(Photo credit: ©EnricoNawrath) In preparation for the new “Parsifal” at Bayreuth last year, one may have harbored preconceived doubts as to the very idea regarding the use of Augmented Reality eyeglasses. After attending this year’s performances, the doubts lingered; and although this production may not be considered a negative adventure per se, one may not view this experiment as a {…}
Deutsche Grammophon’s Stage + is set to present Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde” from the Bayreuth Festival. The stream will continue the partnership between Deutsche Grammophon and the Bayreuth Festival and showcase a new production by Thorleifur Örn Arnarsson. Semyon Bychkov conducts a cast that includes Andreas Schager, Günther Groissböck, Camilla Nylund, Olafur Sigurdarson, Birger Radde, Ekaterina Gubanova, Daniel Jenz, Lawson Anderson, and Matthew Newlin. The opera will be {…}
The Opéra de Monte-Carlo has announced its 2024-25 season. Festival Centenaire Puccini Giacomo Sagripanti conducts Puccini’s “La Rondine“ in Concert. Pretty Yende, Charles Castronovo, Deanna Breiwick, Juan Francisco Gatell, and Roberto de Candia. Performance Date: Oct. 30, 2024 Anna Netrebko, Nino Machaidze, Mariam Battistelli, Yusif Eyvazov, and Florian Sempey lead Puccini’s “La Bohème.” Biagio Pizzuti, Giorgi Manoshvili, and Matteo Peirone {…}
(Photo: Charles Duprat / Opéra National de Paris) Whether you liked it or not, Lydia Steier’s “Salome” was the event of last season. Bleeding bodies, shooting guns, nudity, and rape; it was an R-rated “Salome.” Its provocations echoed both Wilde’s spirit and current discussions of gender, capitalism, and harassment. In this revival, the story is a bit different. The true {…}
The Teatro San Carlo announced its 2024-25 season. The season opens with Dvořák’s “Rusalka” in a new production by Dmitri Tcherniakov. Dan Ettinger conducts a cast that includes Asmik Grigorian, Adam Smith, Ekaterina Gubanova, Anita Rachvelishvili, and Gábor Bretz. Performance Dates: Nov. 20-Dec. 7, 2024 Verdi’s “Don Carlo” will be conducted by Henrik Nánási and will star Piero Pretti, Gabriele Viviani, Ildar {…}
The Houston Symphony Orchestra has announced its 2024-25 Season. Here are the vocal performances for the season. Juraj Valčuha conducts Bartok’s “Bluebeard’s Castle” with Gábor Bretz and Ekaterina Gubanova. The program also includes Britten and Prokofiev. Performance Dates: Feb. 15 & 16, 2025 Andrés Orozco-Estrada conducts a program of music by Strauss and Brahms. The soloists are Hilary Hahn and the Houston Symphony Chorus. {…}
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra has announced its 2024-25 season. Here are the vocal performances. Nicholas Kraemer conducts a program that includes the music of Händel, Beethoven, and Mozart. Soloists include Amanda Forsythe, Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, Josh Lovell, and Michael Sumuel. Performance Dates: Oct. 17-19, 2024 Fabien Gabel and Konstantin Krimmel team up for a program of music by Britten, Mahler, {…}
(Credit; Evan Zimmerman) “No Opera on a Dead Planet.” In the middle of Act two of the opening night of “Tannhäuser” as Wolfram delivered his “Blick ich umher in diesem edlen Kreise,” specifically as he sang that “love is a spring to be drunk from,” an audience member started shouting from the rafters of the Met Opera auditorium. The first {…}
Wagner’s “Tannhäuser” returns to the Metropolitan Opera for eight performances. The opera will open on Nov. 30 and will be performed through Dec. 23, 2023 with a cast that includes Austrian tenor Andreas Schager, South African soprano Elza van den Heever as Elisabeth, and Russian mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Gubanova as Venus. The cast will be rounded out by German baritone Christian Gerhaher {…}
(Photo credit: © Enrico Nawrath) Nathalie Stutzman debuted at Bayreuth this season with the festival’s production of “Tannhäuser.” She emerged triumphantly from the mystical abyss of the Bayreuth orchestra pit, where the conductor and the orchestra are hidden from the public. This unique orchestra space was designed as per Wagner’s specifications, who had been striving to create an immersive experience {…}
Credit: Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera has announced the schedule for its Summer HD Festival. Ten free opera screenings will be projected on the façade of the opera house in Lincoln Center Plaza on Aug. 26-Sept. 4. First up is a special presentation of the film “Moonstruck,” (1987) starring Academy Award-winner Cher, with costars Nicolas Cage, Olympia Dukakis, Danny Aiello, {…}
