(Credit: Karen Almond / Metropolitan Opera) A debutante. The return of a singer for the first time in eight years. A rising star finally getting a true standout role. A bass-baritone reprising his star-making turn. And one of the great living conductors also making a vital return. These were the main pieces that came together, among others, for what has {…}
(Credit: Ken Howard / Met OPera) On Friday, Dec. 13, the Metropolitan Opera will revive its Robert Carsen production of “Der Rosenkavalier” with a fantastic cast of singers. As the Marschallin, Camilla Nylund will make her hotly anticipated Met Opera debut. Katie Van Kooten will sing a single performance on Dec. 28; this is her third opera at the Met, {…}
In simplified terms, Wagner’s music, especially in “Tristan und Isolde,” can be visually compared to a continuous stream of waves coming and going, each growing in size and power, exploding, and then receding back to where they came from. In the best performances, a singer rides these orchestral waves of sound, the voice standing above the music, but also impossible {…}
The Park Avenue Armory has announced its 2020 seasons. Here is a look at the vocal performances from the season. Monteverdi’s “Marian Vespers” gets a North American premiere at the Wade Thompson Drill Hall in an interpretation directed by the Armory’s Marina Kellen, French Artistic Director Pierre Audi and featuring world-renowned orchestra and choral ensemble Pygmalion under the baton of conductor Raphaël Pichon. Performance {…}
(Credit: Gerhard Ringhofer) Günther Groissböck has confirmed a new production of Verdi’s “Don Carlo” at the Metropolitan Opera. In a recent interview with Online Merker, the bass confirmed that he will sing the role of King Philip in a new interpretation of the famed Verdi work in 2022. Moreover, he revealed that he will first sing the French version of {…}
This weekend we look at a number of classic operas in some of the world’s most notable production houses, as well as one of the great festivals in the world. Rusalka – Theater an der Wien, Austria Maria Bengtsson stars in Dvořák’s masterpiece in a new production by Amélie Niermeyer. The soprano starts alongside Ladislav Elgr as the Prince, Günther {…}
Wagner’s “Die Walküre” is set to appear on Great Performances at the Met on August 12 at 12 p.m. The opera will feature Robert LePage’s famed production with Christine Goerke, Greer Grimsley, Stuart Skelton, Jamie Barton, Eva-Maria Wesbroek, and Günther Groissböck among the cast members. Philippe Jordan conducts the second installment in Wagner’s famed tetralogy. Of the opera’s opening performance, {…}
(Credit: Teatro alla Scala/Bayerische Staatsoper) For this weekend’s top choices we take you to Brazil, Finland, Germany, and Italy where you can potentially experience works by Gounod, Verdi, Smetana, and Puccini. If you get a chance to see these performance, don’t think twice about it. Faust – Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Atalla Ayan takes on the title {…}
The White Lights Festival has announced its 2019 festival featuring numerous experimental works and a number of operatic and vocal evenings. For this article, we will only announce vocal events. “En Masse,” a work created by Yaron Lifschitz with the Circa Ensemble, is set to feature selections by Swedish composer Klara Lewis interspersed with selections from Schubert’s “Winterreise” and “Schwanengesang.” Performance {…}
The Opera National du Rhin has announced its 2019-20 season featuring a number of new productions and world premieres. Giuliano Carella conducts the opening night gala with soloists Olivier Breitman, Ambroisine Bré, Pumeza Matshikiza, and Ezgi Kutlu. Performance Dates: Sept. 25-28, 2019 Philip Venable’s “4.48 Psychosis” gets its first production by Ted Huffman, who directed the work at the Royal Opera {…}
Musikverein Wien has announced its 2019-20 season. For the purposes of this article, we will focus on vocal performances. Martin Haselböck will lead the Orchester Wiener Akademie in a performance of various works by Franz Schubert as well as Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 4 in D Minor. Baritone Thomas Hampson will be featured. Performance Date: Oct. 13, 2019 Bass Günther Groissböck and {…}