The Opera de Paris has announced cast changes for its upcoming concert performances of The Ring Cycle. The company announced that Jonas Kaufmann and Eva-Maria Westbroek will no longer perform the roles of Siegmund and Sieglinde and as a result, they will be replaced by Lise Davidsen and Stuart Skelton. Davidsen recently performed her first Sieglinde at the Deutsche Oper {…}
This week audiences can experience dueling tenors, two Christmas albums, two baroque albums, two choral albums, and a pianist interpreting operatic favorites. Here is what you can stream this week. Amici e Rivali Michael Spyres and Lawrence Brownlee celebrate the art of the trailblazing star singers of Rossini’s time in a new album for Erato. The recording showcases arias, duets, {…}
(Credit: Marco Borggreve) The Semperoper Dresden has announced that the Oct. 28, 2020 recital of German soprano Anja Harteros has been canceled. In a press release, the company stated, “in the view of the current COVID-19 situation in Germany, the soprano very much regrets having to cancel her appearance at the Semperoper out of caution.” Harteros is scheduled to return {…}
(Credit: © Gregor Hohenberg / Sony Classical) Famed tenor Jonas Kaufmann will give an exclusive recital at the Teatro alla Scala on Oct. 22, 2020. For this occasion, Kaufmann will partner with his longtime collaborator, pianist Helmut Deutsch. The program reflects the tenor’s personal choice of repertoire, much of it has been featured on Kaufmann’s latest album Selige Stunde. The {…}
(Credit: Gregor Hohenberg / Sony Classical) Jonas Kaufmann has announced a new album entitled “It’s Christmas” for Sony Classical. In a statement the tenor said, “The new album ‘It’s Christmas!’ echoes holiday memories and joys, celebrating the most festive time of the year with a unique selection of beloved songs and carols. This diverse holiday album features 40 favorites that {…}
This week audiences will be able to stream a summer concert, a legend’s unreleased recordings, and a world premiere piece. These are the latest albums that OperaWire recommends. Summer Night Concert 2020: Vienna Philharmonic with Valery Gergiev & Jonas Kaufmann Sony Classical will release this year’s Summer Night Concert 2020 with the Vienna Philharmonic, conducted by Valery Gergiev with tenor Jonas Kaufmann as soloist. The concert will {…}
(Credits: Gregor Hohenberg/Sony Classical /© David Jerusalem / © DR / Fazil Berisha / http://arsis-artists.com/en/iain-paterson/) L’Opéra de Paris has announced full casts and dates for the concert performances of Wagner “Der Ring des Nibelungen.” The Ring cycle was initially planned as a series of four fully staged operas but had to be reorganized into concert performances due to the ongoing {…}
(Credits: © Gregor Hohenberg / Sony Classical / Jiyang Chen) The Bayerische Staatsoper has announced that it has cancelled the whole run of Francis Poulenc’s “Dialogues des Carmélites” that was on the schedule for Nov. 14 – Nov. 22, 2020 due to the current COVID-19 situation. The opera was set to star Ermonela Jaho, Adrianne Pieczonka, and Doris Soffel. Instead, {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced week 29, 30, and 31 of its Nightly Streams. which will center on Mozart, Wagner, and Donizetti. Here is a full rundown of the schedule which features some of opera’s greatest stars making multiple appearances throughout the week. All Nightly Met Opera Streams begin at 7:30 p.m. and remain available via metopera.org for 23 hours. The {…}
Amazon Prime has released a new documentary “A Global Star in Private” about Jonas Kaufmann. The film, which was shot in his home during quarantine, showcases the tenor in his day to day activities and is an intimate portrait into his personal and professional life. The documentary showcases interviews by Kaufmann, Thomas Voigt, pianist Helmut Deutsch, and his wife Christiane {…}
Jonas Kaufmann is a lucky man. While much of the music world has reeled during the pandemic, he has had the luxury of reflecting, recharging, and revisiting old musical haunts: Lieder. The results are exceptional; a lovely album, maybe Kaufmann’s best recital disc yet. Intimacy Be it because of these strangest of times, the uncommon recording space (it was recorded {…}