The Teatro alla Scala has announced a cast change for its production of “Le Nozze di Figaro” on Oct. 13, 2023. The company said that due to illness Olga Bezsmertna will not be able to perform the role of the Contessa d’Almaviva. As a result, Elsa Dreisig will sing the role, making her Teatro alla Scala debut. Driesig is a {…}
(Photo: ©SF Marco Borrelli) It is believed that there are no bad orchestras, just bad conductors. Following this rationale, Marco Armiliato conducting my high school orchestra in David Gefffen Hall would be greeted with rave reviews. It is not that he wrung water out of stones—this miracle belongs exclusively to Moses’s staff. But, he did lead Salzburg’s Mozarteum Orchestra to {…}
(Photo: © SF/Marco Borrelli) If I had to define the Salzburg Festival in one word, it would be “tradition.” This has both good and bad implications. Revering tradition is an active attempt to make the past alive and present. The concertgoers sport their Dirndl and Lederhosen, traditional Tirol formal wear, with much pride, as they should. The claims of tradition, however, {…}
Who’s afraid of “Roméo et Juliette?” Thomas Jolly, apparently. The director, recognized for his work both on opera and Shakespeare, seems to have missed the emotion and aesthetic power in Gounod’s opera. Thankfully, the musicians have never sounded better. First thing first: My distaste for Jolly’s approach to Gounod’s “Roméo et Juliette” does not deny that Jolly knows much more {…}
Sonya Yoncheva’s SY11 Productions has announced the 2023-24 season for “Intimate Voices.” The concert series, which is set to take place in Sofia, Bulgaria will kick off with “Red Tango” starring Erwin Schrott. Performance Date: Oct. 27, 2023 Next up, Freddie de Tommaso presents “Under the Stars of Napoli.” Performance Date: Nov. 18, 2023 Yoncheva will headline “Reincarnation.” Performance Date: {…}
Valencia’s Palau de les Arts’ 2023-24 season featuring opera, recitals, concerts, and zarzuela. Opera Dima Orsho and Carla Nahadi Babelegoto star in “Women at Point Zero.” Performance Date: Sept. 15, 2023 James Gaffigan conducts Tchaikovsky’s “The Queen of Spades” in Richard Jones’ production. The cast includes Arsen Soghomonyan, Doris Soffel, Ekaterina Guseva, Elena Maximova, Roman Burdenko, and Nikolay Zemlianskikh. Performance {…}
The Bavarian Radio Symphony has announced its 2023-24 season. Here are the vocal performances. Sir Simon Rattle conducts Haydn’s “The Creation” with Lucy Crowe, Benjamin Bruns, and Christian Gerhaher. Performance Dates: Sept. 21-24, 2023 Sir Simon Rattle and the Bavarian Radio Chorus perform Berio and Vito Zuraj. Performance Date: Oct. 13, 2023 Constantinos Carydis conducts Louise Alder in a program {…}
The Grand Théâtre Genève has announced its 2023-24 season. First up is “Don Carlo” in a production by Lydia Steier starring Charles Castronovo, Leonardo Capalbo, Dmitry Ulyanov, Rachel Willis-Sørensen, Stéphane Degout, and Êve-Maud Hubeaux. Marc Minkowski conducts. Performance Dates: Sept. 15 – 28, 2023 Lea Desandre, Ana María Labin, Ana Vieira Leite, Hugh Cutting, Kresimir Spicer, Moritz Kallenberg, and Renato {…}
The Opéra National de Paris is set to present a new production of Gounod’s “Roméo et Juliette” this June. The production, which opens on June 17 and runs through July 15 at the Opéra Bastille (the first time the opera gets showcased at the theater), will be directed by Thomas Jolly. Carlo Rizzi will conduct two different casts. The first {…}
The Wiener Staatsoper has announced a cast change for its May 13 performance of “Manon.” The company said that Elsa Dreisig would replace Pretty Yende in the title role. Yende took to social media and said, “Dear Friends, I’m so sorry to report that I will not be able to perform my last performance of Manon at the Wiener Staatsoper due {…}
The Wiener Konzerthaus has announced its 2023-24 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances. Riccardo Chailly conducts a Verdi program with the chorus and orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala. Performance Date: Sept. 4, 2023 The Bayerisches Staatsorchester will perform alongside Yefim Bronfman and Elsa Dreisig in a Schumann, Wagner, and Mahler program. Vladimir Jurowski conducts. Performance Date: {…}