La Favorite DVD Review: Elina Garanca And Matthew Polenzani Are Outstanding In This Deutsche Grammophon Release

Last year the Bayerische Staatsoper opened a new production of Donizetti’s beloved French work “La Favorite.” It was specifically created for Elīna Garanča, who was making her staged role debut after having impressed in the work in a concert performance at the Salzburg Festival alongside Juan Diego Flórez. This time around the company brought along two of her frequent collaborators, Mariusz Kwiecien {…}

Aug 21, 2017

Renée Fleming’s ‘Final’ Met Opera Performance Arrives on PBS

PBS’ “Great Performances” series for 2017 comes to an end this summer with a performance of the Metropolitan Opera’s “Der Rosenkavalier” starring Renée Fleming, and Elina Garanca. The showcase will be on Sunday, Sept. 3 at 12:30 p.m. EDT. The performance was recorded on the final day of the 2016-17 season and was Fleming’s final performance as the Marschallin at {…}

Aug 15, 2017

10 Must See Opera Productions Of The Fall 2017-18 Season [International]

After showcasing a wide range of repertoire that will be showcased this fall in the United States, it’s time to look at the European theaters. With hundreds of houses around the world opening at the same time, it was challenging to put together this list. But after looking through several theaters, OperaWire has curated the must-see operas for this fall {…}

Aug 4, 2017

Social Media Beat (Week 7/28-8/3): Get An Exclusive Look Into ‘Aida’ From Salzburg and ‘The Siege Of Corinth’ From Pesaro

Festival season continues and many of the greatest artists are preparing new roles or in rehearsals portraying some of their favorite characters. Find out what some of them were up to, Ildar Abdrazakov attended the dress rehearsal of “Aida” at the Salzburg Festival, showing support for his friends and colleagues. He posted two videos from the curtain call and another {…}

Jul 28, 2017

Weekend Preview – International (7/28-30): Jonas Kaufmann, Elina Garanca, Tamara Wilson & Diana Damrau Headline Festivals

Festival season continues with some of the greatest stars headlining major productions around the world. Find out what you can see this weekend. Austria At the Salzburg Festival, “Il Ritorno d’Ulisse,” “L’Incoronazion di Poppea” and “La Clemenza di Tito,” starring Russell Thomas and Golda Schultz, headline the weekend. Meanwhile at the Bregenz Festival, Bizet’s “Carmen” will showcased on Friday, Saturday, {…}

Jul 20, 2017

Watch Netrebko, Domingo, Stemme, DiDonato, Radvanovsky & More At The Metropolitan Opera’s 2017 Summer HD Festival

Did you miss the Met’s Live in HD broadcasts courtesy of Fathom Events these past few summers? Still want to check out some HD broadcasts from the Metropolitan Opera? Well, you have a chance to do just that, at the Met. More like, right outside the Met, as the company will offer 10 free screenings in Lincoln Center Plaza from {…}

Jul 17, 2017

CD/DVD Releases – Week of July 17: Elina Garanca, Krassimira Stoyanova & Klaus Florian Vogt Lead New Releases

Three high profile releases are coming out this week. The first comes from one of the biggest mezzo-sopranos in a role debut while the other comes from one of the most revered summer festivals while the third comes from Salzburg in a rare Strauss work. Both releases will come from the yellow label Deutsche Grammophon. La Favorite Elina Garanca has {…}

Jun 14, 2017

Elina Garanca’s ‘La Favorite’ Arrives on DVD

Donizetti’s “La Favorite” has been announced for release on Deutsche Grammophon. The recording comes from the Bayerische Staatsoper and stars Elina Garanca, Mariusz Kwiecien, and Matthew Polenzani. Staged by Amelie Niermeyer, the production debuted earlier this fall and received rave reviews. Critics said, “Elīna Garanča as the nominal protagonist of the opera carried out her role driving the whole ensemble and {…}

May 24, 2017

Opera National Bordeaux To Feature Elina Garanca, Sonya Yoncheva & Benjamin Bernheim in 2017-18 Season

The Opera National Bordeaux has announced its 2017-18 season with a number of important stars headlining the year. The season starts off with Offenbach’s “La Vie Parisienne” on Sept. 23, 2017. The production by Vincent Huguet is set to star Anne-Catherine Gillet and Philippe Talbot. Marc Minkowski conducts. Paul Daniel leads a concert performance of Bellini’s “Il Pirata” with Joyce El-Khoury {…}

May 15, 2017

Best of Metropolitan Opera 2016-17 Season: Top 10 Female Performances of the Year

This article is a joint collaboration between David & Francisco Salazar. This past weekend saw the end of the Metropolitan Opera’s 2016-17 season. This week we will take a look back at the greatest moments that this season brought us, beginning with the top performers that we enjoyed. Since ladies should always go first, we start with the top 10 {…}

May 12, 2017

Social Media Beat (5/5-11): What Were The Stars Up To After The Big Gala?

The Metropolitan Opera gala passed and while this would have been a great place to share the backstage pictures of the week, we did that in an earlier post. So what did the major stars do after the big gala event? Check it out. Leah Crocetto showed off pictures while on vacation in Mexico and she took a picture in {…}