(Photo: Thomas Ziegler) Among the lesser-known gems presented at this year’s Halle Handel Festival, Alessandro Scarlatti’s “La Santissima Annunziata” stood out for its spiritual focus and musical refinement. Composed around 1700/1703 and revived in 1708 under the patronage of Prince Ruspoli, this early Roman oratorio—with a libretto attributed to Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni—offers a deeply meditative take on the Annunciation. Unlike {…}
(Photo: Denis Rouvre) Naïve’s recent release, “Argippo,” is Volume 64 of its ongoing project to record the entire Vivaldi catalog held by the Italian National Library in Turin. However, unlike the other volumes, this work does not actually form part of the Turin collection. Initially written in 1730 to a libretto by Domenico Lalli for Vienna’s Theater am Kartner Tor {…}
The 69th Grenada Festival opened its 32-day extravaganza of music with a solemn performance of Mozart’s “Requiem” at the Granada Cathedral. Soloists soprano Katharina Konradi, countertenor Carlos Mena, tenor Xabier Anduaga and bass-baritone Carlos Álvarez joined the Grenada Symphony Orchestra under the baton of conductor Andrea Marcon. The Archbishopric of Granda co-produced the performance with “la Caixa” Foundation. “la Caixa” {…}
Opera Vision will start streaming Verdi’s “Il Corsaro” from the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia starting on April 8, 2018. The early Verdi opera will showcase Michael Fabiano alongside Kristina Mkhitaryan, Oksana Dyka, Vito Priante, and Evgeny Stavinsky. Fabio Biondi is conducting the opera and the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana. The stream kicks off at 8 {…}
This review is for the performance on April 1, 2018. Many of Verdi’s early operas are strange concoctions. As you sit there listening to these works, you find yourself often carried away by the hints of the genius to come. The knowledge of what he will become creates the anticipation that he will show up in his full greatness in {…}
Valencia’s Palau de les Arts has announced its 2017-18 season which will feature nine operas. The first of the bunch will be Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly,” starting on October 11 and running for five performances. The opera will feature a new production by Emilio López. Liana Aleksanyan plays the doomed heroine. Gluck’s “Le Cinesi” follows up with a performance on Nov. {…}