On Jan. 22, the Royal Opera House Muscat presented its final performance of “Rigoletto.” On this evening, the opening cast returned in Franco Zeffirelli’s final production. The result was a performance filled with excellent singing that sometimes lacked drama and felt disconnected from the glorious production. A Return to Old Times Ambrogio Maestri led the cast singing the title role. {…}
To celebrate its 10th anniversary, the Royal Opera House Muscat recently opened its 2022 season with a historical production of “Rigoletto.” The version of the Verdi opera marks the final production that legendary director Franco Zeffirelli created for the opera stage before his death in 2019. It’s also a historical occasion because it marks the first time that audiences in {…}
The Teatro Filarmonico announced its 2022 season featuring several new productions and rarely performed works. Here is a look. The company will present Wolf-Ferrari’s “Il segreto di Susanna” and Puccini’s “Suor Angelica” in a double bill. Gianna Fratta conducts the new production by Federica Zagatti Wolf-Ferrari and Giorgia Guerra. Vittorio Prato and Lavinia Bini star in Wolf-Ferrari’s opera while Donata D’Annunzio {…}
The Royal Opera House Muscat has announced its tenth anniversary season. The season opens with Verdi’s “Rigoletto” in production by Franco Zeffirelli. The new production is the final piece of work that Zeiffirelli left behind. The production will star Leo Nucci in the title role, Dmitry Korchak (Duke of Mantua), Giuliana Gianfaldoni (Gilda) and Ricardo Zanellato (Sparafucile). The orchestra and {…}
The Teatro Regio di Torino has announced its 2022 season. Grigorij Frid’s “Il diario di Anna Frank” will be performed by Shira Patchornik and conducted by Giulio Laguzzi. Anna Maria Bruzzese directs the production. Performance Dates: Jan. 27 & 28, 2022 Dinara Alieva and Maria Teresa Leva lead Puccini’s “La Bohème” with Valentin Dytiuk and Matteo Lippi as Rodolfo. The cast {…}
Italy’s Teatro Municipale di Piacenza has announced the fall 2021 season. Here is a look at the operatic and vocal concerts. Opera The season opens with Bellini’s “Norma” starring Angela Meade, Stefano La Colla, Michele Pertusi, and Paola Gardina. Performance Dates: Oct. 20-24, 2021 Donizetti’s “Le convenienze ed inconvenienze teatrali” will star Giuliana Gianfaldoni, Nicolò Donini, Marco Filippo Romano, Paola Leoci, Silvia Beltrami, Matteo Desole, Andrea Vincenzo Bonsignore, Stefano {…}
The Festival Verdi has announced its 2021 season and will take place in both Parma and Busetto. Here is a look at the operaic performances planned for this season. Operas & Concerts The season kicks off with “Un ballo in maschera“ at Teatro Regio di Parma in a new staging by Graham Vick. Roberto Abbado conducts the Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini {…}
The Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, Italy has announced the full details of its 2021 season. The season will open on August 9 at the Vitrifrigo Arena with “Moïse et Pharaon” performed by the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI and the Chorus of the Teatro Ventidio Basso conducted by Giacomo Sagripanti. The production will be staged by Pier Luigi Pizzi {…}
On Jan. 22, 2021, the Teatro Municipale la Piacenza in Italy will live stream a production of “Gianni Schicchi.” The opera will be streamed on the online platform Opera Streaming and will be conducted by Massimiliano Stefanelli. Renato Bonajuto will direct the production which is set to be headlined by Roberto de Candia in the title role. The cast will also {…}
The Teatro Grande di Brescia in Northern Italy has announced its 2020 fall season. The season opens with Handel’s “Messiah” in Mozart’s famed revision with Marigona Qerkezi, Chiara Tirotta, Didier Pieri, and Andrea Patucelli. Massimo Fiocchi Malaspina conducts. Performance Date: Sept. 29, 2020 The season will continue with #2021DESTINAZIONETAURIDE featuring music by Gluck with Anna Caterina Antonacci, Mert Süngü, and Bruno Taddia. The evening will feature {…}
(Photo: Studio Amati Bacciardi) Despite the restrictions in place caused by the COVID pandemic, the Rossini Opera Festival has managed to put together a reduced festival of outdoor concerts and recitals along with a fully-staged performance of the maestro’s one-act farsa “La Cambiale di Matrimonio” at the Teatro Rossini. The opera, written in 1810 for the San Moisè in Venice {…}