(Photo: Nicola Dal Maso, RibaltaLuce Studio) Back in 2018 OperaWire interviewed Italian soprano and baroque specialist Francesca Aspromonte to talk to her about her newly released CD “Maria & Maddalena,” her love for the baroque repertoire and her desire to expand her repertoire into other areas. Since then she has gone on to cement her reputation with a string of {…}
On Dec. 23, the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino will open a new production of “Fidelio” with an all-star cast. The production will feature some of the best interpreters of the work and some new to his repertoire, none perhaps moreso than Italian soprano Francesca Aspromonte. Following years of singing baroque music, Aspromonte take on Marzelline in Beethoven’s only opera. The role {…}
The Maggio Musicale Fiorentino has canceled the final two performances of “Fidelio.” The company announced that the final two performances scheduled for Jan. 5 and 7, 2022 would no longer be taking place and that as a result, ticketholders will either get refunds or will be able to change their tickets for another date between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2, {…}
The Santa Monica-based Broad Stage is set to present Heartbeat Opera’s rendition of “Fidelio” on February 26 and 27, 2022. This version of Beethoven’s famed opera features an all-new orchestral arrangement by Daniel Schlosberg as well as new English Dialogue co-written by Marcus Scott and Ethan Heard. The opera will be directed by Ethan Heard. The cast will star Derrell {…}
New York’s Heartbeat Opera is set to mount a four-city tour of its 2018 adaptation of Beethoven’s masterpiece, “Fidelio,” which Heartbeat Artistic Director Ethan Heard conceived for the era of Black Lives Matter. In Heartbeat’s production, Leonore is now “Leah,” a young Black woman, and her husband Florestan is “Stan,” a Black Lives Matter activist who has been wrongfully incarcerated {…}
(Credit: © Julien Benhamou) The Insula Orchestra has announced its upcoming tour of Beethoven’s only opera “Fidelio.” The opera will star Sinéad Campbell-Wallace as Leonore, Stanislas de Barbeyrac as Don Florestan, Christian Immler in the role of Rocco, Sebastian Holecek as Don Pizzaro, Hélène Carpentier in the role of Marzelline, and Patrick Grahl as Jacquino. Laurence Equilbey conducts a production {…}
The Teatro La Fenice is set to inaugurate the 2021-22 season with Beethoven’s “Fidelio.” The work, which was slated to be presented in 2020 to celebrate the composer’s 250th birthday, will now open in a new production by Joan Anton Rechi. Myung-Whun Chung will conduct the opera with a cast that includes Ian Koziara as Florestan, Tilmann Rönnebeck as Rocco, {…}
(Credit: Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera) The talisman of Beethoven’s “Fidelio” is “Freiheit (freedom).” Though “Fidelio” is Beethoven’s only opera, it was not his only “cri de coeur” for liberty as the conclusion of his Ninth Symphony showed. San Francisco Opera’s production offered that message for today’s world. “Freiheit” equals Liberty. “Freiheit” equals independence, both personal and political. And “Freiheit” equals {…}
(Credit: Jiyang Chen) The Broad Stage has announced its 2022 season, which will feature 28 total showcases. For the purposes of this article, our focus will be on operatic and vocal performances. First up will be the premiere of “Iphigenia” starring jazz legends Esperanza Spalding and Wayne Shorter. Performance Dates: Feb. 17 – 19, 2022 Heartbeat Opera will present “Fidelio” {…}
Set design by Alexander V. Nichols Virtual tickets for San Francisco Opera’s new production of Beethoven’s “Fidelio” are now on sale. The fresh staging by Matthew Ozawa is set to open on Oct. 14, 2021. SFO’s first-ever virtual option enables audiences from around the world to experience Beethoven’s only opera from the comfort of their homes. Audiences will have three {…}
In anticipation of its upcoming production of “Fidelio,” San Francisco Opera has released a new episode of their podcast “North Stage Door,” featuring discussions on Beethoven’s work. The episode features director Matthew Ozawa, former US Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, SFO Chorus Director Ian Robertson, participants in the Prison Arts Project at San Quentin State Prison, and other guests, {…}