Opernwelt magazine has announced its 2024 winners. This year Oper Frankfurt has been voted “Opera House of the Year” for the third year in a row and for the eighth time overall. The “Singer of the Year” award was given to John Osborn for his portrayal of Éléazar in the “La Juive” and Asmik Grigorian for her portrayals of “Salome” in {…}
The Teatro Massimo Bellini di Catania has announced its 2024-25 season. Opera The season opens with Bellini’s “Norma” with Leonardo Sini conducting a production by Hugo De Ana. The cast will include Jessica Pratt and Irina Lungu in the title role alongside Antonio Poli, Elisa Balbo, Aya Wakizono, Carlo Lepore, and Alessio Cacciamani. Performance Dates: Jan. 18-26, 2025 Mozart’s “Don {…}
Welcome back for this week’s look at the latest CD and DVD releases in the opera world. This week audiences will get a chance to see and listen to a production from Bayreuth. There are also several world premiere recordings and an acclaimed recording from a recent festival. From Al-Andalus to the Americas: An Odyssey of Spanish Song Christine Moore {…}
The Teatri di Reggio Emilia has announced its 2024-25 season. The season opens with Rossini’s “Mosé in Egitto,” which will star Riccardo Zanellato, Dave Monaco, Mariam Battistelli, Toni Nezic, Aida Pascu, Angela Schisano, Andrea Galli, and Matteo Mezzaro. Giovanni Di Stefano conducts the production by Pier Francesco Maestrini. Performance Dates: Nov. 15 & 17, 2024 Annalisa Stroppa, Caterina Sala, Matteo Falcier, Matteo Guerzè, {…}
The Teatro Regio di Torino has announced its 2024-25 season. “Manon” Renato Palumbo conducts Puccini’s “Manon Lescaut” with Arnaud Bernard directing. The cast will include Erika Grimaldi, Dinara Alieva, Andeka Gorrotxategui, Carlo Ventre, Carlo Lepore, and Alessandro Luongo. Performance Dates: Oct. 1-26, 2024 Massenet’s “Manon” wil star Ekaterina Bakanova, Martina Russomanno, Bjorn Burger Maxim Lisiin, Atalla Ayan, Andrei Danilov, Roberto {…}
Photo: The Teatro dell’Opera di Roma presents a new production of Vincenzo Bellini’s “La sonnambula,” crafted by Jean-Philippe Clarac and Olivier Deloeuil, boasting a stellar cast. Set in a picturesque Swiss village, the narrative revolves around Amina, a modest young woman on the brink of matrimony to a wealthy landowner. However, her world is turned upside down when she is {…}
The Dutch National Opera has announced its 2024-25 season. Opera René Barbera, Roman Burdenko, Aigul Khismatullina, Alexander Köpeczi, and Maya Gour Star in a revival of Verdi’s “Rigoletto.” Yi-Chen Lin conducts. Performance Dates: Sept. 2-29, 2024 Britten’s “Peter Grimes” will get a new production by Barbora Horáková. Lorenzo Viotti conducts a cast that includes Issachah Savage, Johanni van Oostrum, and {…}
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra has announced its 2024-25 season. Here are the vocal performances. Nicholas Kraemer conducts a program that includes the music of Händel, Beethoven, and Mozart. Soloists include Amanda Forsythe, Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, Josh Lovell, and Michael Sumuel. Performance Dates: Oct. 17-19, 2024 Fabien Gabel and Konstantin Krimmel team up for a program of music by Britten, Mahler, {…}
The Wiener Staatsoper has announced a cast change for Rossini’s “Guillaume Tell.” The company said that John Osborn would sing the role of Arnold replacing Juan Diego Flórez. On his behalf, Flórez said, “I am very sorry that unfortunately I have to cancel the revival production of Rossini’s Guillaume Tell at the Wiener Staatsoper because of a persistent cough, due {…}
It belongs in the past, the idea of gathering excellent singers for opening night and then choosing unknown young performers for alternative casts. Teatro Real, with the participation of Quinn Kelsey, John Osborn and Gianluca Buratto, proved how strong cast C was for its production of “Rigoletto.” Quinn Kelsey as Rigoletto Baritone Quinn Kelsey portrayed the titular role. He has {…}
(photo credit: Festival d’Aix-en-Provence © Vincent Beaume) In the audience, on my right side, a young person wears a T-Shirt that reads “Meyerbeer Fan.” On my left side, a spinster cries “Justice for Meyerbeer.” Rarely does an opera in concert raise so many people’s spirits. But, Giacomo Meyerbeer is not a composer. He is an idealist. History has Dreyfuss, but only {…}