(Photo: Kristaps Kains, Latvian National Opera) Latvia National Opera’s production of Verdi’s “Don Carlo” was musically and visually excellent, but the director Claus Guth’s underlying concept was not, at least initially, easy to grasp, despite his clearly written program notes. His underlying idea is that it is Carlo’s energy, values and behavior set against a despotic society, in which faceless {…}
(Credit: Royal Opera) I suppose anything with “Destiny” in the title will always be a bit profound. In fact, “La Forza” is about as profound and gloomy, if not downright dark as it gets, even by Verdi’s standards. At around four and a half hours, it’s also his longest work. It’s a story of love, death, and revenge. Mainly revenge. {…}
Photo credit: Amati Bacciardi Venice’s Teatro La Fenice is currently staging Verdi’s “I Due Foscari” with a stellar cast that includes soprano Anastasia Bartoli in the role of Lucrezia Contarini. Bartoli has hit the headlines over the past few seasons with a string of stunning performances across Italy. In 2023 alone she has appeared in a variety of diverse roles, {…}
Italian Maestro Daniele Callegari is scheduled to lead performances of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Nabucco” at The Metropolitan Opera this season, September through October 2023, and December through January 2024. The lead roles will be performed by George Gagnidze as Nabucco, Liudmyla Monastyrska as Abigaille, and Dmitry Belosselskiy as Zaccaria. Callegari made his American debut in 2007, leading a concert performance of {…}
Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” conjures up fire from the outset like firelight. It burns and blazes with passion. It smolders. The more Verdi wrote, the more his imagination leapt into flames. One magnificent, powerful and engaging aria, duet, trio, quartet and chorus, emerging after the other. Dazzling. And what a story – an Italian troubadour with love affairs and babies tossed {…}
(Photo: © Ruth Walz) A couple of weeks ago, I had a lovely conversation with one of the dramaturgists of Salzburg Festival’s production of Verdi’s “Falstaff.” He pinpointed how strange it is for a dramaturg to hear that the staging for this production did not work, but the music did. To him, music and theater are part of the same {…}
Photo credit: SF Bernd Uhlig In one of his literary excursions, the great Portuguese author Eça de Queiroz reviewed the premiere of Verdi’s “Macbeth” in Lisbon. He did not see the original Italian version of the opera, but the revised French one and quite likely with the same cast as in Paris. Eça insisted that Verdi was the greatest living {…}
The end of this month sees the start of Ireland’s Blackwater Valley Opera Festival, which this year will be performing Verdi’s “Macbeth.” The staging will take place in the grounds of Lismore Castle, the perfect backdrop for evoking the atmosphere of murder, treachery and ghostly interventions, set within the walls of Inverness and Dusinane castles. The director bringing this to {…}
(Photo: Tristram Kenton) Robert Carsen’s new production of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Aida” opened at the Royal Opera House back in the autumn; now it is receiving its first revival as the 2022-23 season begins to wind up for the year. First time round it was conducted by Antonio Pappano; this time an equally distinguished British institution takes the musical reins in {…}
On Mar. 12, 2023, the Metropolitan Opera revived and gave the Robert Carsen-directed “Falstaff” its season premiere, marking the company’s 193rd performance that crackled with energy and verve. There was electricity in the crowd, as well. At times, an opening night can feel like a final dress rehearsal. This was not one of those times. The show was tight and {…}
Photo: David Ruano/Gran Teatre del Liceu Željko Lučić’s Strong Macbeth Serbian baritone Željko Lučić replaced Spanish bass-baritone Carlos Alvarez—who unfortunately had to cancel due to illness—in the role of Macbeth for Verdi’s eponymous opera, currently staged at Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu. Lučić has regularly performed at the Metropolitan Opera, New York, where he has given us most of his {…}