Pittsburgh Opera will close its 80th season with a 1950s Hollywood-style production of Gaetano Donizetti’s comedy “Don Pasquale,” directed by Chuck Hudson. This production will be a “Hollywood retrospective with a focus on The Silent Film Era and the Golden Years of the 1950s,” according to the press release. A plethora of classic films will be referenced throughout the production, {…}
The Berkshire Opera Festival has announced it’s upcoming production of Donizetti’s “Don Pasquale” for it’s fourth season. As with it’s first three seasons, this production will also be accompanying recitals and other outreach events around the local Berkshire community, including an exciting new collaboration with Hancock Shaker Village entitled “Ain’t it a Pretty Night: Excerpts from American Opera,” as well as {…}
Gaetano Donizetti, born on Nov. 29, 1797, was one of the leading Bel Canto composers of all time. He wrote his first opera, “Il Pigmalione” at the age of 19 and he would go on to create 75 operas throughout his lifetime. His first major successes came with his comic operas, though in 1830, he scored a massive success with {…}
Polish baritone Simon Mechlinski and Venezuelan baritone Gustavo Castillo are winners of an artistic bursary from the Wexford Festival Opera. The prizes, given to violinist and conductor Cillian O’Breacháin as well, were given on the final weekend of the festival. Castillo received The Aria Friends’ Bursary, Mechlinski was the recipient of The Gerard Arnhold Award, and O’Breacháin was honored with {…}
The venue for Wexford Opera Festival “Opera Shorts” programme of piano accompanied, well-known operas in reduced form, is undoubtedly better suited to some works than others. Donizetti’s “Don Pasquale” is probably a perfect fit for the small stage erected especially for the festival in White’s Hotel, in which the audience are all relatively close to the stage, and therefore able {…}
Soprano Nadine Sierra is having a 2018 to remember. The Florida-born artist, who turned 30 this past May, recently announced her first-ever solo album, is performing at the top theaters on the planet, has been garnering a plethora of accolades, and is set to perform in the opening night gala of the Festival Napa Valley, a leading performing arts organization that {…}
On Saturday, April 21, 2018, superstar soprano Anna Netrebko will make her role debut as “Tosca” at the Metropolitan Opera. The role of the famed diva will be the 20th role of Netrebko’s Met career, but shockingly, it will only be the third time she makes a role debut with the company. Throughout her career, Netrebko has had the tendency {…}
The Wexford Festival has announced its 2018 season, which will run for a few weeks in October. This season will feature a number of operas, both rare and well-known, that should interest all sorts of audiences. The season kicks off on Oct. 19 with the double bill of “Mala Vita” by Giordano and “L’Oracolo” by Leoni. The work will be {…}
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 {…}
The Pittsburgh Opera has announced its 2018-19 season, which, after a season of modern opera, is slated to take a look back at some of the major repertory hits. The season kicks off with Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” which will star Dina Kuznetsova in her company debut. Cody Austin will appear as Pinkerton. Performance Dates: Oct. 6-14, 2018 In November, the {…}
Donizetti wrote his fair share of comedies throughout his career. While “L’Elisir d’Amore” remains his most popular by far, there is something to be said about “Don Pasquale” being the finer of the two musically and dramatically. Premiering on Jan. 3, 1843 in Paris, the opera marks the end of the 19th century opera buffa tradition. The next major Italian {…}