Lisette Oropesa, Asmik Grigorian, Jonas Kaufmann, Diana Damrau, Cecilia Bartoli & Sabine Devieilhe Lead Salzburg Festival’s 2025 Season

The Salzburg Festival has announced its 2025 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances. Opera Bas Wiegers conducts Michael Jarrell’s “Kassandra” with actress Dagmar Manzel and the Ensemble Modern. Performance Date: July 23, 2025 Salvatore Sciarrino’s “Macbeth” will be conducted by Vimbayi Kaziboni. Cody Quattlebaum, Alice Rossi, Leonardo Cortellazzi, Iris van Wijnen, and Davide Giangregorio. Performance Date: July 25, {…}

Dec 1, 2024

Metropolitan Opera 2024-25 Review: Die Frau Ohne Schatten

For the first time in 11 years, the Metropolitan Opera has revived what I consider to be one of its greatest productions in my lifetime. Herbert Wernicke’s production of “Die Frau ohne Schatten” is simply one of the most sublime marriages of stage direction and opera in recent Met history. First off, it’s a challenging piece, not only musically, but {…}

Nov 21, 2024

Lise Lindstrom, Elza van den Heever & Nina Stemme Lead Metropolitan Opera’s ‘Die Frau ohne Schatten’

(Credit: Ken Howard/Met Opera) The Metropolitan Opera is set to revive Strauss’s “Die Frau ohne Schatten.” The production by Herbert Wernicke, which premiered on Dec. 13, 2001, and was last revived in 2013, will star soprano Elza van den Heever in her Met role debut as the Empress, soprano Lise Lindstrom in her Met role debut as the Dyer’s Wife, {…}

Jun 20, 2024

Joyce El-Khoury, Levy Sekgapane & Yunuet Laguna Lead Opéra National de Montpellier’s 2024-25 Season

The Opéra National de Montpellier has announced its 2024-25 season. Here is a look at the operatic performances. Opera Roderick Cox conducts a new production of Verdi’s “La Forza del Destino.” Yánnis Kókkos directs the production, which will feature Yunuet Laguna, Amadi Lagha, Stefano Meo, Vazgen Gazaryan, Leon Kim, and Éléonore Pancrazi. Performance Dates: Sept. 22-27, 2024 George Jackson conducts {…}

Jun 15, 2024

Opéra de Paris Announces Cast Change for ‘La Vestale’

The Opéra de Paris has announced a cast change for its June 15 performance of “La Vestale.” The company said that Elodie Hache will sing the role of Julia replacing Elza van den Heever, who is ill. Van den Heever took to social media and said, “I am heartbroken to share the news that I will not sing this evening’s {…}

May 28, 2024

Anna Netrebko, Jonas Kaufmann, Ludovic Tézier, Rosa Feola, Juan Diego Flórez, Camilla Nylund & Marina Rebeka Lead Teatro alla Scala’s 2024-25 Season

The Teatro alla Scala has announced its 2024-25 Season. Opera The season opens with Verdi’s “La Forza del Destino” starring Anna Netrebko, Jonas Kaufmann, Ludovic Tézier, Vasilisa Berzhanskaya, Alexander Vinogradov, and Marco Filippo Romano. Riccardo Chailly conducts the new production by Leo Muscato. The opera will also star Elena Stikhina, Amartuvshin Enkhbat, Luciano Ganci, and Simon Lim in the second {…}

Mar 12, 2024

Ailyn Pérez, Sondra Radvanovsky, Kenneth Kellogg, & Javier Camarena Lead Lyric Opera of Chicago’s 2024-25 Season

The Lyric Opera of Chicago has announced its 2024-25 season. Here is a look at the productions. Verdi’s “Rigoletto” is set to star Igor Golovatenko, Soloman Howard, Javier Camarena, and Mané Galoyan. Enrique Mazzola conducts the production by Director Mary Birnbaum. Performance Dates: Sept. 14-Oct. 6 2024 Elza van den Heever, Russell Thomas, Mika Kares, and Brian Mulligan star in {…}

Feb 21, 2024

Sonya Yoncheva, Piotr Beczała, Angel Blue, Lise Davidsen & Freddie De Tommaso Lead Metropolitan Opera’s 2024-25 Season

The Metropolitan Opera has announced its 2024-25 season. New Productions Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts Verdi’s “Aida” in a new production by Michael Mayer. Angel Blue, Judit Kutasi, Piotr Beczała, Quinn Kelsey, Dmitry Belosselskiy, and Morris Robbinson. Alexander Soddy conducts the second cast with Christina Nilsson, Elīna Garanča, Brian Jagde, Eri Owens, Michael Chioldi, Amartüvshin Enkhbatyn, Alexander Vinogradov, and Krzysztof Bączyk. John {…}

Dec 1, 2023

Metropolitan Opera 2023-24 Review: Tannhäuser

(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 {…}

Nov 29, 2023

Andreas Schager Leads Metropolitan Opera’s ‘Tannhäuser’

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 {…}

May 31, 2023

Metropolitan Opera 2022-23 Review: Der Fliegende Holländer

On May 30, 2023, the Metropolitan Opera revived François Girard’s production of “Der Fliegende Holländer” for the first time since March 2020 when… we all know what happened. While a lot has changed since then, one thing that has remained is that this production still doesn’t match up to Girard’s best work (“Parsifal”) and even less now that he recently {…}

elza van den heever