Evgeny Nikitin has canceled his participation in the Opéra de Paris’ upcoming performances of Borodin’s “Prince Igor.” The company announced that due to illness Nikitin would not be able to perform the title role As a result, Ildar Abdrazakov will take over the role. Abdrazakov recently canceled performances of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” at the Lyric Opera of Chicago due to {…}
Ildar Abdrazakov will no longer perform the title role of “Don Giovanni” at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Instead, the company will bring in Lucas Meachem to take on the famed title role for six performances between Nov. 14-30; Davide Luciano remains on the schedule for the final three. Per a press release, the Russian bass has withdrawn in order {…}
The Lyric Opera of Chicago is set to present “Don Giovanni’ in a production by Robert Falls. The revival of the production that premiered during the 2014-15 season will star Ildar Abdrazakov and Davide Luciano, both making Lyric debuts in the title role. They will appear alongside Rachel Willis-Sørensen as Donna Anna and Ben Bliss as Don Ottavio. Other cast {…}
ARTE has announced its 2019-20 season ARTE opera season. The season will showcase one opera per month and will bring some of the world’s greatest stars to its streaming service. The season opens with Puccini’s ‘Turandot” in a new production by Franc Aleu from Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona. The opera stars Iréne Theorin in the title role, Alexander Vinogradov, {…}
Since his breakthrough as Rodolfo in Bellini’s “La Sonnambula,” 42-year-old Ildar Abdrazakov has cemented his reputation as one of the world’s leading bass singers at both European and American opera houses. With his repertoire spanning the early and mid-19th century, he has gradually moved from the Belcanto tradition to Verdi and the development of modern music drama per se; it {…}
This week features three major releases. Among them will be solo album debuts and one very intriguing world premiere that should spark the interest of contemporary opera lovers. P R I S I M Composer and sound artist Ellen Reid’s opera “p r i s m” is set to be released by Decca Gold. The opera, with a libretto by Roxie Perkins, was commissioned {…}
This week audiences are in for six brand new DVDs with some of the worlds greatest singers. It will be hard to pick one from these new releases. Here is a look! L’Italiana D’Algeri Cecilia Bartoli’s acclaimed role debut in Rossini’s classic gets released through Unitel. She is joined by Ildar Abdrazakov, Edgardo Rocha, and Alessandro Corbelli. Moshe Leiser and {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced that Berlioz’s “La Damnation de Faust” will be performed in a concert version instead of in Robert Lepage’s acclaimed production. The company announced that “The decision to present ‘La Damnation de Faust’ in its more usual concert version is driven by the unanticipated technical demands of reviving the Met’s staged production, which proved to be {…}
The Opéra de Bordeaux has announced its 2019-20 season featuring numerous new productions, great stars and a number of acclaimed recitals. Eric Cutler and Adam Smith share the title role in Offenbach’s “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” with Jessica Pratt singing the four heroines, Nicolas Cavallier as the four villains, and Aude Extrémo as Nicklausse. Marc Minkowski conducts. Performance Dates: Sept. 19-Oct. 1, 2019 Marianne Crebassa {…}
The Salzburg Osterfestspiele has its 2020 festival concentrating on the works of Verdi and Beethoven. This season the festival will present a new production of “Don Carlo” directed by Vera Nemirova. Christian Thielemann will conduct the production, which is set to include a new prologue by Manfred Trojan; this in turn will replace the Act one Fontainebleau scene. The cast will include Yusif {…}
The Vienna State Opera has announced its 2019-20 season, which includes six new productions and a whopping 58 operas overall. There are also a plethora of concert performances as well featuring some of the greatest opera stars on the planet. New Productions The new season kicks off with a new production of Britten’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Directed by Irina {…}
