(Photo Credit: Dagens Nyhter/Mattias Ahlm) On February 4, I had the pleasure of seeing Igor Stravinsky’s, “The Rake’s Progress,” for the first time. Having only read about the opera, I hadn’t come to realize how satirical Stravinsky could really be. Shostakovich and Prokofiev have been my references for the identity of Russian musical satire. Leading the Swedish Chamber Orchestra was {…}
(Photo credit: Elliot Mandel) Haymarket Opera Company has announced its 2024 season. The season kicks off with “La decollazione di San Giovanni Battista.” Mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron makes her Haymarket debut, along with bass-baritone Christian Pursell as Herod and tenor Eric Ferring. Sopranos Erica Schuller and Kristen Knutson return to Haymarket. Craig Trompeter leads the chamber ensemble. Performance Date: March 22, {…}
Credit: Kathy Wittman It might be ingenuous to say, but in one’s opinion any opera that features a dragon singing a long melisma on the word “whore,” especially when it follows the ominous words “son of a,” is an unforgettable piece of theater. “The Dragon of Wantley” is based on the old legend that a dragon roamed South Yorkshire, a {…}
The Alabama Symphony Orchestra has announced its 2023-24 Season. Here is a look at the vocal performances. Carlos Izcaray conducts Helen Huang in Fauré’s “Requiem.” The program also includes pianist Vanessa Perez in Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G Major as well as Paul Desenne’s Palenkumbe and Lili Boulanger’s “D’un matin de printemps.” Performance Dates: Oct. 27-28, 2023 Christopher Confessore conducts {…}
On April 6, 2023, Opera Atelier will conclude its 2022-23 season with Händel’s “The Resurrection.” Held at Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning, the performance marks the Canadian premiere of the work in a fully-staged production for a live audience. Conductor David Fallis will conduct Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, with the Artists of Atelier Ballet performing choreography by Founding {…}
(Credit: https://www.wgbh.org/music/baroque-christmas-bemf) Boston Baroque and Boston Early Music Festival will stream several baroque pieces for the holidays, including Händel’s celebrated “Messiah.” First up, soprano Maya Kherani, counter-tenor Christopher Lowrey, tenor Aaron Sheehan, and bass-baritone Kevin Deas perform “Messiah.” Boston Baroque Music Director Martin Pearlman conducts. The concert was recorded and streamed live on IDAGIO on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021 in {…}
Opera Atelier has announced a reimagined 35th anniversary season, titled “A Season of Visions and Dreams.” During the new season, the company will present two fully-staged and live-streamed productions at the TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning. The first work on the program will be “Something Rich and Strange.” This new work will explore themes of visions and the supernatural {…}
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra has announced its 2020-21 season, featuring a number of vocal and orchestral works. For the purpose of this article, we will highlight vocal works. Canadian mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo will take part in a concert featuring Mozart arias conducted by Gustavo Gimeno. Performance Dates: Sept. 23-27, 2020 Soprano Karina Gauvin performs in a concert featuring works by {…}
(Credit: Arielle Doneson / Nicolas Phan Facebook / Jiyang Chen) Tenor Nicholas Phan has co-curated “Emerging Voices” with the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. The event kicks off on Jan. 13, 2020 and runs through the 24. The event features a total of six concerts as well as a number of world premieres by such composers as Nicolas Bacri, Iva Bittová, {…}