(Photo: Amati Bacciardi) “Ermione” managed only seven performances when premiered at Naples’ San Carlo in 1816 before being shelved. It had to wait until 1987 to be revived, when it received its first modern staging at the Pesaro Rossini Opera Festival. Since then, it has had numerous performances, with each adding to its reputation as one of the composer’s most {…}
The Teatro La Fenice has announced its 2024-25 season. Opera Myung-Whun Chung conducts Verdi’s “Otello” in a new production by Fabio Ceresa. Francesco Meli sings the title role in a cast that also stars Francesca Dotto and Luca Micheletti. Performance Dates: Nov. 20-Dec. 1, 2024 Marina Monzò, Francesco Demuro, and Nicola Alaimo star in Verdi’s “La Traviata.” Diego Matheuz conducts. Performance {…}
The Opéra de Marseille has announced its 2024-25 season. Opera Michele Spotti conducts Bellini’s “Norma” with Anne Delbee directing. Karine Deshayes stars in the title role with Salomé Jicia, Enea Scala, and Patrick Bollei. Performance Dates: Sept. 26-Oct. 3, 2024 Alexandra Marcellier, Eugénie Joneau, Thomas Bettinger, and Marc Scoffoni star in Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly.” Paolo Arrivabeni conducts Emmanuelle Bastet’s production. Performance {…}
The Grand Théâtre de Genève has announced its 2024-25 season. Opera Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde” opens the season with Gwyn Hughes Jones, Burkhard Fritz, and Elisabet Strid in the title roles. Marc Albrecht conducts the production by Michael Thalheimer. The cast will also include Tareq Nazmi, Kristina Stanek, Craig Colclough, and Julien Henric. Performance Dates: Sept. 15-27, 2024 Tomáš Netopil {…}
La Monnaie de Munt has announced the 2024-25 season. Opera Wagner’s “Siegfried” will star Magnus Vigilius, Peter Hoare, Gábor Bretz, Scott Hendricks, Wilhelm Schwinghammer, Ingela Brimberg, Nora Gubisch, and Liv Redpath. Alain Altinoglu conducts Pierre Audi’s production. Performance Dates: Sept. 11-Oct. 4, 2024 Kris Defoort’s “The Time of Our Singing ” will star Mark S. Doss, Claron Mcfadden, Simon Bailey, Levy {…}
The Rossini Opera Festival has announced its 2024 season which will be held in Pesaro from August 7 to 23, 2024. The Festival will be inaugurated at the PalaScavolini, a new theatre space reopened within the already famous PalaFestival, by “Bianca and Falliero.” Roberto Abbado will conduct the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai and the Coro Teatro Ventidio Basso. The {…}
Following the escalating declaration of war on Hamas by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, several opera artists have released statements regarding the situation. Soprano Olga Peretayko wrote “In times of unimaginable hardship and heartbreaking news, it is important for us to come together as one global community. The reality of war is a painful truth that affects everyone, regardless of which {…}
(Credit: Javier del Real) Teatro Real opened its 2023-24 season with Cherubini’s masterpiece “Medea.” The opera had a great success and was very popular in Europe during the XIX century, where it was usually performed in German or Italian and with a newly written recitative instead of the original French dialogues between arias and scenes. “Medea” was rarely performed during {…}
(Photo: Amati Bacciardi) Having just completed his opera “Ermione” for Naples in March 1819, Rossini was under pressure to meet the deadline for a new opera for Venice’s Teatro San Benedetto the following month. He quickly cobbled together numbers from at least four of his past operas: “Adelaide di Bogogna,” “Ricciardo e Zoriaide,” “Mosè in Egitto,” and “Ermione,” along with {…}
The Rossini Opera Festival has announced that it will broadcast its new production of Eduardo e Cristina.” The company will showcase the opera on Rai5 on August 11 at 9:15. Jader Bignamini will conduct the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai and the Chorus of the Teatro Ventidio Basso in a production by Stefano Poda. The cast includes Enea Scala (Carlo), {…}
The Teatro Massimo di Palermo has announced its 2023-24 season. Opera The season opens with Bellini’s “I Capuleti e Montecchi.” Omer Meir Wellber conducts the production by Idan Cohen. The cast includes Maria Kataeva and Anna Pennisi as Romeo and Marina Monzó and Francesca Pia Vitale as Giulietta. Ioan Hotea, Mert Süngü, Marco Spotti, and Gabriele Sagona round out the {…}