(Credit: Evan Zimmerman / Metropolitan Opera) The Metropolitan Opera is set to present Franco Zeffirelli’s production of Puccini’s “La Bohème” in Live in HD. The company will showcase the work on Nov. 8 with a cast that includes soprano Juliana Grigoryan as Mimì and tenor Freddie De Tommaso as Rodolfo. They will be joined by soprano Heidi Stober and baritone {…}
(Photo Credit: Evan Zimmerman / Metropolitan Opera) Franco Zeffirelli’s production of Puccini’s “La Bohème” is set to return to the Metropolitan Opera. The production, which opens on Oct. 21, will be performed 20 times. The first cast of five performances will feature soprano Juliana Grigoryan and tenor Freddie De Tommaso alongside soprano Heidi Stober, baritone Lucas Meachem, baritone Sean Michael {…}
The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic has announced its 2025-26 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances. Kelsey Thomas and Edward Lloyd perform a lunchtime recital. Performance Date: Sept. 22, 2025 Geoffrey Paterson conducts Julian Bliss and Agustin Pennino in Boccherini, Bernstein, Copland, Einojuhani Rautavaara, and Sibelius. Performance Date: Oct. 11, 2025 Domingo Hindoyan conducts Brahms’ Requiem with Sophie Bevan and {…}
The Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España has announced its 2025-26 season. Here are the vocal performances. Concert Alban Berg’s “Wozzeck” will be conducted by David Afkham. Martin Winkler, Lise Lindström, Rodrigo Porras, Tansel Akzeybek, Jürgen Sacher, Stephen Milling, and Susana Gómez. Performance Dates: Oct. 3 & 5, 2025 Michael Laurenz, Christof Fischesser, Louise McClelland, Valentina Stadler, Tae Hwan Yun, {…}
(Photo Credit: Gianmarco Bresadola) “Regietheater” remains a hot topic in the opera world. The main reason for the controversy is because a lot of those new approaches generally need to contort the original material into something completely new to find purpose. Interpretation gives way to transformation, rewriting, and often, reinvention. I stand a bit in the middle on this. On {…}
It has been 23 years since Daniel Barenboim offered three performances of Wagner’s comedy at Teatro Real. It was the first Laurent Pelly Wagner production, and therefore the expectations were high. And the result did not disappoint an enthusiastic audience which gave strong ovations at the curtain call. Pelly is a master in “comedy” and he recognizes that he doesn’t {…}
(Credit: Fabrizio Sansoni) OperaVision has revealed its upcoming slate for late April and May 2024. First up is Garsington Opera’s “Ariadne auf Naxos” from June 18, 2023. The opera stars Natalya Romaniw, Young Woo Kim, Jennifer France, and Polly Leech. Streaming Dates: April 26 – Oct. 26, 2025 Next up is Lviv National Opera’s “Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors” from Mach 7, {…}
The Teatro alla Scala has announced a cast change for its production of Verdi’s “Don Carlo.” The company said, “We inform you that Ain Anger (The Grand Inquisitor), indisposed during the rehearsals, has to withdraw from the production of ‘Don Carlo’ due to his prolonged convalescence.” It added, “La Scala thanks Jongmin Park, already involved in the role of the {…}
(Credit: Javier del Real) Teatro Real opened its 2023-24 season with Cherubini’s masterpiece “Medea.” The opera had a great success and was very popular in Europe during the XIX century, where it was usually performed in German or Italian and with a newly written recitative instead of the original French dialogues between arias and scenes. “Medea” was rarely performed during {…}
(Credit: Speranza Scappucci official website) The Teatro alla Scala has announced that conductor Evelino Pidò has withdrawn from the production of Bellini’s “I Capuleti e i Montecchi” due to a health emergency. As a result, Speranza Scappucci, the Music Director of the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège, will take over in the pit. Scappucci will lead a cast that includes Marianne {…}
(Credit: Staatsoper Unter den Linden official website) The Teatro alla Scala has announced that bass Ildar Abdrazakov will not be appearing in the role of Banquo in the final performance of Verdi’s “Macbeth” scheduled for Dec. 29, 2021. No reason has been given for the cast change. As a result, South Korean bass Jongmin Park will take over the role. {…}