Hearing a famous opera star taking on a new role for the first time in his or her career is usually a fascinating experience. Having heard the singer grow in other repertoire and roles, there is always a tremendous sense of anticipation about hearing an artist take on a new challenge. On Tuesday, March 21, Barcelona audiences will get that {…}
This review is for the performance on Feb. 11, 2017. What happens when the Metropolitan Opera casts four superstars into Bellini’s final opera? The answer is golden age singing. For years “I Puritani” has been a vehicle at the Metropolitan Opera to promote the diva and sometimes has made casting uneven with little attention paid to who can sing the incredibly {…}
The Metropolitan Opera continues its 2016-17 season this week with a revival of Bellini’s final opera “I Puritani.” Diana Damrau will add the role of Elvira to her Met repertoire after having performed it to great success in Madrid and Amsterdam. She will be joined by her frequent stage partner Javier Camarena, who recently triumphed in his last run of Rossini’s “Il {…}
For Javier Camarena, the start of 2017 has been a blending of the past, present and future. His year started with an operatic goodbye and the month of February he will slide into comfortable repertoire that he feels will be his meat and potatoes in the immediate future. And in March, he ventures into unknown terrain that might just prove {…}
The LA Opera may not offer as many operas as some companies in terms of quantity. However when it comes to quality, the company still knows how to bring together some of the most exciting performers in the industry. Here is a look at five stars who need to be seen in the 2017-18 season. Placido Domingo: Nabucco in Verdi’s {…}
Another weekend in 2017, even more operatic activity around the United States. Of course the Metropolitan Opera continues its busy schedule with “Il Barbiere di Sivilgia,” “La Bohème” and “Roméo et Juliette” the three major offerings with such stars as Javier Camarena, Pretty Yende, Ailyn Pérez, Michael Fabiano, Vittorio Grigolo and Diana Damrau leading the casts for their respective operas {…}
Rossini’s famed “Il Barbiere di Sivilgia” or “The Barber of Seville” returns to the Metropolitan Opera on Monday, Jan. 9, 2017 with an all-star cast for a whopping 10 performances through early February. Here is a look at what to expect from the company’s revival of the beloved work. The Performers A few years ago, Peter Mattei made a name {…}
With the weekend coming up lets take a look at what some of our favorite stars were up to this week Pretty Yende Yende had the week of her life as she was rehearsing for the revival of Rossini’s “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” and in the middle of the week she got to perform on the Late Show for Stephen {…}
Rising opera star Pretty Yende will be performing on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday evening. She will be the live performance segment of the show, which will also feature Oprah Winfrey. Colbert has invited prominent opera stars before to be on his show. In 2012, he featured Placido Domingo in a memorable episode that saw the two {…}