(Photo ©2024 Camilla Greenwell) In a recent interview with director Damiano Michieletto at the Venice production of “The Tales of Hoffmann,” he said: “At its heart it is a journey into fantasy. It is opera fantastique, after all!” One definition of the French word fantastique is: a term for a literary and cinematic genre and mode that is characterized by {…}
ABAO Bilbao Opera received the Honorary Cultural Institution award at the Ópera XXI Awards ceremony. The company as well as the Bilbao Association was recognized for utilizing an “efficient and sustainable management model.” This model has become a characteristic of the Basque and Spanish cultural sector. The general director of INAEM, Paz Santa Cecilia, presented the award to Juan Carlos {…}
The Royal Ballet and Opera is set to present Offenbach’s “Les Contes d’Hoffman” in a new production by Damiano Michieletto. The production first made its premiere in Sydney and Venice. In a statement, Michieletto said, “The journey of these Contes d’Hoffmann should have started right from London in 2020. The project was then stopped by Covid. But that was just {…}
(Credit: Javier del Real) The Spanish opera coliseum opened its 2024-25 season with the worldwide recognized production of Francesco Cilea’s “Adriana Lecouvreur” by David McVicar and two excellent casts, streaming a live performance on Live Screens all over Spain (on the 28th of September) and on a wide screen in the back facade of Teatro Real. David McVicar’s Production Perspective {…}
(Courtesy of The International Opera Awards) The Opera Awards have announced the Reader’s Choice Nominees. The category which is decided entirely by public vote, saw Xabier Anduaga, Asmik Grigorian, Ekaterina Bakanova, Sara Blanch, Piotr Beczala, Ermonela Jaho, Ludovic Tezier, and Arturo Chacon-Cruz nominated. This is the first category announced from the annual awards. The full list of nominees will be {…}
(Photo credit: © Ruth Walz) Puccini in Aix-en-Provence is not an obvious combination, and it was not until 2019 with Christophe Honoré’s “Tosca” production that Lucca’s maestro made his debut in the festival. It was an ultra-revisionist “Tosca”: two primissime donne on the stage, several videoclips, and many other bold choices. It was glorious and thought-provoking. Therefore, expectations for a “Madama {…}
Arte is set to present three of Festival Aix-En-Provence’s productions on its streaming platform. It all starts with “Iphigénie en Aulide-Iphigénie en Tauride” on July 11 and will be available until Dec. 11, 2025. The productions stars Corinne Winters, Russell Braun, Véronique Gens, Alasdair Kent, Nicolas Cavallier, Soula Parassidis, Florian Sempey, Stanislas de Barbeyrac, and Alexandre Duhamel. Emmanuelle Haïm conducts the production by Dmitri Tcherniakov. Then on July 12, {…}
A truly packed house, a cast of operatic luminaries and a program of works chosen and compiled by Maestro Pappano himself; a Gala, fit for a KING, surely? Which is just as well because His Royal Highness King Charles III was in the audience as a truly surprise guest of honor, courtesy of a massive covert security operation that even {…}
Opera Rara is set to present its second “Donizetti and Friends” recital on May 23, 2024. The showcase, which will take place at Wigmore Hall, will feature Artist Ambassador Ermonela Jaho. She is joined by Artistic Director Carlo Rizzi. They will perform numerous songs by Donizetti, Bellini, Verdi, Gounod, and Viardot. Also performing at the concert is violinist Marco Rizzi {…}
Bilbao Opera has announced its 2024-25 season. Opera The season opens with Donizetti’s “Don Pasquale.” Simón Orfila, Enric Martínez-Castignani, María José Moreno, Sofía Esparza, Francesco Demuro, Juan Antonio Sanabria, and Damián del Castillo lead the cast. Maestro Sesto Quatrini conducts Emiliano Suárez’s production. Performance Dates: Oct. 19-28, 2024 The second opera is Puccini’s “Il Trittico.” “Il Tabarro” will star Carlos {…}
The Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona has announced its 2024-25 season. Opera Josep Pons conducts Shostakovich’s “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” with Alexei Botnarciuc, Daniel Kirch, Sara Jakubiak, Ángeles Blancas, and Pavel Černoch. Àlex Ollé conducts. Performance Date: Sept. 25-Oct. 7, 2024 Maria Agresta and Saioa Hernández star in Verdi’s “La Forza del Destino” with Artur Ruciński, Amartuvshin Enkhbat, Brian {…}