(Credit: Dario Acosta NY) German mezzo-soprano Tanja Ariane Baumgartner is one of the most sought-after opera singers of our time. Baumgartner has been a member of the ensemble at Oper Frankfurt since the 2009-10 season. During her time in Frankfurt, Tanja Baumgartner made appearances in numerous operas including “Carmen,” “Giulio Cesare in Egitto,” “Don Carlo,” “Medea,” “Die Frau ohne Schatten,” {…}
(Credits: Nadine Boyd Photography/Cristina Haldane) The Edinburgh International Festival has announced a virtual program for its 2020 edition. In partnership with Scottish artists and national arts companies, “My Light Shines On” features original performances that have been filmed inside venues such as the Edinburgh Festival Theatre, The King’s Theatre, Leith Theatre, The Hub, Usher Hall and The Queen’s Hall. “My {…}
(Credit: Anne Zeuner / Salzburg Festival) Strauss’ opera “Elektra” will open this year’s Festival in Salzburg, in quite unique circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Conductor Franz Welser-Möst and stage director Krzysztof Warlikowski discussed their views of the production in a recent press release from the Salzburg Festival. “The danger of becoming inebriated with the opulence of sound and losing {…}
(Credit: Official Website Aušrinė Stundytė / P Gasiunas) The Salzburg Festival has announced that it will record its production of Strauss’ “Elektra“ via ORF, 3sat, ZDF/ARTE and UNITEL in collaboration with the Vienna Philharmonic and the Salzburg Festival and will be broadcast as followed. The company will then stream the production over the course of several days via some a {…}
(Credit: © Julia Wesely) The Cleveland Orchestra has launched the second collection of their concert audio recordings, featuring their celebrated “Prometheus Project.” Dedicated to exploring the works of Beethoven, this festival closed out the orchestra’s centennial season in 2018. The “TCO Classics” can be streamed for free on the company’s website. This collection of recordings includes all nine of Beethoven’s {…}
The Cleveland Orchestra has announced its 2020-21 season. For the purposes of this article we will only highlight vocal performances. Franz Welser-Möst conducts Eldman’s Rothko Chapel and Mozart’s Requiem and Ave verum corpus. The concert features soloists Lauren Snouffer, Daryl Freedman, Julian Prégardien, Matthew Plenk, Peter Kellner, and violist Wesley Collins. Performance Dates: Sept. 24-30, 2020 Alan Gilbert conducts Beethoven’s {…}
(Credit: Julia Wesely) The Cleveland Orchestra has announced a new five-year extension of Franz Welser-Möst’s contract as Music Director. The new contract will continue the conductor and orchestra’s partnership that began in 2002 and will now be extended until 2027. “I am delighted to announce this extended contract, ensuring The Cleveland Orchestra’s acclaimed partnership with Franz Welser-Möst for an additional {…}
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has announced the recipients of the Kennedy Center International Committee on the Arts Gold Medal in the Arts. This year, the awards will be handed to performers and arts leaders in their respective international communities. Among this year’s recipients are conductors Ádám Fischer and Ivan Fischer; composer and pianist György Kurtág; soprano {…}
Franz Welser-Möst has canceled his participation in the Staatsoper under den Linden’s upcoming production of “Die Zauberflote.” The company announced that the Cleveland music director was forced to pull out due to knee surgery. As a result, Alondra de la Parra will take over the run. De la Parra is a rising star who is the music director of the Queensland {…}
Sony manager Bogdan Roscic is slated to be the new leader of the Vienna State Opera as of 2020. Roscic was appointed by Austria’s Culture Ministry to take up the position and is seen as a potential pioneer due to his background in pop radio and as a record company executive. He has been the head of Sony’s classical music {…}