(Photo: Jan Windszus Photography) Ever since its premiere in 1742, George Frederic Handel’s “Messiah” has been considered a work of vocal and intellectual power. All the more so when it is performed in an airport hangar, with over 350 choir members, dramatically staged, on a stage over 180 feet wide. The Komische Oper Berlin hashtags #everything extraordinary – in large {…}
The Opéra National de Montpellier has announced its 2024-25 season. Here is a look at the operatic performances. Opera Roderick Cox conducts a new production of Verdi’s “La Forza del Destino.” Yánnis Kókkos directs the production, which will feature Yunuet Laguna, Amadi Lagha, Stefano Meo, Vazgen Gazaryan, Leon Kim, and Éléonore Pancrazi. Performance Dates: Sept. 22-27, 2024 George Jackson conducts {…}
The Theater an der Wien has announced its 2023-24 season featuring opera productions and opera in concert. Opera Jérémie Rhorer conducts Donizetti’s “Les Martyrs” with Cezary Tomaszewski directing. Roberta Mantegna and John Osborn lead the cast, which also includes Mattia Olivieri, David Steffens, Nicolò Donini, and Patrick Kabongo. Performance Date: Sept. 18-28, 2023 Philip Venables’s “Denis & Katya” will star {…}
The Philharmonie de Paris has announced its 2023-24 season. Here is a look at the vocal highlights of the season. Klaus Mäkelä conducts Orchestre de Paris with soloists Bertrand Chamayou, Olga Peretyatko, Pavel Petrov, Alexey Markov, and Bertrand Mandico. The program includes music by Stravinsky, Prokofiev, and Rachmaninoff. Performance Dates: Sept. 6 & 7, 2023 Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Mass in {…}
The Opéra de Paris has announced its 2023-24 Season featuring many new productions and many of the great stars in the world. Alexander Soddy conducts Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” with a cast that includes Peter Mattei, Kyle Ketelsen, Adela Zaharia, Julia Kleiter, Ben Bliss, Cyrille Dubois, John Relyea, Gaëlle Arquez, Tara Erraught, Alex Esposito, Bogdan Talos, Guilhem Worms, Ying Fang, and {…}
Photo: Bernd-Uhlig-OnP On Mar. 11, 2023, Paris Opera premiered a new production of Thomas’s “Hamlet” at the giant opera colosseum, La Bastille. “Hamlet” premiered at Paris Opera, then known as Académie Impériale de Musique, in 1868, with immense success. One year later, the opera was presented in London with an alternative ending where the hero, Hamlet, dies, changing Shakespeare’s original {…}
On Oct. 28, The Teatro Carlo Felice is set to present Berlioz’s “Béatrice et Bénédict.” The opera will be performed in Italy for the first time and will open the 2022-23 season in Genoa. This opéra-comique based on Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing,” will be conducted by Maestro Donato Renzetti, who celebrates its inclusion as the 100th opera in his {…}
On Oct. 28, the Teatro Carlo Felice will make history with the first Italian production of Berlioz’s “Beatrice et Benedict.” The opera, which had its world in 1862, has been performed all over the world by many great interpreters. For this upcoming production, the Genoa theater has brought together a cast of important artists including Julien Behr. Behr is a {…}
The Teatro Carlo Felice has announced its 2022-23 Season. Opera Berlioz’s “Béatrice et Bénedict” is set to star Julien Behr, Giorgio Misseri, Benedetta Torre, Francesca Benitez, Cecilia Molinari, and Sofia Koberidze. Donato Renzetti conducts the production by Damiano Michieletto. Performance Dates: Oct. 28-Nov. 6, 2022 Rossini’s “La Cenerentola” is set to star Filippo Maria Romano, Giovanni Romeo, Hongni Wu, Laura Verrecchia, {…}
The Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona has announced two cast changes for its June 28 performance of “Die Zauberflote.” The company noted that Julien Behr will replace Javier Camarena in the role of Tamino while Nicolas Testé will sing the part of Sarastro replacing Stephen Milling. The news comes as Camarena and Milling tested positive for COVID-19 and were {…}
The Gran Teatre del Liceu has announced a cast change for its production of Mozart’s “Die Zauberflote.” The company noted that tenor Julien Behr will perform the role of Tamino on the June 26 performance, replacing Javier Camarena, who has tested positive for COVID-19. Camarena took to social media stating “I knew it had to happen sooner or later, but {…}