingold” on Wednesday, April 4, 2018 at 7 p.m. local time. The performance is slated to run until around 9:30 p.m. That’s around 2 p.m. EDT and 11 a.m. PST for the start time. The cast for {…}
The Royal Opera House has announced its 2018-19 season, which will continue its Live in Cinemas series. This season, there will be 11 productions, including six ballets and five operas. We will cover the operatic performances only. The first of these is Wagner’s “Die Walküre,” which will hit the big screen on Oct. 28, 2018. Let by conductor Antonio Pappano, {…}
Simon Estes, born on March 2, 1938, did not have an easy career path. While the bass-baritone succeeded in Europe in his early years, the United States didn’t take too well to him. He was only accepted for minor roles at most prominent theaters and it wasn’t until 1981, 16 years after his professional debut, that the Metropolitan Opera offered {…}
In 2018-19, Jaap van Zweden, the current Music Director Designate of the New York Philharmonic, will drop the Designate part of that label. And if the concert on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018 is any indication, he is going to be providing audiences with some dazzling music for years to come. In a series of concerts that kicked off on Valentine’s {…}
Anytime the Metropolitan Opera puts on a new production of Wagner’s “Der Ring des Nibelungen,” you better believe that it is a major event. The tetralogy will reappear in 2018-19 for the first time since the 2013 season, and as might be expected, there aren’t very many opportunities to check it out. So here is a rundown of the essential {…}
Every year, Metropolitan Opera audiences get pumped for a few things. But not many carry as much excitement as the Live in HD series. Every year the Met chooses a handful (or two) performances to showcase around the globe on the silver screen. Those are usually high profile presentations of new productions with opera’s greatest stars. And as you might {…}
It’s Valentine’s Day, the day to cherish a significant other. Last year we took a cynical look at the holiday, but not this year. Opera is rife with love, almost every single plot in every single work has some communion of two persons in that blissful word. In fact, love in opera has incited just as many battles and tension {…}
Staging a new production of a Ring cycle is always daunting because of history; no other opera is held up in comparison to previous productions more than Wagner’s grand gesamtkunstwerk. How David Pountney’s new production, now halfway complete at Lyric Opera of Chicago, holds up to history remains to be seen after his “Die Walküre” opened Wednesday night in front {…}
Jon Vickers, born on Oct. 29, 1926, built up a career as one of the finest dramatic tenors of his time. He conquered a wide range of repertoire across a wide range of houses, became associated with quite a few roles, and then went on to make acclaimed recordings with other major superstars. Vickers’ career got kickstarted in 1957 when {…}
