Orchestre Classique de Montréal To Present Historic ‘Messiah’

The Orchestre Classique de Montréal is set to showcase the first-ever performance of Handel’s “Messiah” at the Crypt of Saint-Joseph’s Oratory. The performance, set for Dec. 8, 2019, will feature soprano Aline Kutan, mezzo-soprano Annamaria Popescu, tenor Zachary Rioux, and baritone Gregory Dahl. Kutan teaches Montréal’s Conservatoire de Musique in addition to enjoying an international career onstage. Rioux is currently {…}

Opera Meets Film: How Joon-Ho Bong’s ‘Parasite’ Develops Ironic Narrative Through Handel’s ‘Rodelinda’

“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 features Joon-Ho Bong’s “Parasite.” In reviewing “Parasite,” Indiewire’s David Ehrlich has previously stated that director Joon-Ho Bong is a genre unto himself. This very film starts off as a comedy of sorts as it follows a family of four slowly con themselves into jobs with a wealthier family. But then the film takes a turn into a darker drama that eventually {…}

Handel And Haydn Society To Present Handel’s ‘Messiah’ For 166th Consecutive Year

Boston’s Handel and Haydn Society will continue its annual holiday tradition of presenting Handel’s beloved choral work “Messiah.” H + H gave the American premiere of “Messiah” in its entirety in 1818, and has showcased the “dazzling and joyous” work every year since 1854. The sixty-member professional Baroque chorus and period instrument orchestra will be joined by soprano Elizabeth Watts, {…}

Q & A: Director Anna-Magdalena Fitzi On Her Approach To Coaching Singers And “Ottone” At Innsbruck’s Early Music Festival

Innsbruck’s Early Music Festival is presenting Handel’s “Ottone” as its Barockoper: Jung production in which promising young talented singers who have just embarked upon their careers are given the opportunity to perform in a fully staged work. The director for this production, Anna-Magdalena Fitzi seems the ideal choice to take charge of the staging as she works extensively with young {…}

Mostly Mozart Festival 2019 Review: Soprano Jeanine De Bique & Budapest Festival Orchestra

(Photo Credit: Kevin Yatarola) On August 4, 2019, the Budapest Festival Orchestra brought their talents to David Geffen Hall for an exciting program of works by Handel, Haydn, and Mozart. Joining conductor Ivan Fischer and the orchestra was Trinidadian soprano Jeanine De Bique, making her debut performance with the Mostly Mozart Festival in spectacular fashion. First, Haydn Starting the evening’s {…}