Kristina Mkhitaryan, Louise Alder, Xabier Anduaga, Christina Nilsson Headline Oper Frankfurt 2026-27 Season

Oper Frankfurt has announced its 2026-27 season, marking Intendant Bernd Loebe’s 25th season with the company. New Productions Karsten Januschke conducts Tchaikovsky’s “Mazeppa” in a Frankfurt premiere, directed by Matthew Wild with set and costume designs by Herbert Murauer. Petr Sokolov, Nombulelo Yende, Alexander Roslavets, Mikhail Pirogov, Karolina Makuła, Jarrett Porter, Jihun Hong, and Kudaibergen Abildin make up the cast. {…}

Sep 4, 2024

Berkshire Opera Festival 2024 Review: Faust

Let’s briefly address the elephant or rather demon in this particular review, as it were. Namely, what is it with the fascination of so many 19th century composers with this classic Romantic literature – often considered the greatest work of German literature – Goethe’s “Faust”? There is Hector Berlioz’s masterpiece, “La damnation de Faust”, which I recently reviewed in a {…}

Feb 22, 2024

CD Review: Tobias Picker’s ‘Awakenings’

This is the second major opera based on the writings of British neurologist Oliver Sacks, whose case study “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat” was adapted by Michael Nyman in 1986. “Awakenings,” by American composer Tobias Picker, is inspired by Sacks’ 1973 account of treating victims of encephalitis lethargica. Nicknamed the “sleeping sickness,” this coma-like condition is {…}

Oct 12, 2023

Joyce El-Khoury, Eric Ferring, & Jakub Józef Orliński Lead new CD/DVD Releases

Welcome back for this week’s look at the latest CD and DVD releases in the opera world. For this edition, we will spotlight audiences will get a chance to learn about a number of world premiere pieces and recordings as well as solo albums by young artists in the industry. We Have Tomorrow American tenor Eric Ferring releases his latest {…}

Jan 9, 2023

Odyssey Opera & Boston Modern Orchestra Project to Present East Coast Premiere of ‘Awakenings’

Odyssey Opera and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) will present the East Coast premiere of Tobias Picker and Aryeh Lev Stollman’s “Awakenings” on Saturday, February 25, 2023, at 7:30 p.m, at Boston’s Huntington Theatre. “Awakenings” is the Theatre’s first opera since it reopened. Jarrett Porter plays Dr. Oliver Sacks, with Joyce El-Khoury, and Adrienne Danrich in the ensemble. As part of {…}