First performed in 1846, “La Damnation de Faust” remains one of Hector Berlioz’s most audacious and elusive works: neither fully opera nor oratorio, but a hybrid “dramatic legend” that defies conventional staging and genre. Drawing on Goehte’s “Faust” while filtering the story through Berlioz’s intensely Romantic imagination, the piece moves with feverish speed from pastoral lyricism to infernal spectacle, {…}
(Photo by Matt Dine) There was a time that I would have unashamedly described myself an avid Berliozian. Which means, to me, that I not only loved Berlioz’s music but also the classic ‘romantic’ ideal his life represented. Besides his epitomizing the dramatic life of the Romantic period artist, Berlioz clearly blazed a path with innovative forms of music that {…}
(Credits: © McQueen / Deutsche Oper am Rhein official website / © Jean-Baptiste Millot / Jiyang Chen) Opéra National du Rhin in Strasbourg, France has announced its 2021-22 season. Here is the full slate. Operas Hans Abrahamsen’s “The Snow Queen” will spotlight Lauren Snouffer, Rachael Wilson, Helena Rasker, David Leigh, Michael Smallwood, Owen Willetts, Floriane Derthe, and Moritz Kallenberg. Robert {…}
Credit: © Patrice Nin Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia has announced that mezzo-soprano Sophie Koch will perform Chausson’s “Poème de l’amour et de la mer,” Op. 19 in the concert. Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 10 will be performed in the rest of the concert. Roberto González-Monjas will conduct. Sophie Koch recently performed the role of Kundry in {…}
(Credit: Opera Australia official website) Celebrated Australian opera director Elijah Moshinsky has died at the age of 75. Moshinsky graduated from the University of Melbourne and made his operatic debut in 1975 at the Royal Opera House with a production of Britten’s opera “Peter Grimes.” The famed director went on to stage a number of highly successful productions at the {…}
(Credits: © Dario Acosta / Charles Castronovo official website / Deutsche Oper am Rhein official website / Kristian Schuller/Decca) The Salzburg Festival has announced its 2021 edition, featuring 8 operas and numerous concert performances. Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” will feature Mika Kares as Il Commendatore, Nadezhda Pavlova as Donna Anna, Michael Spyres in the role of Don Ottavio, Federica Lombardi as {…}
(Credit: Royal Philharmonic Society official website) The Royal Philharmonic Society has announced that it has awarded its Honorary Membership to the celebrated British mezzo-soprano Dame Sarah Connolly. The Honorary Membership was presented to Dame Sarah Connolly by John Gilhooly OBE, Chair of the Royal Philharmonic Society and Director of the Wigmore Hall. The ceremony took place during Dame Connolly’s performance {…}
We all know the story. The manger. The three wise men. Herod’s murder of innocent children. And of course, the birth. Jesus Christ’s origins are a well-documented story for many and the source of great inspiration for artists for centuries. Opera is no different with a plethora of works related to great story. A look back over the history of {…}