(Photo credit: ©EnricoNawrath) In preparation for the new “Parsifal” at Bayreuth last year, one may have harbored preconceived doubts as to the very idea regarding the use of Augmented Reality eyeglasses. After attending this year’s performances, the doubts lingered; and although this production may not be considered a negative adventure per se, one may not view this experiment as a {…}
There is something to be said about the proverbial aura of live performances, especially in the case of “Parsifal” and recordings from its native Bayreuth. The pleasure is double – cynics might argue – in the absence of visual extravagance, incl. kinky stage designs and the intrusion of AR into the scenography. Thankfully, Deutsche Grammophon does not impose the latter; {…}
The CD release of “Parsifal” under Philippe Jordan is not exactly news. The production dates from the 2021 season of the Vienna State Opera when the gritty, and no less controversial, staging of Kirill Serebrennikov received widespread attention. It was a secular “Parsifal,” highly politicized, and more akin to the oppressive climate of the Soviet Gulag than the Romantic exclusivity {…}
The Semperoper Dresden has announced its 2024-25 season. Premieres Arrigo Boito’s “Mefistofele” is conducted by Andrea Battistoni and directed by Eva-Maria Höckmayr. The production will star Krzysztof Bączyk, Bekhzod Davronov, Marjukka Tepponen, and Martina Gedeck. Performance Dates: Sept. 28-Oct. 24, 2024 Richard Strauss’s “Intermezzo” will be conducted by Patrick Hahn and directed by Axel Ranisch. The cast will include Maria {…}
The Berlin Philharmonic is set to broadcast its New Year’s Eve gala starring Jonas Kaufmann. The orchestra will stream the concert on Dec. 31, 2023 on its Digital Concert Hall and in over 350 cinemas in Germany and Europe. Audiences will also be able to hear the program on the radio on rbbKultur. Kaufmann will perform the role of Sigmund {…}
Sony Classical has announced the release of a new “Parsifal” starring Jonas Kaufmann, Ludovic Tézier, and Elīna Garanča. The new recording slated for release on March 1, 2024, was recorded at the Wiener Staatsoper in 2021 without an audience. Kaufmann took to social media to announce the new release and said, “I am happy to announce the release of our {…}
Wagner’s “Tannhäuser” returns to the Metropolitan Opera for eight performances. The opera will open on Nov. 30 and will be performed through Dec. 23, 2023 with a cast that includes Austrian tenor Andreas Schager, South African soprano Elza van den Heever as Elisabeth, and Russian mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Gubanova as Venus. The cast will be rounded out by German baritone Christian Gerhaher {…}
The Bayreuth Festival has announced its 2024 season. The festival will open with Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde” starring Andreas Schager, Günther Groissböck, Camilla Nylund, Olafur Sigurdarson, Birger Radde, and Ekaterina Gubanova. Semyon Bychkov conducts the production by Thorleifur Örn Arnarsson. Performance Dates: July 25-August 26 2024 Günther Groissböck, Klaus Florian Vogt, Markus Eiche, Olafur Sigurdarson, Jens-Erik Aasbø, and Elisabeth Teige {…}
The Semperoper Dresden has announced its 2023-24 season. Here is a look at the operatic productions of the season. Premieres Puccini’s “Turandot” is set to star Elisabeth Teige, Aleksei Kulagin, Yonghoon Lee, and Elbenita Kajtazi. Ivan Repušić conducts the new production by Marie-Eve Signeyrole. Performance Dates: Oct. 7-Nov. 25, 2023 Mary Plazas, Katerina von Bennigsen, Peter Tantsits, and Andrew Nolen {…}
Semperoper Dresden is set to present a concert performance of Verdi’s “Attila” for the first time in the company’s history. The famed Verdi opera will feature Georg Zeppenfeld, Andrzej Dobber, Anna Smirnova, Tomislav Mužek, Timothy Oliver, and Tilmann Rönnebeck, under the baton of Jordi Bernàcer. Zeppenfeld will be making his role debut as the title character while Mužek will take {…}
(© Semperoper Dresden/Matthias Creutziger) Semperoper Dresden is set to bring back Willy Decker’s production of “Der Ring des Nibelungen” this February. This revival will celebrate the 20th anniversary of this staging’s first performances and the first in five years. In sum, there will be two cycles – one starting on Jan. 27 and running through Feb. 1 and a second {…}