Luca Salsi, Francesco Meli, Gilda Fiume, Ana Maria Labin, & Paolo Bordogna Lead Teatro Filarmonico’s 2027 Season

Verona’s Teatro Filarmonico has announced its 2027 season. Opera Giorgio Strehler’s production of Mozart’s “Die Entführung aus dem Serail” will be conducted by Enrico Onofri and will star Henning Mosselman, Ana Maria Labin, Marco Ciaponi, Eleonora Bellocci, Enrico Casari, and Peter Rose. Performance Dates: Jan. 17-24, 2027 Verdi’s “Alzira” will be directed by Manuel Renga and conducted by Renato Palumbo. The cast includes Mariano Buccino, {…}

Aug 27, 2026

Festspielhaus Baden-Baden 2026 Review: La Bohème

(Photo: Michael Gregonowits) On August 23, for a one-off performance, the Baden-Baden Festival presented Puccini’s “La Bohème” in a concert version conducted by Marco Armiliato, featuring tenor Benjamin Bernheim as Rodolfo, and sopranos Carolina López Moreno as Mimì and Sandra Hamaoui as Musetta. It is highly likely that this production will be long remembered, not only because of the Bernheim’s {…}

Jul 6, 2026

Royal Ballet & Opera 2025-26 Review: La Bohème

(Photo: Ian Hippolyte) Richard Jones’ production of “La Bohème,” currently at Covent Garden for its eighth run, is a magnificent piece of art. It is still, however, tempered with a few anomalies including nonsensical stage changes in full view of the audience. I’ve grown to accept set designer Stewart Laing’s bohemian residence, portrayed here as a clinically spruce garret; albeit {…}

Dec 22, 2025

Anna Netrebko, Lisette Oropesa, Carolina López Moreno, Martina Russomanno, Yusif Eyvazov, Ludovic Tézier, Luca Salsi & Maria José Siri Lead Arena di Verona’s 2026 Season

The Arena di Verona has announced its 2026 season. The season will open with a new production of Verdi’s “La Traviata.” Michele Spotti and Francesco Ivan Ciampa conduct the new production starring Martina Russomanno, Gilda Fiume and Rosa Feola. The casts also include Yusif Eyvazov, Galeano Salas, Francesco Meli, René Barbera, Adam Smith, Amartuvshin Enkhbat, Mihai Damian, Youngjun Park, Ludovic {…}

May 13, 2025

Teatro alla Scala 2024-25 Review: Il nome della rosa (World Premiere)

(Ph. Brescia – Amisano © Teatro alla Scala) In a suitcase–acquired expressly to transport it due to its weight and size–travels, rehearsal after rehearsal and performance after performance, the score of “Il nome della rosa,” weighing an impressive 15 kilograms. Yet the heft of this voluminous tome is not merely physical but also semiotic: it is the fruit of the {…}

Jun 7, 2024

Anna Netrebko, Jonas Kaufmann, Juan Diego Flórez, Eleonora Buratto & Vittorio Grigòlo Lead Arena di Verona’s Gala Broadcast

Rai Cultura is set to broadcast the Arena di Verona’s opening night concert “La Grande Opera Italiana Patrimonio dell’Umanità” on June 7. The concert is set to feature such artists as Anna Netrebko, Eleonora Buratto, Rosa Feola, Juliana Grigoryan, Jessica Pratt, Mariangela Sicilia, Aigul Akhmetshina, Jonas Kaufmann, Juan Diego Flórez, Vittorio Grigòlo, Brian Jagde, Francesco Meli, Galeano Salas, Nicola Alaimo, Luca {…}

May 24, 2024

Teatro La Fenice 2024 Review: Don Giovanni

(Photo credit: Michele Crosera) Having seen more versions of “Don Giovanni” than there are sands on the beach, I can attest that the greatness of the opera is seldom undermined by a less than optimum staging. However, when the staging is good—or even great—, one feels that there is no better opera than “Don Giovanni.” The revival of Damiano Michieletto’s {…}

Dec 18, 2023

Teatro Real 2023-24 Review: Rigoletto (Cast C)

It belongs in the past, the idea of gathering excellent singers for opening night and then choosing unknown young performers for alternative casts. Teatro Real, with the participation of Quinn Kelsey, John Osborn and Gianluca Buratto, proved how strong cast C was for its production of “Rigoletto.” Quinn Kelsey as Rigoletto Baritone Quinn Kelsey portrayed the titular role. He has {…}

Nov 21, 2023

Stéphanie d’Oustrac Leads ‘Agrippina’ at Dutch National Opera

(Credit: © Marta Syrko) The Dutch National Opera is set to present Händel’s “Agrippina” with conductor Ottavio Dantone. The opera will be presented in a production by Barrie Kosky, which is a Co-production with Bayerische Staatsoper (Munich), Royal Opera House (London), and Hamburgische Staatsoper. The cast includes Stéphanie d’Oustrac, John Holiday, Ying Fang, Gianluca Buratto, Tim Mead, Jake Ingbar, and {…}

Nov 7, 2023

Royal Opera House 2023-24 Review: Rigoletto

(©Tristram Kenton) The Royal Opera presented at their Covent Garden Theatre a revival of their new production of “Rigoletto” by the stage director, and artistic director of the Royal Opera, Oliver Mears. Oliver Mears’ production is austere and minimalistic. The first two acts have a back golden wall, with big paintings hanging on the palace’s scenes, and Gilda’s room for {…}

Oct 26, 2022

Riccardo Frizza to Lead Gran Teatre del Liceu’s ‘Il Trovatore’

The Gran Teatre del Liceu is set to open its 2022-23 season with Verdi’s “Il Trovatore.” Maestro Riccardo Frizza will lead the opera for 10 performances with two different casts and will mark his latest foray into Verdian repertory since the Festival Verdi’s “Simon Boccanegra.” In an official statement, Frizza said, “Taking a look back over this year, it has {…}