Spanish tenor Jorge de León has sung the first encore in his career. On Dec. 26, the tenor was asked for a “bis” at the end of his “Nessun Dorma” in “Turandot” at the Teatro Giuseppe Verdi de Salerno. De León was making his company debut with a cast that includes soprano Oksana Dyka in the title role, and Lianna Haroutounian as {…}
(This review is for the Oct. 30, 2022 performance with Anna Netrebko, Jorge de Leon, Ketevan Kemoklidze, Gevorg Hakobyan and Simón Orfila.) The Teatro Real opened its 2022-23 season at the Madrid Coliseum with Verdi’s masterpiece “Aida” (the season had officially opened with five performances of Philip Glass Orphée at Teatro del Canal theatre). Anna Netrebko was originally set to {…}
The Teatro Real de Madrid has announced its 2022-23 season featuring nine company premieres. Opera Philip Glass’ “Orphée” opens the season with Jordi Francés conducting Rafael Villalobos’ production. The chamber work stars María Rey-Joly, Isabella Gaudí, Sylvia Schwartz, Natalia Labourdette, Mikeldi Atxalandabaso, Juan Antonio Sanabria, Edward Nelson, Karina Demurova, Pablo García-López, and Emmanuel Faraldo. Performance Dates: Sept. 21-25, 2022 Nicola Luisotti, Diego García Rodríguez, {…}
On Nov. 16, 2021, the Bilbao Opera is set to present the double bill of “Cavalleria Rusticana” and “Pagliacci.” The production will star Jorge de León in both works as Turiddu and Canio. The tenor will be joined Ekaterina Semenchuk as Santuzza, Ambrogio Maestri as Alfio, Belén Elvira as Lola, and Elena Zilio as Mamma Lucia in Mascagni’s work. Meanwhile, {…}
(Credit: Javier del Real) The Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville, Spain has announced a cast change for Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly.” The company noted that Jorge de León will replace Amadi Lagha in the role of Pinkerton on Oct. 3, 6, and 9, 2021. De León is a well-known Spanish tenor who has performed at the Metropolitan Opera, Gran Teatre {…}
Rai 3 has announced that three operas from the Arena di Verona will be broadcast on television. A June 25 performance of Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana” will be showcased on July 27. The opera stars Sonia Ganassi, Clarissa Leonardi, Murat Karahan, Amartuvshin Enkhbat, and Agostina Smimmero. That will be followed with an August 3 broadcast of a June 25 performance of {…}
The ABAO Bilbao Opera in Spain has announced its 2021-22 season. The season opens with a production of “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” starring Jessica Pratt, Michael Fabiano, Elena Zhidkova, and Simón Orfila. The opera will be directed by Vincent Huguet and conducted by Carlo Montanaro. Performance Dates: Oct. 23 – Nov. 1, 2021 Next up “Cavalleria Rusticana” and “Pagliacci” will be {…}
Two major Spanish cities are inviting Plácido Domingo to return to their stages. First, Domingo is scheduled to sing in Madrid on June 9 at the Auditorio Nacional de Madrid; the performance will be a benefit gala organized by the Fundación Excelentia for the Red Cross. Performing alongside Domingo in the gala will be María José Siri, Jorge de León, {…}
The Gran Teatre del Liceu is set to present Verdi’s “Otello” despite the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement, the Spanish company said that “despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, the Liceu reinforces its commitment to offer a quality program that assures absolute safety. The Teatre succeeds in staging a production featuring an artistic team that is both unique and {…}
The Ópera de Oviedo has postponed the opening of “Madama Butterfly” for a third time. The Spanish company announced that the opera, which is set to star Ainhoa Arteta and Jorge de León, was postponed due to new restrictions set in order to stop the spread of COVID-19. As a result, the opera will open on Dec. 9 instead of {…}
The Ópera de Oviedo has announced new dates for its upcoming production of “Madama Butterfly.” Following two postponements due to a surge in COVID-19 cases in Spain, the company has announced that the Puccini opera will now open on Dec. 6, 2020. The six performances will alternate with the upcoming “Fidelio” production, which will celebrate Beethoven’s 250th anniversary. The company {…}
