The Metropolitan Opera has announced a cast change for its Jan. 10 performance of “I Puritani.” The company said that Artur Ruciński has withdrawn from the performance due to a cold and will be replaced by Ricardo José Rivera. The Polish baritone also took to social media and said, “My dear friends, I have very sad news. Unfortunately, due to {…}
(Photo: Ken Howard / Met Opera) Less is more! That was what Sandro Sequi did well in his traditional 1976 production of “I Puritani” at the Metropolitan Opera. Originally staged for Joan Sutherland, the production was a vehicle for the great divas of the Bel Canto repertoire. And while it was admittedly a product of its time, the last three {…}
(Photo: Paola Kudacki / Met Opera) The Metropolitan Opera’s 2025–26 Live in HD season will continue with Bellini’s “I Puritani” on Jan. 10, 2026. The company will showcase the first new production of this opera in nearly 50 years and will feature soprano Lisette Oropesa as Elvira, opposite tenor Lawrence Brownlee as Arturo. They will be joined by baritone Artur {…}
(Photo: Andrea Butti / OperaLombardia) Although “I Puritani” is an Italian opera through and through, it was conceived in Paris, at the height of the grand opéra tradition. Bellini studied Meyerbeer and Halévy in great detail, noting in his personal papers certain orchestral “effects” he wished to emulate and others he intended to avoid. As a result, the score, especially {…}
(Credit: Paola Kudacki / Met Opera) The Metropolitan Opera is set to present a new production of Bellini’s “I Puritani.” This will make the first new staging of the opera in 50 years with Charles Edwards directing the new production. Edwards known for his stage and set designs and previously created scenery for four Met productions by David McVicar. Lisette {…}
(Credit: Sébastien Mathé) Vincenzo Bellini’s last opera, “I Puritani,” premiered in 1835 at the Theatre d’Italie in Paris, in the same year he untimely died at 35. The story is set in England in the 17th century, during the civil war between Cromwell’s republicans (the Puritans of the title) and the Stuarts’ royalists. While the music sets this work as {…}
The Tiroler Festspiele Erl has announced a cast change for its Jan. 4, 2025 performance of “I Puritani.” The company said, “the second concert performance of Vincenzo Bellini’s opera ‘I Puritani’ will also feature a different singer than planned in the role of Elvira – and one of the most sought-after sopranos has once again been able to step in. {…}
With Bellini’s “I Puritani” one steps into the heartland of Italian bel canto: The ensembles are mesmerizingly beautiful, the vocal lines infinitely refined, and the orchestration – with its mood painting role – proves a proto-dramatic foundation to the unfolding of the Romantic intrigue, prone to inspiring the operatic vocabulary of subsequent generations, and of Verdi in particular. Needless to {…}
Lisette Oropesa has canceled her performance of “I Puritani” on Dec. 10 due to illness. The soprano took to social media and said, “Dear friends, I’m having a rocky end to the year. After being in Dresden for several days recording I Puritani with the most incredible cast I could ever imagine, I seem to have caught some kind of {…}
Credit: Danae Kinova The Olympia City Music Theatre Maria Callas has unveiled its 2023-24 season, which includes three operas in both staged productions and concert versions. The season features a blend of Greek artists and international stars, including a concert by soprano Julie Fuchs. For the purposes of this article only opera and classical voice performances are listed. The season {…}
Photo: Joan Tomàs The Spanish tenor Celso Albelo debuted in the role of Duke of Mantua alongside Leo Nucci in 2006. He has performed since then in major opera houses around the world. For 17 years, he has been singing leading tenor roles. Being the Duke is one of his signature roles. His extensive tessitura–he can sing a stratospheric high {…}