(Photo: Alciro Theodoro Da Silva) At the end of February, start of March this year, the Badisches Staatstheater, Karlsruhe is presenting a Händel festival, which includes productions of “Rinaldo,” and “Siroe, Re di Persia,” among many other events. During a recent performance of “Il Ritorno di Ulisse in Patria” in Ravenna, OperaWire met up with Spanish tenor Jorge Navarro Colorado, {…}
(Photo: Zani-Casadio) Following on from the previous day’s performance of Monteverdi’s “Il Ritorno di Ulisse in Patria,” Ravenna’s Teatro Alighieri continued with a production of Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas” coupled with “Hail, Bright Cecelia,” presented by the same cast under the musical direction of Ottavio Dantone. The fact that Pier Luigi Pizzi, who had been responsible for the lackluster staging {…}
(Photo: Zani-Casadio) In his program notes, the director, Pier Luigi Pizzi, writing about “Il Ritorno di Ulisse in Patria,” stated that “the opera speaks for itself,” adding, “we must not induce or force its interpretation… It is up to the audience to confront it, to think about it, and to decide for themselves whether or not it is worthwhile.” Even {…}
(Photo: Genevieve Girling) Written in 1707 while living in Italy, Händel’s first oratorio, “Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno,” was a work that he would return to again and again over his career. Not only did he mine it for arias he could use in his operas, but he also created two further versions of the piece. In 1737, {…}
American Randall Scotting has made a name for himself both as an authority on Italian Baroque music and as one of its most exquisitely timbered interpreters. The countertenor has in the past year alone released two albums, “The Crown” and “Lovesick,” a 17th century anthology about loss and heartbreak. With “Infinite Refrain: Music of Love’s Refuge” he joins forces with {…}
Welcome back for this week’s look at the latest CD and DVD releases in the opera world. This week audiences will get to experience a gay-themed albumm as well as the critical edition of one verismo’s beloved operas. Infinite Refrain – Music of Love’s Refuge Signum Classics releases Randall Scotting’s latest album. This duet album is a musical journey that {…}
The Auditori in Barcelona has announced its 2022-23 season. Here are vocal highlights for the season. Audrey and Ludovic Morlot join forces for Mahler’s Fourth Symphony. Performance Date: Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 2022 Sarah Connolly and Ludovic Morlot perform a program of music by Mahler, Dvorak and Rio-Pareja, and Rachmaninoff. Performance Dates: Oct. 15 & 16, 2022 Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano {…}
(Photo: Michele Crosera) Given that Venice is the city of Vivaldi’s birth and the scene of most of his musical successes, it is fitting that La Fenice has been one of the leading companies in the movement toward rehabilitating staged performances of his operas. This season’s production of the composer’s 1735 work “La Griselda” will mark the fifth consecutive year {…}
(Photo: Theodore da Silva) Just behind Göttingen train station is the Lokhalle, a large industrial building built between 1917 and 1920, which until 1976 was used for repairing locomotives, when it was closed and sold for development. Fortunately, it was not demolished along with the other buildings on the site. Instead, it was converted into an events center which, among {…}
(Credit: Balthasar Denner) London Handel Festival will take place from March 5 to April 10, 2020, featuring number of vocal and orchestral works. The oratorio “Susanna” will feature Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, Patrick Terry, Yaritza Véliz, April Koyejo-Audiger, Michael Mofidian, Andrés Presno, and Blaise Malaba. Patrick Milne will conduct the production by Isabelle Kettle. Performance Dates : March 5, 7, 11, 12 {…}