(Credit: Bill Cooper) Anticipation was already at fever pitch for this new production of “Fidelio” in London, even before Oliver Mears, Royal Opera Artistic Director, appeared on stage before curtain up, evidently the bearer of bad news. “Please don’t be alarmed,” he reassured: Tenor Jonas Kaufmann only had a cold, would indeed sing, and asked for our indulgence. “We’ve been {…}
(Credit: Jiyang Chen / Marco Borggreve) The Semperoper Dresden has announced its 2020-21 season featuring seven new operatic productions and a number of revivals. Here is a look at the operatic productions. Premieres The first new production of the season will be Rossini’s “Guillaume Tell,” written by de Jouy and Bis. The new production by Georg Schmiedleitner will star Christoph {…}
This weekend two new productions open with some of the biggest stars in opera while a rarely performed work is set to open in Germany. Don Giovanni – Teatro Mayor, Colombia José Areán conducts Marcelo Lombardero’s production of Mozart and Da Ponte’s masterpiece. Acclaimed bass Nahuel di Pierro stars in the title role with a cast that also includes Hernán {…}
(Credit: Opernhaus Zürich) Opernhaus Zürich will honor the memory of the late conductor Nello Santi by performing Giuseppe Verdi’s Messa da Requiem, according to the official statement on the company’s website. General Music Director of the Opernhaus Zürich Maestro Fabio Luisi will conduct the Zürich Philharmonic in the performance of Verdi’s masterwork that will star soloists soprano Hibla Gerzmava, tenor Benjamin {…}
Credit: Opera de Pairs/Teatro alla Scala/Wiener Staatsoper/Opera Royal de Wallonie It’s a weekend filled with broadcasts, premieres and new productions that are not be missed. Tosca – Wiener Staatsoper, Austria Piotr Beczala receives his Kammersänger honor after the performance of Puccini’s masterpiece. He is joined by Nina Stemme and Carlos Álvarez. The starry cast is joined by Marc Armiliato in the {…}
The Semperoper Dresden has announced its slate for 2019-20, which will include seven new productions to go along with 23 revivals. New Productions Rossini’s “Il Viaggio a Reims” is directed by Laura Scozzi with a cast that includes Elena Gorshunova, Maria Kataeva, Tuuli Takala, Iulia Maria Dan, Taylor Stayton, Edgardo Rocha, Georg Zeppenfeld, Maurizio Muraro, Martin-Jan Nijhof, Christoph Pohl, Tilmann {…}
Its preludes are themselves landmarks of beauty – but Wagner’s 1850 opera “Lohengrin” is a prelude to his future epics. Rooted in Arthurian legend, taking the son of King Parsifal as its hero, and featuring prayers to the pagan gods Wotan and Freia, it is another battle between the divine and the mortal. In mythical medieval Brabant, Count Friedrich von {…}
The 2017-18 season comes to an end and in comes festival season. So where are the big stars and what are interesting works being discovered this year? With a ton of selections to be sure, we whittled it down to the 10 Must-See productions (as we did with the U.S.) that cannot be missed this summer. 10. Tristan und Isolde – {…}
(Credit: © Semperoper Dresden/Klaus Gigga) The Semperoper Dresden has announced its 2018-19 season featuring a number of superstars and nine new productions of operettas, chamber opera, and grand opera. As always, the following will only cover the operas that will be shown next season and not the ballets that were also included in the season announcement. New Production Arnold Schönberg’ {…}