Jonas Kaufmann has been awarded the Goldenen Johann Strauß 2025. The tenor took to social media to announce the news and said, “It is an honor to receive this award that has been given to many wonderful artists, including Riccardo Muti, Eliette von Karajan, Otto Schenk, Renate Holm and Heinz Zednik. I enjoyed celebrating this award last week in Wien, {…}
The Adelaide Oval is set to present Verdi’s “Aida” in Franco Zeffirelli’s monumental Arena di Verona production. The production will be shown on Feb. 5 and 6 with two casts. The first night will see super star tenor Jonas Kaufmann and superstar mezzo Elīna Garanča alongside two time grammy winner Angel Blue in the title role. Amartuvshin Enkhbat and Morris Robinson {…}
(Credit: © Julia Wesely, © Gregor Hohenberg / Sony Music, © Sarah Katharina) The Wiener Staatsoper is set to launch its 2025-26 season with an open-air gala concert on Sept. 7. The gala marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation from National Socialism and the establishment of the Second Republic and will also celebrate the 70 years of the State {…}
The Arena di Verona has announced the full program for Jonas Kaufmann’s August 3, 2025, gala. The company said that for one night only, Kaufmann will perform music by Wagner and Puccini alongside soprano Marina Rebeka. Maestro Jochen Rieder will take the baton to conduct the Fondazione Arena Orchestra. The program will include overtures, arias, intermezzi, scenes, and duets. The {…}
Welcome back to another look at the latest CD and DVD releases of the week. This week, audiences will get to hear Jonas Kaufmann’s complete Decca catalog, a new “Tristan und Isolde”, and a Mozart CD. SO SMOOTH, SO SWEET Parma Recording releases a collection of vocal works from Harvard University composer Allen Sapp spanning from his early compositions in {…}
The Wiener Staatsoper has announced the Film Festival on Vienna’s Rathausplatz. The company will present operas on 10 Sunday evenings at the Haus am Ring. Here is a look at the program: The festival opens with Puccini’s “La bohème” from 2022 featuring Vittorio Grigolo, Anna Netrebko, Günther Groissböck, and Nina Minasyan. Date: June 29, 2025 Donizetti’s “L’elisir d’amore” from 2022 features {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced its annual Summer HD Festival, which will return to Lincoln Center Plaza. The festival will run between August 22 and September 1. THE 2025 MET SUMMER HD FESTIVAL SCHEDULE The festival opens with “Maestro” starring Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan. The Academy Award–nominated biopic tells the story of the legendary American conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein {…}
The Wiener Konzerthaus has announced its 2025-26 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances of the season. The Constellation Choir & Orchestra under Sir John Eliot Gardiner perform Mendelssohn’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Performance Date: Sept. 14, 2025 Fabio Luisi conducts the Wiener Symphoniker in Franz Schmidt’s “Das Buch mit sieben Siegeln.” Soloists incude Maximilian Schmitt, David Steffens, Giulia {…}
(Photo: © Geoffroy Schied) In Francesco Micheli’s new staging of Mascagni and Leoncavallo’s iconic opera, Munich transformed for a night into Palermo. With a unified production for both “Cavalleria Rusticana” and “Pagliacci” telling the story of a migrant’s journey from Sicily, the director turned a traditional duo into a memorable night, though his decision to set it in the 1960s {…}
The Teatro San Carlo has announced its 2025-26 season. The season opens with Riccardo Frizza conducting Cherubini’s “Medea” in a production by Mario Martone. Sondra Radvanovsky stars in the title role alongside Francesco Meli, Giorgi Manoshvili, Désirée Giove, and Anita Rachvelishvili. Performance Dates: Dec. 3-16, 2025 Jessica Pratt, Maria Agresta, Désirée Giove, Francesco Demuro, and Mimmo Borrelli star in Ennio {…}
The Berlin Philharmonic has announced its 2025-26 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances. The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra under Karina Canellakis takes on the works of Olivier Messiaen, Pierre Boulez, Robin de Raaff, and Sergei Rachmaninoff. Liv Redpath and Netherlands Radio Choir are also featured. Performance Date: August 31, 2025 The Collegium Vocale Gent, Orchestre des Champs-Élysées, and Philippe {…}