(Credit: Miklas Szabo) Swedish baritone John Lundgren has announced he is retiring from the stage. The baritone took to Instagram and said, “After 25 years in this extraordinary industry, in over 60 roles, on over 50 different opera- and concert stages around the world this chapter has finally come to a close. I have for some time now felt a {…}
The Minnesota Orchestra has announced its 2025-26 season. Here are the vocal performances for the season. Thomas Søndergård and Joyce DiDonato open the season performing Strauss, Berlioz, Connesson, and Bernstein. Performance Dates: Sept. 18 & 19, 2025 Thomas Søndergård and Lauren Snouffer perform Sibelius Stenhammar, and Abrahamsen. Performance Dates: Jan. 16 & 17, 2026 Eun Sun Kim leads Beethoven’s Symphony {…}
Welcome back for this week’s look at the latest CD and DVD releases in the opera world. This week audiences get to hear a recital from the world’s most famous tenor and one of the great sopranos in the world. There will also be a new solo recital album from a great mezzo and several complete opera recordings. Czech Songs {…}
(© Semperoper Dresden/Matthias Creutziger) Semperoper Dresden is set to bring back Willy Decker’s production of “Der Ring des Nibelungen” this February. This revival will celebrate the 20th anniversary of this staging’s first performances and the first in five years. In sum, there will be two cycles – one starting on Jan. 27 and running through Feb. 1 and a second {…}
The Wiener Staatsoper has announced a cast change for its upcoming production of “Siegfried.” The company noted that May 14 performance will see Simon Neal perform the role of Der Wanderer, replacing John Lundgren. Neal has performed at the Theater Dortmund, where he was a principal baritone, Opera Australia at the Sydney Opera House, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Semperoper {…}
Semperoper Dresden has announced its 2022-23 season featuring 10 brand new and 30 returning productions in both opera & ballet and its Junge Szene program. Here is a look at the opera productions Premieres “chasing waterfalls Angus Lee/phase7/kling klang klong” makes its world premiere conducted by the composer Angus Lee and staged by Sven Sören Beyer. The cast includes Eir {…}
(Credits: © Örjan Jakobsson / Bayerische Staatsoper official website) Mezzo-soprano Ann Hallenberg and baritone John Lundgren have been appointed Royal Court Singers by His Majesty King of Sweden Carl XVI Gustaf. Hallenberg and Lundgren join a long list of famed opera singers who carry this designation, including Nina Stemme, Peter Mattei, Anna Larsson, Miah Persson, Michael Weinius, Malin Byström, Katarina {…}
(Credit: Klaus Frahm) The Deutsche Oper Berlin has announced multiple cast changes for Wagner’s “Der Ring des Nibelungen.” For the performances of “Die Walküre” on Oct. 29, Nov. 10 & 17, 2021, Iain Paterson will replace John Lundgren in the role of Wotan. Paterson joins a cast that includes Brandon Jovanovich as Siegmund, Elisabeth Teige as Sieglinde, Tobias Kehrer as {…}
(Credits: Bettina Stöß / Bernd Uhlig) The Deutsche Oper Berlin has announced all the premieres of its 2021-22 season. Here is a look. The “Best of Carmen” concert will spotlight Valeriia Savinskaia, Arianna Manganello, Elena Tsallagova, Matthew Newlin, Joel Allison, and Ève-Maud Hubeaux in the title role. Daniel Carter conducts a production by Silke Sense. Performance dates: Aug. 21 – {…}
The Wiener Staatsoper has announced its 2021-22 season which will spotlight some of the world’s greatest performers and five new productions. Here is the full slate. Premieres Rossini’s “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” will showcase Juan Diego Flórez as Count Almaviva, Marianne Crebassa as Rosina, Davide Luciano in the role of Figaro, Paolo Bordogna as Bartolo, and Ildar Abdrazakov as Basilio. {…}
(Credit: Wilfried Hösl) The Bayerische Staatsoper has announced that it has canceled the presentations of “Judith,” a concert for orchestra coupled with Béla Bartók’s “Bluebeard’s Castle” on March 5, 8 & 11, 2021. The performances were supposed to star Nina Stemme and John Lundgren, with Oksana Lyniv conducting the production by Katie Mitchell. Additionally, the opera house has canceled performances {…}
