(Photo: Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera) Whether Nietzsche actually meant it when he declared Bizet’s “Carmen” to be the perfect opera, or whether it was merely a literary tantrum aimed at his once-beloved Richard Wagner, it matters not. The resounding overture to “Carmen” provides its own argument as to the opera’s justified and beloved place in the canon. Love is a {…}
San Francisco Opera’s 2024 Fall Season concludes with the Bizet’s “Carmen.” The production by Francesca Zambello will be performed between Nov. 13–Dec. 1 at the War Memorial Opera House. Mezzo-soprano Eve-Maud Hubeaux is set to make her American debut in the title role alongside Jonathan Tetelman as Don José, Louise Alder as Micaëla, and Christian Van Horn as Escamillo. The {…}
The Festspielhaus Baden-Baden has announced its 2025 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances. Camilla Nylund, Andreas Schager, and Pietari Inkinen perform an evening of Wagner, Strauss, Kálmán, Lehar, Performance Dates: Jan. 12, 2025 Zum Rahmenprogramm des Festivals Gianandrea Noseda, Hanna-Elisabeth Müller, and Philharmonia Zürich lead an all-Strauss program. Performance Dates: Feb. 22, 2025 Andris Nelsons conducts Mahler’s {…}
Deutsche Grammophon’s Stage + is set to present three vocal performances in October. First, the Georg Solti Accademia will present a star-studded gala at the Hungarian State Opera and will feature Aigul Akhmetshina, Freddie De Tommaso, Hera Hyesang Park, and Paul Grant, all alumni of the Georg Solti Accademia’s Bel Canto Course for Singers. This is the first time these four {…}
(© Photo: Ben Wolf) The Bayerische Staatsoper has announced a cast change for its upcoming production of “Cavalleria Rusticana.” The company said that Ivan Gyngazov and Jonathan Tetelman will sing the role of Turiddu replacing the originally announced Vittorio Grigolo. Gyngazov will sing the role on May 22, 25, 29, June 01, 04, 08, and 12, 2025 while Tetelman will {…}
Gramophone Classical Music Awards has announced its nominees for its 2024 edition. Here is rundown of the vocal nominees. CHORAL Delius – “Mass of Life” – Bergen Philharmonic, Sir Mark Elder (LAWO) Elgar – “The Dream of Gerontius” – Gabrieli Consort & Players, Paul McCreesh (Signum) Parry – “Prometheus Unbound” – London Mozart Players (Chandos) EARLY Josquin – “Motets & chansons” – Cut Circle, Jesse Rodin (Musique en {…}
Let’s briefly address the elephant or rather demon in this particular review, as it were. Namely, what is it with the fascination of so many 19th century composers with this classic Romantic literature – often considered the greatest work of German literature – Goethe’s “Faust”? There is Hector Berlioz’s masterpiece, “La damnation de Faust”, which I recently reviewed in a {…}
(Credit: Dario Acosta) Deutsche Grammophon is recording a new “Tosca” to celebrate the centenary of Puccini’s death. The upcoming recording will mark the start of a multi-year partnership between Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and the German label. The upcoming recording will be led by Daniel Harding and will star Eleonora Buratto in the title role, Jonathan Tetelman as Cavaradossi, {…}
Jonathan Tetelman is speaking out about his experience at the Metropolitan Opera this past season. In an interview with Vasmacs, the tenor said he wanted to sing where he was wanted and didn’t want to feel “like a prop” as he felt during his debut season at the Met. He said, “Honestly, I’m very nervous for the future of the {…}
The Los Angeles Opera is set to present a free live simulcast of Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” on Sept. 21, 2024 at two outdoor locations. Audiences will get to take in the tragic work at the El Cariso Community Regional Park and Santa Monica Pier. This is the second time that LA Opera does a simulcast at El Cariso Community Regional {…}
Welcome back for this week’s look at the latest CD and DVD releases in the opera world. This week audiences will get to relive two acclaimed performances from the 2023 Salzburg Festival as well as two world premiere recordings. Giuseppe Verdi: Macbeth C Major Entertainment releases Salzburg’s production of Verdi’s masterpiece which was recorded in August 2023. The production by {…}
