On March 31, 2019, the Metropolitan Opera’s National Council Auditions were brought to a thrilling conclusion with their grand finals concert. Hosted by countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, nine young finalists took to the Metropolitan’s stage for the first time to share their artistic gifts with the audience. Opening the afternoon’s concert was soprano Meghan Kasanders, singing “Dich, teure Halle’ from {…}
“Opera Meets Film” is a feature dedicated to exploring the way that opera has been employed in cinema. We will select a section or a film in its entirety, highlighting the impact that utilizing the operatic form or sections from an opera can alter our perception of a film that we are viewing. This week’s installment we will take a {…}
When it comes to baroque opera, George Frideric Handel is the go-to composer. Born on Feb. 23, 1685, Handel worked as a composer in Hamburg and Italy before eventually making his way to London where he would become a prominent figure. He set up three commercial opera companies in London and wound up composing a whopping 42 operas between 1705 {…}
Nashville Symphony has announced its 2019-20 season. There will be a wide variety of series and events at Nashville Symphony this season, including the Classical Series, FirstBank Pops Series, Movie Series, Blackford Jazz Series, The Ann & Monroe Carell Family Trust Family Series, National Geographic Live Series, and Special Events & Presentations. In order to stick to opera, we will {…}
Most musicologists concur that Handel did a major cut and paste job on “Rinaldo,” as more than two thirds of the score was cribbed from earlier compositions. There are also three versions of this tremendously successful opera from 1711, 1717 and 1731. Depending on singers’ availability and vocal condition, innumerable nips and tucks occurred at almost all 53 performances during Handel’s {…}
Opera Atelier has announced its 2019-20 season, which is entitled “A Season of Saints / A Season of Sinners.” The company will kick off the year with a production of “Don Giovanni.” The Mozart work will star Douglas Williams, Carla Huhtanen, Colin Ainsworth, Meghan Lindsay, Stephen Hegedus, Olivier Laquerre, Mireille Asselin, and Gustav Andreassen. “Our audience has made it clear {…}
On Jan. 29, 2019, the Deutsche Oper Am Rhein will present Handel’s “Xerxes.” Those who are unable to attend the performance in Germany will luckily be able to watch it via OperaVision’s live streaming service and for several months thereafter. The stream kicks off at 7 p.m. local time. That’s around 1 p.m. EDT and 10 a.m. PST for the {…}
Brescia shares its opera season with a number of other cities in Italy’s Lombardia region, courtesy of the touring company, Opera Lombardia, and if the quality of its recent production of Handel’s “Rinaldo” is representative, then it certainly does not suffer from the arrangement. Boasting a quality young cast, including the highly respected French contralto, Delphine Galou, and two singers {…}
The Oratorio Society of New York is set to present Handel’s “Messiah” following its tradition of presenting the work every year. The classic oratorio will be presented on Dec. 17, 2018, with Music Director Kent Tritle leading the OSNY in its 145th performance of Messiah. The cast will include Leslie Fagan, a beloved Oratorio Society guest artist, countertenor Daniel Moody, tenor {…}
Handel’s oratorio “Israel in Egypt” will open MasterVoices’ 77th season on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018 at Carnegie Hall. The performance, led by the ensemble’s Artistic Director Ted Sperling will feature the New York premiere of a multi-media version of the Handel piece. The performances on the evening will include Mikaela Bennett, Jessica Niles, John Holiday, Gregory Feldmann, Andrew Stenson, and {…}
Even by usual standards of patently implausible baroque opera plots, “Rodelinda” reaches new heights of Delphic abstruseness. William Hartston in the London Express described Handel’s 19th opera as “everyone wanting to marry or kill everyone else.” Regardless of Hartston’s hyperbole, confusion certainly abounds. A Penelope-esque wife erroneously thinks her husband is dead not once, but twice. The two principal protagonists {…}