Following his dismissal from the Estonian National Opera, José Cura is speaking out. In a statement, he said, “Some of you may also be wondering what my side of the story is. Right now, I’m at home, enjoying beautiful days with my children and my grandson, so you’ll understand why I have no intention of souring the moment by giving {…}
The Estonian National Opera has ended its relationship with José Cura due to his recent appearances in Russia. Cura was set to perform “Otello” at St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre on July 16, but his participation was canceled. According to Cura’s representative, Cura’s participation as Otello was announced in error and without his consent. Cura was also a judge for the {…}
Director Davide Livermore withdrew from the production of “Again 2024 Turandot” 24 hours before it opened in Seoul. Per The Korea Herald, his reasons for pulling out included creative and contractual disputes with the creative team. Per the report, Livermore did not recognize the direction of the production as his own. He cited that the team continually made changes to {…}
The Estonian National Opera has announced its 2022-23 season featuring an array of productions and international stars. The season opens with the X Old Tallinn Gala conducted by Arvo Volmer and starring Olga Mykytenko, Ain Anger, and Raimonds Bramanis. Performance Date: August 27, 2022 Gounod’s “Roméo et Juliette” is set to star Perrine Madeouf and Nico Darmanin in the September performances. Performance Dates: Sept. {…}
(Credits: Maria José Siri official website / Chris Gloag / Zoe Cura / Georg List) Italian television channel Rai5 has announced broadcasts for the week of Feb. 14 – Feb. 20, 2021. The opera broadcasts will be dedicated to composer Giacomo Puccini. The stream on Feb. 14 will be dedicated to late soprano Mirella Freni. OPERAS The broadcast of Niccolò {…}
This week two new audio recordings of rarely performed works are being released, as are two DVDs of performances that were met with acclaim last summer. Stabat Mater Gloriae Dei Cantores performs Arvo Pärt’s acclaimed “Stabat Mater.” Richard K. Pugsley conducts the famed masterwork which also includes a number of major choral works. Naxos and GDC Recordings unveil the upcoming {…}
The Salzburg Easter Festival is launching a streaming platform in collaboration with Unitel. From April 4 through 16, the dates of the festival, there will be free videos of the opera productions from the era of Christian Thielemann/Staatskapelle Dresden from 2013 to 2017. The program kicks off with a 2017 recording of “Die Walküre,” in a production by Vera Nemirova {…}
(Credit: Cuibar) Famed tenor, conductor, and composer José Cura is set to world premiere his first opera “Montezuma and the Red Priest – Opera Buffa, Ma Non Troppo,” on Jan. 29, 2020 at the Music Academy, Great Hall in Hungary. The opera, which was written by Cura, is “apparently about” the birth of the Vivaldi opera “Montezuma” and will feature {…}
(Photo credit: Khalid AlBusaidi / ROHM) This review is for performances on Sept. 11 and 14, 2019. Writing a review after an initial performance of any run is a challenging proposition. You are essentially recording your views on a first impression without really getting a chance to see the full picture. There are many reasons why this is the case, {…}
(Credit: Teatro Regio di Parma/ SF/Monika Riitshaus/Rossini Opera Festival) This weekend new productions open, a major festival kicks off and a rising star makes a major debut at a historical arena. Here is what we recommend for the weekend. Œdipe – Salzburg Festival, Austria Christopher Maltman sings the title role of Enescu’s rarely performed work. The star baritone is joined {…}
The Royal Opera Muscat has announced its 2019-20 Season. Bizet’s “Carmen” opens the Royal Opera Muscat season with José Cura in the role of Don José, Elena Maximova in the title role, Anita Hartig as Micaëla and George Petean in the role of Escamillo. The Teatro Colón Buenos Aires travels with conductor Antonello Allemandi. Performance Dates: Sept. 11-14, 2019 Celso Albelo {…}