The Hamburg State Opera will reopen on May 28 with two productions. Georges Delnon and John Neumeier announced that the company will premiere a new production of Handel’s “Agrippina” staged by Barrie Kosky. Riccardo Minasi will conduct a cast that includes Anna Bonitatibus, Luca Tittoto, Julia Lezhneva, Christophe Dumaux, Franco Fagioli, Renato Dolcini, Vasily Khoroshev, and Chao Deng. The Ensemble {…}
(Credit: Javier del Real/Salva Lopez) The Théâtre des Champs-Elysées has announced its 2021-22 season featuring some of the biggest stars in the world, staged operas, and concert operas. Staged Opera Debussy’s “Pelléas et Mélisande“ will be conducted by François-Xavier Roth and directed by Eric Ruf. Patricia Petibon, Stanislas de Barbeyrac, Sir Simon Keenlyside, Jean Teitgen, and Lucile Richardot star. Performance {…}
(Credit: Jiyang Chen) Bayreuth Baroque has announced that its 2021 festival is set to take place between Sept. 1-14. The two-week event will include the revival of Nicola Porpora’s “Carlo il Calvo” led by countertenor Max Emanuel Cencic under the music direction of George Petrou. Additionally, the festival will feature the presence of noted opera stars including countertenor Franco Fagioli {…}
This week audiences will get a chance to hear many baroque pieces, a solo album from a superstar, a debut album, and the long-awaited release of one of the great contemporary operas of our time. Here is a look at this week’s new releases. Ombra Compagna Soprano Lisette Oropesa presents her solo debut album featuring concert arias by Mozart. The {…}
(Credits: © Julian Laidig / © Capucine de Chocqueuse / Justin Hyer / Giulia Papetti) The Festival international d’Opéra Baroque & Romantique Beaune has announced its 2021 program, consisting of seven operas and oratorios, and four recitals. The festival will take place from July 9 until July 31, 2021. Operas & Oratorios Mozart‘s rarely performed operatic masterwork “Lucio Silla” will {…}
(Credits: Sandrine Expilly / Bertie Watson) The Gramophone has announced its 2020 Awards. The top Opera recording went to the Erato’s release of Handel’s “Agrippina”, featuring Joyce DiDonato, Elsa Benoit, Luca Pisaroni, Franco Fagioli, Jakub Józef Orliński, Andrea Mastroni, Carlo Vistoli, Biagio Pizzuti, and Marie-Nicole Lemieux. Maxim Emelyanychev conducted the Il Pomo d’Oro orchestra. Sandrine Piau received the Recital prize {…}
Credit: Gregor Hohenberg/Sony Gramophone has announced the recordings that have advanced to the final round of the Gramophone Classical Music Awards 2020. For the purpose of this article, we will focus on vocal, choral, and opera categories. The first contestant in the opera category is the Barber’s “Vanessa,” performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Glyndebourne Chorus, under the musical {…}
(Credits: Lukasz Rajchert / © Julian Laidig / RibaltaLuce Studio) Max Emanuel Cencic, the Artistic Director of the Bayreuth Baroque Festival, has announced that the Festival Online Edition will take place from Sep. 8 – Sep. 13, 2020. Full performances will be broadcast on the Bayreuth Baroque Festival Facebook Page. For the purposes of this article, we will focus only {…}
(Photo: Innsbrucker Festwochen/Veronika Lercher) Franco Fagioli’s recital entitled “Cara Sposa” supported by the Il Pomo D’Oro ensemble at this summer’s Early Music Festival in Innsbruck was originally scheduled to run for over two hours. The COVID pandemic, however, put pay to that idea. Changes were necessary. With only half the seats in the auditorium available owing to social distancing rules, {…}
(Credits: Gregor Hohenberg/Sony / Rachel Harnisch official website / LA Opera official website / Deutsche Oper am Rhein official website) Stadtcasino Basel has announced its 2020-21 season. For the purpose of this article we will focus only on the vocal works. Here is the full rundown. Baritone Christian Gerhaher will perform works by Schoeck, Moser, and Schubert. Heinz Holliger conducts {…}
(Photo: Igor Studio) The countertenor Franco Fagioli’s new CD, entitled “Veni, Vidi, Vinci,” turns the spotlight onto the now relatively ignored composer Leonardo Vinci. During the early 18th century Vinci was a leading figure in the Neapolitan school; he is known to have influenced the works of Pergolesi, Hasse and Handel, collaborated closely with Metastasio, worked with the leading singers {…}