(Photo credit: Emilie Brouchon / Opéra national de Paris) I’ve been told that one reads “Don Quichotte” three times in life: in one’s twenties to laugh, in one’s forties to think, and in one’s sixties to cry. This saddening saying reflects the multivocal quality of the Chevalier of La Mancha’s myth: painfully delusional and carnally human, his hallucinatory deeds are {…}
Opéra de Paris has announced a cast change for its production of “Don Quichotte.” The company announced that Ildebrando d’Arcangelo has withdrawn from the production. As a result, the role of Don Quichotte will be performed by Gábor Bretz for the performances on June 1, 5, 8, and 11, 2024. Bretz performs regularly with the Hungarian State Opera, the Wagner Festival, the {…}
The Opéra de Paris has announced a cast change for its production of “Don Quichotte.” The company said, “Ildar Abdrazakov will not be playing the title role in this season’s new production of ‘Don Quichotte.’” As a result, Christian Van Horn will play the role of Don Quichotte for performances on May 10, 14, 17, 21, 23, 26, and 29, {…}
(Credits: Ensemble Regards / Bach Collegium Paris / Charles Mignot) Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s opera “L’Actéon” will be streamed on ARTE TV on Feb. 16, 2021. “L’Actéon,” a Pastorale in the form of a miniature tragédie en musique in six scenes, stars mezzo-soprano Marielou Jacquard in the role of Junon, soprano Adèle Carlier as Diane, and bass Constantin Goubet in the title {…}
(Photo: Clive Barda) Massenet’s “Don Quichotte” may not be an opera you would usually associate with Wexford. Judged a success at its premier in Monte Carlo in 1910, in which Chaliapin featured in the title role, it has since struggled to establish itself as part of the mainstream repertoire. It can, therefore, hardly be deemed a forgotten or rarely performed {…}
A very grey day here in Wexford, with the rain pouring down, but there is plenty of things going on indoors. The lunchtime concert at St. Iberius was given by the Italian mezzo-soprano Manuela Custer, who took us to warmer climes with a tour of her native country, with songs from a variety of Italian composers. The favorite would have {…}
(Credit: Bregenzer Festspiele/ Karl Forster) While “Rigoletto” plays on the Bregenz Festival’s main stage, the famous floating Seebühne on Lake Constance in western Austria, the Festspielhaus offers a chance to see “Don Quichotte,” Massenet’s poignant adaptation of Miguel Cervantes’s immortal novel, “Don Quixote.” The Best Men Can Be The new production, directed by Mariame Clément, might seem disorienting on paper. It {…}
The Wexford Festival has made some changes to its 2019 slate. At the 2018, the festival noted that it would be showcasing “Der Freischütz,” “Adina” and “Don Quichotte” as the major works to lead the event. However, a recent press release, issued on Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019, has stated that the festival will not perform the Carlo Maria von Weber {…}
Wexford Festival Opera has announced the three main evening operas for the 68th Festival in 2019. The festival announced that “Der Freischütz” by Weber, “Adina” by Rossini, in a co-production with Pesaro, and “Don Quichotte” by Massenet will be the works performed throughout the festival. The Festival will open on Oct. 22, 2019 and run for 13 consecutive days, closing on {…}
Jules Massenet, born on May 12, 1842, is arguably the chameleon of all opera composers, his style evolving to suit the text rather than imposing a specific musical style to every work. This ability makes him, for many, the greatest French composer of opera to ever live. He studied under Ambroise Thomas in his youth, won the country’s top musical {…}
The Metropolitan Opera is slated for its latest premiere this week when it showcases Massenet’s “Cendrillon.” The opera, which is based on the tale of Cinderella will star Joyce DiDonato and is set to run between April 12 and May 11. The opera will also feature Alice Coote, Stephanie Blythe, Kathleen Kim, Laurent Naouri, all under the musical direction of {…}