Asmik Grigorian, Andrè Schuen, Michael Spyres & Renée Fleming Lead Salzburg Festival’s 2023 Season

The Salzburg Festival has announced its 2023 season featuring operas, concerts, recitals, and Mozart programs. Opera Raphaël Pichon will conduct Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro” in a new production by Martin Kušej. Andrè Schuen, Adriana González, Sabine Devieilhe, Krzysztof Bączyk, and Lea Desandre star. Performance Dates: July 27-August 28, 2023 Verdi’s “Macbeth” will be conducted by Franz Welser-Möst and directed {…}

Sep 15, 2022

San Francisco Opera 2022-23 Review: Antony and Cleopatra

(Credit: Cory Weaver) “I am fire and air; my other elements I give to baser life.” So sings Cleopatra in John Adams’ “Antony and Cleopatra.” The baser life about which Cleopatra sings is everything that is not she and everything that was not Antony. So Adams tells us in the latest from his roster of remarkable operas. San Francisco Opera {…}

Jun 17, 2022

Will Liverman, Natalia Labourdette & Malcolm Martineau Lead New CD/DVD Releases

This week audiences can check out new works, full opera performances, and debut albums. Fire Shut Up in My Bones The Met releases Terence Blanchard and Kasi Lemmon’s opera with Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducting a cast led by Will Liverman, Angel Blue, and Latonia Moore. OperaWire noted that the opera was a “masterpiece.” The Complete Songs of Duparc Malcolm Martineau presents {…}

Apr 8, 2022

Metropolitan Opera 2021-22 Review: Le Nozze di Figaro

(Credit: Ken Howard) In the opera world, it’s a common cliché to think that Mozart, because of the simplicity of his music, is “easy to perform.” That’s often why we see opera conservatories and universities often take on his masterpieces for performances. But in my view, nothing is more challenging than Mozart. Not only is the music itself complex in {…}

Apr 5, 2022

Rolando Villazón, René Pape, Sonya Yoncheva & Michael Volle Lead Berlin State Opera’s 2022-23 Season

The Berlin State Opera has announced its 2022-23 season featuring a new Ring Cycle. The Ring Cycle Daniel Barenboim conducts a new production of Wagner’s epic The Ring Cycle by Dmitri Tcherniakov. Wagner’s “Das Rheingold” is set to star Michael Volle, Lauri Vasar, Siyabonga Maqungo, Rolando Villazón, Claudia Mahnke, Anett Fritsch, Anna Kissjudit, Johannes Martin Kränzle, Stephan Rügamer, Mika Kares, {…}

Mar 15, 2022

Bayerische Staatsoper Makes Cast Change for ‘Nozze di Figaro’

The Bayerische Staatsoper has made a cast change for its upcoming production of “Le Nozze di Figaro.” Per OWL Artist Management, mezzo-soprano Rachael Wilson will be taking over the role of Cherubino for the March 15, 2022 performance; she will be replacing Samantha Hankey. She will join a cast starring Gerald Finley, Olga Bezsmertna, Katharina Konradi, Luca Pisaroni, Katja Pieweck, {…}

Jan 6, 2022

Golda Schultz, Ryan McKinny, Aida Garifullina, & Isabel Leonard Lead Metropolitan Opera’s Revival of ‘Le Nozze di Figaro’

(Credit: Chris Lee) The Metropolitan Opera is set to revive Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro.” The production by Richard Eyre will be shown six times starting Jan. 8 through 28, 2022. Maestro Daniele Rustioni will lead the production with a cast that includes Golda Schultz in her Met role debut as Countess Almaviva and Adam Plachetka as Count Almaviva. When {…}

Nov 2, 2021

Q & A: Gerald Finley & Susan Bullock on Theatre of Sound’s ‘Bluebeard’s Castle’

(Credit: Sim Canetty Clarke/ Christina Raphaelle) Gerald Finley and Susan Bullock are two world-class artists who have performed at all the major opera stages the world over. Collectively, they have appeared at The Metropolitan Opera, the English National Opera, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Wiener Staatsoper, Canadian Opera Company, Carnegie Hall, Opera North, La Scala, Sydney Opera, La Monnaie, {…}

Nov 1, 2021

Gerald Finley Joins MWA Management

(Credit: Gerald Finley official website) Famed Canadian bass-baritone Gerald Finley has joined the roster of the MWA Management. “I am absolutely thrilled to welcome one of my favorite artists to the MWA family. I have always been a huge fan of Gerald Finley’s astonishing artistry and commitment to the art form. It is hard to imagine a more complete artist {…}

Sep 3, 2021

Joyce DiDonato, Anne Sofie von Otter, Bryne Terfel, Gerald Finley Headline The Royal Conservatory’s 2021-22 Season

The Royal Conservatory of Music in Ontario, Canada, has announced its 2021-22 season. For the purposes of this article, our focus will be solely on vocal and operatic performances. The Glenn Gould School Chamber Opera will present Ana Sokolović’s “Svadba,” a work for six female voices a cappella and percussion accompaniment. Performance Date: Nov. 5 & 6, 2021 The ARC {…}

Jun 10, 2021

Renata Scotto, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Sonya Yoncheva, Jamie Barton Headline Weeks 66, 67, & 68 of Metropolitan Opera’s Nightly Streams

The Metropolitan Opera has announced its next three weeks of nightly streams. The first week will center on Father’s Day, and the following week will celebrate Pride Month, highlighting great performances by artists from the LGBTQ+ community. The final week will be focused on American composers. Additionally, the 1997 telecast of Britten’s “Billy Budd,” featuring Philip Langridge, Dwayne Croft, and {…}