The Deutsche Oper Berlin has announced several changes to upcoming performances. The company noted that for March 4, 6, and 11, 2022 performances of “Lucia di Lammermoor,” Ioan Hotea will be singing the role of Edgardo. He will join a cast that includes Ernesto Petti, Liv Redpath, Ya-Chung Huang, and Byung Gil Kim. Meanwhile, the performances on Feb. 3 and 16, 2022 of {…}
(Credit: Dominik Odenkirchen) Staatsoper Hamburg has announced the upcoming premiere of Dmitri Tcherniakov’s production of Richard Strauss’ “Elektra.” The cast includes Violeta Urmana as Klytämnestra, Jennifer Holloway as Chrysothemis, John Daszak as Aegisth, Lauri Vasar as Orest, and Aušriné Stundyté in the title role. The cast is rounded out by Chao Deng, Luminita Andrei, Tahnee Niboro, Thomas Ebenstein, Hubert Kowalczyk, {…}
(Credits: Dario Acosta / Sonya Yoncheva official website / © Gregor Hohenberg / Kasskara/DG / Operabase official website / Staatsoper Berlin official website) The Staatsoper unter den Linden in Berlin has announced its 2021-22 season. Here is the full slate. Operas Beethoven’s “Fidelio” will open the season. The opera stars Roman Trekel, Matthias Goerne, Pavel Černoch, Andreas Schager, Simone Schneider, {…}
(Credit: James Hole) Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen will release a new album on March 26, 2021. The album, which will be released by Decca Classics, will spotlight works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Richard Wagner, Luigi Cherubini, Pietro Mascagni, and Giuseppe Verdi, including the arias “Pace Pace” from “La Forza del destino,” “Ave Maria, piena di grazia” from “Otello,” “Dei tuoi {…}
(Credit: Palau de la Música Catalana official website) Famed Finnish conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen has received an Honorary Knighthood by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, for services to music and to relations between the United Kingdom and Finland. “This is a true personal honor, but more than that, it is meaningful to have artists honored at a national – at a {…}
(Credits: © Dario Acosta / Charles Castronovo official website / Deutsche Oper am Rhein official website / Kristian Schuller/Decca) The Salzburg Festival has announced its 2021 edition, featuring 8 operas and numerous concert performances. Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” will feature Mika Kares as Il Commendatore, Nadezhda Pavlova as Donna Anna, Michael Spyres in the role of Don Ottavio, Federica Lombardi as {…}
The Sofia Opera is set to present R.Strauss’ “Elektra” for the very first time in the company’s history. The opera will be directed by Plamen Kartaloff and represents an extremely complex creative task facing the troupe for Bulgaria. For the new production, only Bulgarian singers will perform including Lilia Kehayova and Diana Guglina as Elektra, Gergana Rusekova, Mariana Zvetkova, and {…}
(Credits: Chris Gloag /Emelie Kroon/ Violeta Urmana Facebook page) Teatro Massimo di Palermo has announced that it has canceled the fully staged production of Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannstahl’s opera “Elektra,” which was originally scheduled for performance between Nov. 24 – Dec. 2, 2020, due to COVID-19 safety rules. Instead, the opera house will present a semistaged version of {…}
(Credit: Opus 3 Artists official website) The Office of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has announced the Queen’s Birthday Honours list 2020. Among those honored was General Music Director of the Deutsche Oper Berlin Donald Cameron Runnicles, who has been bestowed with the title of the Knights Bachelor, for services to Music. Donald Runnicles is concurrently the General Music Director {…}
(Credit: The Metropolitan Opera official website) In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, The Metropolitan Opera’s HD Live in Schools program has launched an online series for the 2020–21 school year. For the upcoming school year, all students and teachers will receive free subscriptions to the Met Opera on Demand streaming service. A total of ten operas have been selected {…}
(Credit: Natalia Sedinta) Moldovan soprano Natalia Tanasii was only 21 when she made her professional stage debut as Countess Almaviva (“Le nozze di Figaro”) at the Moldovan National Opera. Her unforgettable Salzburg Festival debut followed in Krzysztof Warlikowski’s staging of “Elektra” this year. In an interview with OperaWire, Ms. Tanasii discussed her career moves, repertoire choices, and her preparation process {…}