(Credit: © Javier del Real | Teatro Real) There are operas that cannot be separated from the city where they were born. For Madrid, “Il Trovatore” is exactly that kind of story. It did not begin with Verdi but with a young playwright, Antonio Garcia Gutierrez, who in 1836 presented his play “El Trovador” at Madrid’s Teatro del Principe, inspired {…}
The Philharmonie Essen has announced its 2026-27 season. Here are the vocal performances. Mandy Fredrich and Christoph Altstaedt perform works by Strauss and Tchaikovsky. Performance Date: Sept. 27, 2026 The Mark Andre Choir and Electronics will be conducted by Ingo Metzmacher. Performance Date: Nov. 1, 2026 Miah Persson and Vimbayi Kaziboni perform music by Jiaying He, Mark Andre, Morton Feldman, {…}
(Credit: © Gianluca Fontana) BR Klassik is set to broadcast a performance of “Simon Boccanegra” with Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks and the Münchner Rundfunkorchester on April 26. The performance will feature Eleonora Buratto, Fabio Sartori, George Petean in the title role, Ljubomir Puškarić, Miklós Sebestyén, and Alexander Vinogradov. Ivan Repušić will conduct the concert performance. The concert will be repeated on May 2 {…}
(Photo credit: Watson, Leedom, Gibson, Filip) Les Grandes Voix | Les Grands Solistes announces 2026-27 season. Here’s a look at the vocal performances. A concert version of Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” stars Huw Montague Rendall, Emöke Baráth, Lauranne Oliva, Adrien Fournaison, Eva Zaïcik, Diana Montague, Jennifer Courcier, Raphaël Brémard, and Nicolas Brooymans. Francesco Corti conducts B’Rock Orchestra. Performance Date: {…}
The Dutch National Opera is set to present Verdi’s “Simon Boccanegra.” The company will present the opera as part of the Holland Festival and Fabio Luisi will conduct the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Jetske Mijnssen will direct the new production. The new production by Mijnssen sets Verdi’s opera in 1881, the year the revised version premiered and when Italy was united {…}
(Credit: ©2026 Marc Brenner) “There’s a storm brewing…it’s going to get darker,” observes assassin Sparafucile. How right he is! Moments later, he’s stuffing the pure and innocent, murdered Gilda into a body bag downstairs while his sister is gyrating on top of the dastardly Duke of Mantua upstairs; pretty much as dark as it gets. ‘Manosphere’ and ‘Toxic Masculinity’ are the {…}
The Edinburgh International Festival has announced its 2026 season. Here are the vocal performances. Opera Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek’s “The Galloping Cure” will make its world premiere with Stuart Stratford conducting the Scottish Opera and Tom Morris directing. Performance Dates: August 9-12, 2026 Konstantin Krimmel lead Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” with Brindley Sherratt, Louise Alder, Giovanni Sala, Janai Brugger, Michael Sumuel, William Thomas, and Hera {…}
On Feb. 26, the Wiener Staatsoper is set to stream “Luisa Miller” in a new production by Philipp Grigorian. The opera will be conducted by Michele Mariotti and will star Roberto Tagliavini as Walter, Freddie De Tommaso as Rodolfo, Daria Sushkova as Federica, Marko Mimica as Wurm, Nadine Sierra in the title role, and George Petean as Miller. The stream {…}
(Credit: Susanne Hassler-Smith) “Luisa Miller” by Giuseppe Verdi is a tragic tale of love destroyed by social hierarchy and political intrigue. The young peasant Luisa Miller is in love with Rodolfo, who is in fact the son of the powerful nobleman Count Walter, though he has been living in disguise. Their relationship is opposed by Rodolfo’s father, who intends him {…}
On Jan. 21, 2027, Anna Netrebko will return to Mannheim for an evening of opera arias, duets, and trios. The concert will be held at the Rosengarten, and she is set to be joined by Brian Jagde and George Petean, and the Baden-Baden Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Marco Armiliato. The concert will include works by Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo {…}
(Credit: Monika Rittershaus) “La Forza del Destino” has always been considered a transitional work in Giuseppe Verdi’s output, bridging the purely romantic operas of his early period and the mature works where his musical language became more dramatic, direct, and personal. It was composed on a commission from the Imperial Theatre in St. Petersburg, where it premiered in 1862. The {…}