New Years Eve galas are always some of the most exciting events of the year. The stars come out to sing some of the favorites from operettas and operas and they are always greeted with cheers from the emotional audiences. In some cases there are some surprises that audiences do not expect and that was the case with Vienna State {…}
This week many singers ended the year singing their last performances or in the rehearsal room while others went back home to take a break from the stage. After spending Christmas in Vienna with her family, the soprano returned to the stage for her final performance of the year. Netrebko performed Macbeth at the Bayerische Staatsoper where she announced that {…}
The holidays are upon us and most will be together to celebrate them. There will a lot of downtime and this will give families a chance to catch up on movies or simply relax and listen to some great music. For families interested in enjoying an opera together, the following is a list of works that family and holiday friendly {…}
Juan Diego Florez encored “Pourquoi me réveiller” at the latest performance of Massenet’s “Werther.” The tenor has been singing the role at the Teatro Communale di Bologna where he is making his staged role debut alongside Isabel Leonard. The famed aria is one of the showstopping pieces in the opera but it is rare to hear an encore in this {…}
Isabel Leonard is recognized as one of the brightest stars in the opera world for her vocal beauty and vocal fireworks. After years of exploring Mozart and the baroque repertoire, Leonard is moving into new territory this season. She recently made her role debut as Adalgisa in Bellini’s “Norma” and last week she made her role debut as Charlotte in {…}
The weekend is upon us and that means many operas will be presented around the world. Many theaters will offer holiday presentations while some of the greatest singers return to the stage such as Renee Fleming, Simon Keenlyside, Rolando Villazon, Anna Netrebko, Rene Pape and Nina Stemme. Austria Simon Keenlyside returns to the Vienna State Opera for Verdi’s “Macbeth” with the {…}
Isabel Leonard and Juan Diego Florez will make their role debuts in Massenet’s “Werther” on Thursday at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna. The performance will be broadcast via radio through Radio RAI at 8 PM Local Time (2 PM EST). The cast also includes Jean-François Lapointe as Albert and Ruth Iniesta as Sophie. Michelle Mariotti will be in the pit for {…}
Every year has a share of rising and breakout stars as well as opera singers who solidify or take their careers in new directions. Others make important debuts or create roles that audiences would have never expected and conquer. This is what makes a performer stick in an audience’s mind for the whole year. For this year OperaWire has put {…}
This week the stars continued rehearsing for upcoming performances but also took some time off to have some fun around the world. Tenor Michael Fabiano spent some time with his friends judging a major circuit Debate tournament. The tenor last sang the national anthem at a Jets game and is taking some time off the opera stage. He returns to the {…}
Mozart was a huge hit throughout his short career and his great success has continued in 2016 in the form of 1.25 million international CD sales of Deutsche Grammophon’s “Mozart 225: The Complete Edition” in a whopping five weeks since its release. The boxset, made up of 200-CD’s and encompassing every single work ever created by the composer, was released {…}