(Photo Credit: Juanjo Bruzza) From the moment that he took the stage of the Teatro Colón alongside pianist Vicenzo Scalera (who was incidentally celebrating his birthday), Juan Diego Flórez had the audience under a spell. Flórez, who has never performed a role at the famed opera house, has always exuded star power and even as he moves through his middle {…}
On Sept. 6, the Wiener Staatsoper is set to broadcast an open air concert on Vienna Burggarten at 7:30 p.m. The concert will be broadcast this year on ORF III, as well as on Film Festival auf dem Wiener Rathausplatz. The concert will feature superstars Asmik Grigorian, Piotr Beczała, Juan Diego Flórez, Ludovic Tézier as well as Jenni Hietala, Maria {…}
(Credit: ©2026 Tristram Kenton) Gaetano Donizetti’s “La Fille du Régiment,” first perfomed in 1840, was something of a near disaster. On opening night, the lead tenor was frequently off pitch and when it premiered in Italy, shortly after, it was labelled as “worthless” and closed after just six performances. Fortunately for Donizetti, (and everyone else), it quickly turned round and {…}
Welcome back as we explore the latest CD and DVD releases from around the opera world. This week the Teatro alla Scala releases two major productions from two different seasons featuring some of the biggest stars. Lucia di Lammermoor C Major Entertainment releases Donizetti’s masterpiece from spring 2023. Recorded at the Teatro alla Scala, the opera features Lisette Oropesa, Juan {…}
The Teatro alla Scala has announced its 2026-27 season. Opera Myung–Whun Chung conducts Verdi’s “Otello” for opening night in a production by Damiano Michieletto. The cast will include Brian Jagde, Luca Salsi, and Eleonora Buratto accompanied by Juan Francisco Gatell and Szilvia Vörös. A second cast will star Arsen Soghomonyan, Roberto Frontali and Roberta Mantegna. Performance Dates: Dec. 7, 2026-Jan. 5, 2027 Bizet’s {…}
(Photo: Wiener Staatsoper Michael Poehn) Premiered in 1863, “Les Pêcheurs de perles” is one of Georges Bizet’s earliest operas, composed more than a decade before his masterpiece “Carmen.” Set on the exoticized shores of ancient Ceylon, it combines lush lyricism with themes of friendship, desire, and betrayal. Though initially overshadowed by Bizet’s later success, the opera has gradually earned recognition {…}
Mezzo.TV is set to present a new production of Bizet’s “Les pêcheurs de perles.” The new production will be broadcast on May 29 from the Wiener Staatsoper in a new production by Ersan Mondtag. Daniele Rustioni conducts an all-star that includes Kristina Mkhitaryan as Leila, Juan Diego Flórez as Nadir, Ludovic Tézier as Zurga, and Ivo Stanchev as Nourabad. Mondtag {…}
The Palau de la Musica Catalana has announced its 2026-27 season. Here are the vocal performances. Pianist Albert Guinovart leads concert with Cor de Cambra Femení Scherzo and conductor Esteve Nabona in music by A. Guinovart. Performance Date: Oct. 1, 2026 Alba Valdivieso, joins forces with instrumentalists Seungyeon Baik,Patricia Cordero, Noelia Cotuna, Jéssica Duarte, Gugg Piano Duo, Duo Jiménez-Berlinches, and Ot {…}
The Hong Kong Philharmonic has announced its 2026-27 season. Here are the vocal performances. Michele Spotti conducts Juan Diego Flórez’s gala performance. Performance Dates: Oct. 22, 2026 at Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall & Oct. 24, 2026 Guangzhou Xinghai Concert Hall Tarmo Peltokoski conducts Mahler’s Symphony No.8 with Jacquelyn Wagner, Chen Reiss, Louise Kwong, Catriona Morison, Sasha Cooke, Tuomas Katajala, Rinalds Kandalincevs, and Shenyang. Performance {…}
The Wiener Staatsoper has announced its 2026-27 season. Premiere Zemlinsky’s “Eine Florentinische Tragödie” and Bartok’s “Bluebeard’s Castle” will be performed in a new production with Dmitry Golovnin, Christopher Maltman, Florian Boesch, and Asmik Grigorian. Alain Altinoglu conducts the new production by Vasily Barkhatov. Performance Dates: Oct. 3-12, 2026 Barrie Kosky directs a new production of Strauss’ “Ariadne auf Naxos” with {…}
The Opernhaus Zürich has announced its 2026-27 season. Premiere The season opens with Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte” conducted by Tamo Peltokoski and Erina Yashima. The new production will be directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca and will star Magnus Dietrich, Tobias Kehrer, Regula Mühlemann, Jasmin Delfs, Johan Krogius, Brent Michael Smith, Kathrin Zukowski, Alina Wunderlin, Yannick Debus, Andrew Moore, and Evan Gray. {…}