Opéra de Monte-Carlo’s recent run of “La Traviata” will be broadcast on medici.tv on March 30 at 8 pm. The broadcast will be of stage director Gabriel Grinda’s recent production starring Aida Garifullina as Violetta and Javier Camarena as Alfredo with Massimo Zanetti conducting. Also featured in the cast is Loriana Castellano, Federica Sardella, Massimo Cavalletti, Alejandro Del Angel, Roberto Accurso, {…}
The Bayerische Staatsoper has announced its 2023-24 season. New Productions The first new production of the season will be Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro.” Stefano Montanari conducts the production by Evgeny Titov. The cast will include Huw Montague Rendall, Mattia Olivieri, Elsa Dreisig, Maria Bengtsson, Louise Alder, Konstantin Krimmel, Avery Amereau, and Dorothea Röschmann. Performance Dates: Oct. 30, 2023-July 17, 2024 {…}
The Donizetti Opera has announced its 2024 season marking its 10th edition. The festival, which will be held between Nov. 15 and Dec. 1 will inaugurate with “Roberto Devereux.” The tragic opera will be performed in a critical edition by Julia Lockhart for Casa Ricordi realized as part of the National Edition with the collaboration and contribution of the Municipality {…}
The Opéra National de Paris is set to present Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor” starting on Feb. 18, 2023. The opera will be directed by Andrei Serban and conducted by Aziz Shokhakimov. The production features set and costume design by William Dudley with lighting design by Guido Levi. Ching-Lien Wu is the chorus master for the Paris Opera Chorus. Brenda Rae {…}
(Credit: Marty Sohl / Met Opera) Last month the Metropolitan Opera opened its final run of Sonja Frisell’s legendary “Aida” staging. The production, which opened in 1988, remains somewhat of a splendor for its lush and detailed sets. As I noted in my recent review, I have never been the biggest fan of this particular mise-en-scène, but on this revival, {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced another cast change for its final performance of “Rigoletto.” The company said that Javier Camarena will sing the role of the Duke replacing Stephen Costello who is ill. In a statement the Met said, “Javier Camarena saves the day! Don’t miss tonight’s performance of Rigoletto, as the star tenor steps in at the eleventh hour {…}
Who could outshine the great Javier Camarena singing “La Favorite” on the stage of the famous Donizetti festival? A consummate master of Bel Canto, singing the role of the head-over-heels-in-love novice, leaving the monastery to meet the woman of his dreams. Ah, we were certainly hooked on it. And yet, this year in Bergamo, the audience had to prepare to {…}
This week audiences will get to hear some world premieres, an album dedicated to the LGBT community, and a critical edition of one of Donizetti’s masterpieces. No Choice but Love: Songs of the LGBTQ+ Community American tenor Eric Ferring releases “No Choice but Love: Songs of the LGBTQ+ Community” with pianist Madeline Slettedahl on Lexicon Classics. The two-CD length album {…}
This week audiences will get to hear various world premiere recordings, a tenor singing Donizetti and Wagner’s Ring Cycle. Emily & Sue Adhyâropa Records is set to release a cappella pop-opera album from L.A.-based composer Dana Kaufman and librettist Aiden K. Feltkamp. The work will feature soprano Jasmine Muhammad and Iris Vocal Trio. This piece focuses on the little-known romantic {…}
The Donizetti Opera Festival is set to present “La Favorite.” The festival will present a critical edition edited by Rebecca Harris-Warrick, which reinstates the original French version as conceived by Donizetti for its first performance at the Théâtre de l’Académie Royale de Musique in Paris in 1840. Riccardo Frizza will conduct the work with a cast that includes Annalisa Stroppa {…}
Opera Monte Carlo has announced its 2023 season featuring many of the greatest artists of our time. Cecilia Bartoli stars in Handel’s “Alcina” with Philippe Jarroussky, Sandrine Piau, Varduhi Abrahamyan, Maxim Mironov, and Peter Kalman. Gianluca Capuano conducts the production by Christof Loy. Performance Dates: Jan. 20-26, 2023 Gianluca Capuano conducts Rossini’s “Stabat Mater” with Maria Agresta, Varduhi Abrahamyan, Celso {…}