(Credit: Cory Weaver) From underwater to the wild and terrible world – Rhine Maidens to brother/sister love, father/daughter separation, gain to loss: in other words, “Die Walküre.” And what a “Walküre” it was! Spectacular projections – swirling winds, walloping storm waters, trees bending and swaying every which way, and Siegmund waking to love for Sieglinde, in a house in the {…}
(Credit: Cory Weaver) Some people might be looking for a hero in these days of pandemic, especially locked down at home. Throughout the month of March, San Francisco Opera (SFO) is offering one such hero: the Virtual Ring Festival. You read that right: a “hero” in the form of a quest. It is the quest to retrieve a stolen golden {…}
The Dallas Opera has announced live performances starting on March 31, 2021. The company will reopen with a song series featuring four major opera stars performing to socially distanced audiences. The “Welcome Back” Song Series will kick off with a performance featuring Morris Robinson as he takes on music by Verdi, Bernstein, Margaret Bonds, Mozart, and Hugo Wolf. He will {…}
I’m going to kick off this week’s edition of the top 10 operas to stream by saying that it is probably among the most varied from a repertory standpoint. You have your Verdi, Mozart, Strauss, and Wagner, of course. But then you also have music by African American composers, a baroque opera, a modern operatic classic, and even a recital {…}
San Francisco Opera has announced that it will be returning to live performances starting in the Spring 2021. The company will present a 90-minute drive-in version of “Il Barbiere di Siviglia,” directed by Matthew Ozawa starring Daniela Mack, Alek Shrader, Lucas Meachem, Laura Krumm, Philip Skinner, Kenneth Kellogg, and Catherine Cook. Roderick Cox makes his company debut at the podium. {…}
Those who want some operatic classics will not be disappointed this week as we recommend six works from the canon from some of the best opera companies around the world. But we also have four other recommendations that are remarkable in their own right and present unique experiences for viewers around the world. We even have a voice competition final. {…}
The Atlanta Opera has released three “Love Letters to Atlanta,” a new video series featuring singers from around the world singing their “favorite songs in places woven into the fabric of Atlanta’s musical history.” The initial videos spotlight Jamie Barton, Kevin Burdette, and Morris Robinson and will be made available via the company’s Spotlight Media Streaming service until Feb. 14, 2021. {…}
Former vice-president at Columbia Artists, Michael Benchetrit, has struck out on his own, founding Minerva Artists with 15 high-profile artists entrusting their careers to the seasoned agent. Benchetrit was at Columbia for 25 years before the agency shuttered in August. Minerva’s current roster includes sopranos Michelle Bradley, Nicole Cabell, Anna-Sophie Neher, Marjorie Owens, Brenda Rae, and in memoriam, Erin Wall; {…}
The Festival Aix-En-Provence has announced its 2021 season. The French festival will showcase Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde” conducted by Sir Simon Rattle and directed by Simon Stone. The production will star Stuart Skelton, Nina Stemme, Jamie Barton, Franz-Josef Selig, and Josef Wagner. Premiere Date: July 2, 2021 Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro” will be conducted by Thomas Hengelbrock and directed by {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced the next month of nightly streams which focus on a number of unique themes including operas in English, holiday works, and even an entire work dedicated to one of the most iconic artists of all time. Week 39– In Plain English Monday, December 7 – Thomas Adès’s The Tempest Starring Audrey Luna, Isabel Leonard, Iestyn Davies, Alek Shrader, {…}
The Festival Aix-en-Provence has announced the first production of its 2021 season. The new production will feature Sir. Simon Rattle conducting the Wagner opera with a cast that includes Nina Stemme as Isolde and Stuart Skelton as Tristan as well as Jamie Barton, Franz-Josef Selig, and Josef Wagner. Simon Stone will conduct the production, which is also set to feature {…}