Michael Spyres, Elsa Dreisig, Vida Miknevičiūtė, Klaus Florian Vogt & Piotr Beczała Lead Bayreuth Festival’s 2027 Season

The Bayreuth Festival has announced its 2027 season. The season opens with a new production of “Lohengrin” featuring Georg Zeppenfeld, Michael Spyres, Elsa Dreisig, Jordan Shanahan, and Judit Kutasi. Tarmo Peltokoski conducts the production by Ilaria Lanzino. Performance Dates: TBA Michael Volle, Mika Kares, Piotr Beczała, Christopher Sokolowski, and Michele Losier star in “Parsifal” with Christian Thielemann conducting a new {…}

Jun 6, 2026

Deutsche Oper Berlin 2025-26 Review: Die Walküre

(Photo Credit: Bernd Uhlig) I had high expectations for this production, following the previous evening‘s “Das Rheingold,” as director Stefan Herheim had plenty of ideas for “The Ring‘s” first installment. Sadly, his ideas could not sustain the dramatic textures of “Die Walküre,” as it is replete with long narrative dialogues and less action. Herheim’s tools, the traveling refugees, the suitcases {…}

Mar 27, 2026

Daniel Johansson, Adriana Bastidas-Gamboa, Enea Scala, Daniel Luis de Vicente, Germán Enrique Alcántara, Enkeleda Kamani & Jessica Muirhead Lead Oper Köln’s 2026-27 Season

Oper Köln has announced its 2026-27 season. Premieres The first new production of the year will be Strauss’ “Der Rosenkavalier” with Magdalena Hinterdobler, Ann-Beth Solvang, Patrick Zielke, Martin Summer, Bianca Andrew, KS Miljenko Turk, Giulia Montanari, Elsa Benoit, Young Woo Kim, and Dmitry Ivanchey. Marie-Ève Signeyrole directs and Felix Bender and Andrés Orozco-Estrada conducts. Performance Dates: Sept. 27-Dec. 20, 2026 {…}

Jan 9, 2026

Cast Change: Deutsche Oper Berlin Announces Various Changes for Productions

The Deutsche Oper Berlin has announced various cast changes for its productions. The company said that Geon Kim takes over the role of Rodrigo from Andrè Schuen for performances on Jan. 11, 17, and 31, 2026. Meanwhile, Jordan Shanahan will sing the role of Wotan in “Die Walküre” on May 17 and 27, 2026. Finally for its production of “Madama Butterfly,” {…}

Aug 6, 2025

Bayreuth Festival 2025 Review: Parsifal

(© Enrico Nawrath) First seen on the Green Hill in 2023, the director of “Parsifal,” 55-year-old Jay Scheib, professor of music and theatre arts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an American of international standing in the hi-tech world, is a technological wizard like no other! A couple of his credits include Thomas Adès’ “Powder Her Face” (New York {…}

Apr 21, 2025

Irish National Opera 2024-25 Review: Der fliegende Holländer

(Photo: Patrick Redmond) Since its inception in 2018, Irish National Opera has made remarkable progress with a series of innovative and imaginative productions that have entertained audiences from both home and abroad, garnering praise from the national and international media for the variety and quality of its output. Now, in its seventh season, the company decided to stage four performances {…}

Sep 18, 2024

Bayreuth Festival 2024 Review: Parsifal

(Photo credit: ©EnricoNawrath) In preparation for the new “Parsifal” at Bayreuth last year, one may have harbored preconceived doubts as to the very idea regarding the use of Augmented Reality eyeglasses. After attending this year’s performances, the doubts lingered; and although this production may not be considered a negative adventure per se, one may not view this experiment as a {…}

Jul 19, 2024

Deutsche Oper Berlin 2023-24 Review: Das Rheingold

(Fotos von Bernd Uhlig, Kontakt: bernd.uhlig.fotografie@t-online.de) It does seem that the 2021 Deutsche Oper Berlin’s Ring has been somewhat of a success over the last few years. And this is good for opera. A major achievement, this as other cycles, after the centennial Patrice Chéreau staging have created negative stirrings, indeed vivid contestations largely due to mistaken stage-director conceptions ingrained {…}

Jun 11, 2024

Deutsche Oper Berlin 2023-24 Review: Der Ring des Nibelungen

(Photo credit: Bernd Uhlig) The man who gave the opera world its most dazzling 21st century “Parsifal,” Stefan Herheim, continues his quest to interrogate the Romantic text that is Richard Wagner’s “Ring of the Nibelungen.” Inspired refreshing of a 150-year-old work of art can provide new insights and flashes of illumination. But conceptual pyrotechnics can just as easily destroy its {…}

May 30, 2024

Deutsche Oper Berlin 2024 Review: Der Ring des Nibelungen

(Photo by Bernd Uhlig) I’m back in Berlin, a city I favor and enjoy so much, ready for yet another Ring cycle at Deutsche Oper, a large, comfortable 1850-seat theatre boldly designed in the Modernist style and simply ideal for large-scale productions. And none comes much larger than those penned by Giacomo Meyerbeer, Richard Strauss and Richard Wagner Therefore, with {…}

Aug 18, 2023

Daniela Köhler and AJ Glueckert to Lead Oper Köln’s Season Opening Premiere of ‘Die Frau ohne Schatten’

On Sept. 17, Oper Köln will kick off its 2023-24 season with the premiere of R. Strauss and Von Hoffmansthal’s “Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman Without a Shadow).” Considered exceptionally demanding, and requiring a massive orchestra, the opera is a fairy tale that Strauss believed was his most important work. The story relates the tale of an ethereal Empress {…}

jordan shanahan