(Credit: Národní divadlo official website) The entire 62-member chorus of the Opera of the National Theater in Prague has been sent into a two-week quarantine after it was revealed that several members of the ensemble had contracted COVID-19. As a result, the performance of the Bedřich Smetana’s opera “Libuše” has been canceled. Janáček’s opera “Jenůfa” and Dvořák’s opera “Rusalka” will {…}
(Credits: © Yiorgos Mavropoulos / Andreas Weiss) The Herbstgold Festival in Eisenstadt has announced its 2020 Edition. For the purposes of this article, we will focus only on vocal performances. The festival opens with a concert starring soprano Marlis Petersen, mezzo-soprano Anke Vondung, tenor Werner Güra, and bass Florian Boesch. The program includes Haydn’s Symphony No. 30 in C major {…}
The London Symphony Orchestra announced the pre-sale of a new live recording of Janáček’s “Cunning Little Vixen” & “Sinfonietta.” Orders will be accepted starting on August 7. The album is set to release on September 4 and features the LSO’s Music Director Sir Simon Rattle on the podium conducting the Peter Sellars semi-staged production. Lucy Crowe stars as the Vixen, {…}
(Credit: Victoria Cadisch) The Royal Opera House has announced that Alison Langer will be performing the role of Barena in Jancek’s “Jenufa,” starting on March 24, 2020. She will replace Masabene Cecilia Rangwanasha, who, per the press release, could not take on the role due to her commitment to performances of “Susanna,” also with the company. Langer is a graduate {…}
(Credit: Ruth Waltz) The Royal Opera House is set to open a new production of Leoš Janáček‘s “Jenůfa” starting on March 24, 2020. The production, which will be directed by Claus Guth, is the third in the company’s Janáček series following productions of “Kát’a Kabanová” in 2019 and “From the House of the Dead” in 2018. Moreover, this will be {…}
(Credit: Yasuko Kageyama) Damiano Michieletto is one of the most sought after directors today. Born in Venice, he graduated in modern literature at the Venice University and then went on to study theatre and opera production at the Paolo Grassi School of Dramatic Art in Milan. Success would follow him soon after when he debuted in 2003 at the Wexford {…}
(Credit: Oleg Rostovstev) Singing a recital in New York City is a rare occasion for an artist of any caliber. So, it is understandable that when a major opera star gets a chance to perform in one of the city’s hallowed halls, their choice of repertory would truly highlight their vocal and interpretative prowess. The idea of programming a recital {…}
(Credit: Bernd Uhlig) As the Berlin Staatsoper opened its revival of Andrea Breth’s “Kát’a Kabanová,” a few hundred meters away, at the Alte Nationalgalerie on Museum Island, preparators put the final touches on a new exhibition of female artists. These two events, geographically close but outwardly unrelated, proved to resonate with one another in unanticipated ways. The Nationalgalerie’s exhibition drew {…}
OperaVision will showcase Janáček’s “Jenůfa” live from the National Theatre Brno on Oct. 2, 2019. The production will feature Jitka Zerhauová, Jaroslav Březina, Tomáš Juhás, Szilvia Rálik, Pavla Vykopalová, Ivan Kusnjer, Ladislav Mlejnek, Jarmila Balážová, Eva Štěrbová, Stanislava Jirků, Lenka Schallenberger, Martina Mádlová, and Ivona Špičková. Marko Ivanović will conduct the production directed by Martin Glaser. The stream kicks off {…}
(Credit: Michal Manas) There is no other Czech composer with as much import to the opera repertory as Leos Janácek. Born on July 3, 1854, he started his musical career playing the piano and organ before devoting himself to the art of composition. His musical style is best known for its emphasis on folk music, which he researched heavily throughout {…}
The Royal Opera House is set to present a new staged version of Janacek’s song cycle “A Diary of One Who Disappeared at the Linbury Theatre. Performances are set for June 5, 6, and 8. The work, which consists of 22 songs for tenor and piano, will be directed by renowned auteur Ivo van hove. The work tells the story {…}