It’s the season to announce new seasons and Vancouver Opera has continued the trend, revealing its offerings for 2017-18. The company bows on Oct. 13 with a production of Puccini’s “Turandot.” The show will get a total of five performances on Oct. 15, 17, 19 and 21. The company then takes a hiatus until the new year, ringing in January {…}
A new opera starts its life on Saturday while a rarity gets its premiere in a major city and a modern masterwork arrives in our nation’s capital. Yes, opera is finally starting to bloom around the States, with many smaller companies getting in on the act. Arizona Opera is showcasing the world premiere of Bohmler’s “Riders of the Purple Sage.” {…}
It’s Valentine’s Day, a momentous occasion to celebrate love and romance. Romance is at the heart of opera with the art forms pull coming from our connection with beautiful love affairs. Most everyone melts at Rodolfo and Mimì’s blooming love in “La Bohème” or Alfredo and Violetta’s in “La Traviata.” We admire the sacrifice of Roméo and Juliette or even {…}
The Welsh National Opera announced its 2017-18 season, a schedule that features works accompanying certain themes and concepts. Fall 2018 – Russian Revolution The autumn season will kick off with three Russian-themed works – “Eugene Onegin,” “Khovanshchina” and Janácek’s “From The House of the Dead,” which is based on Dostoevsky’s book. This segment intents to honor the centenary of the {…}
Lyric of Kansas City’s 2017-18 got its announcement earlier this week, the company announcing that it would be showing five works in addition to two events. The company will kick off its season with a production of Tchaikovsky’s operatic masterwork “Eugene Onegin” with performances on Sept. 30, October 4, 6 and 8. The work will be directed by Tomer Zvulun {…}
The voice is any singer’s most precious treasure. Without it their career is over no matter how good you look or how wonderful of an actor you are. In modern opera, it is also something that is overlooked as careers increasingly get shorter with fewer rest periods and singers consistently being asked to walk on stage without rehearsals. This is {…}
French soprano Géori Boué passed away on Thursday at the age of 98. The singer was born on October 16, 1918 in Toulouse and managed an exemplary career in her native country. She studied at the Music Conservatory in Touluse, taking on voice with Claude Jean, piano and harp. She made her debut in Toulouse in 1938 and rose to fame {…}
Polish tenor Piotr Beczala was born on this day, December 28, exactly 50 years ago. In celebration of the tenor’s big day, Operawire shares 50 facts about the operatic superstar. Piotr Beczala was born on Dec. 28, 1966. He is from Czechowice-Dziedzice in southern Poland. He studied under Sena Jurinac in Switzerland. He is married to Katarzyna Beczała. Beczala is known for choosing his roles wisely {…}
Superstar baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky is in the hospital with pneumonia but is “out of danger,” according to Russian state agency Tass. The agency reported on Tuesday that the singer was taken to hospital in St. Petersburg with pneumonia. The singer’s condition is said to be normal, though there is no telling when he might be discharged from the hospital. It has {…}
Maurisz Kwiecien and Peter Mattei will replace Dmitri Hvorostovsky in the Metropolitan Opera’s revival production of Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin.” On Thursday the Russian baritone announced his withdrawal from all opera performances for the foreseeable future. He stated, “It is with great sadness that I must withdraw from opera performances for the foreseeable future. I have been experiencing balance issues associated {…}
Dmitri Hvorostovsky has announced that he will withdraw from all upcoming opera productions. The Russian baritone said in a statement via Facebook “It is with great sadness that I must withdraw from opera performances for the foreseeable future. I have been experiencing balance issues associated with my illness, making it extremely difficult for me to perform in staged productions.” However, he {…}
