Jonas Kaufmann, Pretty Yende, Juan Diego Flórez & Lise Davidsen Headline Wiener Staatsoper’s Streaming Slate

The Wiener Staatsoper has announced a new week of streaming featuring recent live performances and several Verdi operas. Michael Volle, Hans-Peter König, Ricarda Merbeth, and Herbert Lippert star in Wagner’s “Der Fliegende Hollander” from a 2015 performance. Peter Schneider conducts Christine Mielitz’s production. Streaming Date: March 9, 2021 Peter Schneider conducts R. Strauss’ “Ariadne auf Naxos” from a 2017 performance. {…}

Mar 2, 2021

PBS to Broadcast ‘Met Stars Live in Concert’ Performances Featuring Jonas Kaufmann, Anna Netrebko, Renée Fleming, Angel Blue, Sonya Yoncheva

PBS has announced that it will be broadcasting the Met Opera’s “Met Stars Live in Concert series” throughout 2021. All performances will be presented on PBS (check local listings for more details). Kicking off the year-long series will be Renée Fleming’s concert from Washington D.C., in which she performed music by Puccini, Massenet, Korngold, and Handel, among others. Broadcast Date: {…}

Feb 8, 2021

Opéra National de Paris & Arte to Stream Jonas Kaufmann, Sondra Radvanovsky in ‘Aida’

The Opéra National de Paris has announced that it will stream its new production of Verdi’s “Aida” on Arte on Feb. 18 and 21. The production, which will be directed by Lotte de Beer will feature tenor Jonas Kaufmann as Radamès, soprano Sondra Radvanovsky in the title role, baritone Ludovic Tézier as Amonasro, mezzo-soprano Ksenia Dudnikova as Amneris, Dmitri Belosselskiy {…}

Jan 27, 2021

Jonas Kaufmann, Sonya Yoncheva, Kristine Opolais, Matthew Polenzani Headline Greek National Opera’s 2021 Season

The Greek National Opera has announced a program for the 2021 season. For the purposes of this article, our focus will be on opera-related performances. The company will present “The Cornelian Secret” which includes love poems by Lord Byron. The performance will star tenor Christos Kechris, baritone Vangelis Maniatis, and baritone Sotiris Triantis. Streaming Dates: TBA – the performance was {…}

Jan 25, 2021

Jonas Kaufmann, Joyce DiDonato, Carmen Giannattasio, Waltraud Meier, Marina Poplavskaya Headline Top 10 Operas to Stream This Week

This week’s offerings feature not only a lot of repertory favorites, but performances by some of the greatest opera stars in the world. So without further ado, here is a breakdown of our top 10 operas to stream this week. Die Walküre – Vienna State Opera (Jan. 25) The Vienna State Opera will kick off its week with the second {…}

Jan 22, 2021

Criticism on Fridays: Connecting the Opera Industry

(Photo: Kari Shea) Every Friday, Polina Lyapustina delivers a short essay on some of the most sensitive topics in the industry with the intent of establishing a dialogue about the opera world and its future. Almost five years ago, working on a social news media product concept, I wrote: “It starts with a whisper…” I remember, this single phrase won {…}

Jan 17, 2021

Emma Dante, Jonas Kaufmann, Erwin Schrott, Anita Rachvelishvili & Serena Malfi Headline Rai5 Broadcasts for Next Week

(Credits: © Carmine Maringola / © Gregor Hohenberg / Sony Classical / Erwin Schrott / Dario Acosta / Francesco Squeglia) Italian television channel Rai5 has announced broadcasts for the week of Jan. 18 – Jan. 22, 2021. The broadcasts will be dedicated to the director Emma Dante’s opera stagings. The only opera in the slate that was not directed by {…}

Jan 15, 2021

Criticism on Fridays: The Apparent Well-Being of German Musicians

(Photo: Jon Tyson) Every Friday, Polina Lyapustina delivers a short essay on some of the most sensitive topics in the industry with the intent of establishing a dialogue about the opera world and its future. This week, I tried to flee from the grave feelings I experienced last week working on my piece about the situation with the Met Orchestra {…}

Jan 13, 2021

Anna Netrebko, Jonas Kaufmann, Joyce DiDonato, Lisette Oropesa, Hildegard Behrens Headline Metropolitan Opera’s Nightly Streams to End January 2021

The Metropolitan Opera has announced the next two weeks of nightly streams which will include a number of operas focused on the greatest roles for sopranos as well as its greatest anti-heroes. Here’s a run-down of the two-week slate. Week 45– Leading Ladies: Opera’s Greatest Heroines Monday, January 18 – Bizet’s Carmen Starring Anita Hartig, Anita Rachvelishvili, Aleksandrs Antonenko, and Ildar {…}

Jan 7, 2021

Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège Cancels Juan Diego Flórez & Jonas Kaufmann Concerts

(Credits: Gregor Hohenberg SONY Classical) The Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège has announced that it has canceled concerts by Juan Diego Flórez and Jonas Kaufmann due to the COVID-19 measures imposed by the government of Belgium. Flórez was set to perform on Jan. 8, 2021, alongside Christopher Franklin, who was supposed to lead Orchestra of the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège. Meanwhile, {…}

Dec 14, 2020

Best of 2020: OperaWire’s Top 11 Industry-Defining Moments of the Year

This calendar year has been a difficult one for the world and for the music industry. It tested artists in ways they never thought they would. And yet it also showed resilience, love, and humility. It was a year where generosity was predominant and where artists united for a better cause. Usually, at this point in time, OperaWire has a {…}