(Photo: Brescia e Amisano © Teatro all Scala) Austrian writer Hugo von Hofmannsthal confessed that he drew inspiration for “Der Rosenkavalier’s” libretto from Molière’s comedies, weaving them together with the roles of Italian commedia dell’arte. He wrote, “The characters were there, performing right in front of us: the Buffoon, the Old Man, the Young Man, the Lady, the Cherubino… Each {…}
It is blatantly evident that there is a connection between the advent of cinema and the decline of Opera. Once the main form of entertainment, the operatic stage lost its prominence to the silver screen. There is something that opera used to give that cinema somehow gave, too—the question is what? Last year, the Salzburg Festival attempted to bridge the {…}
Deutsche Grammophon’s Stage + is set to present Offenbach’s “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” from the Salzburg Festival. The stream will be presented on August 24, 2024, and will star tenor Benjamin Bernheim in his signature role as Hoffmann. Kate Lindsey, Kathryn Lewek, and Christian Van Horn will join him. Marc Minkowski will conduct the production by Mariame Clément. The stream is {…}
The Opéra national du Rhin has announced its 2024-25 season. Here are the opera performances. George Benjamin’s “Picture a day like this” opens the season. Performance Dates: Oct. 3-20, 2024 Jakub Józef Orlinski and Michał Biel will perform Purcell, Haendel, Schubert, Baird, and Łukaszewski. Performance Date: Sept. 19, 2024 Alex Rosen, Emöke Baráth, Adèle Charvet, Laurence Kilsby, Lauranne Oliva, Christophe {…}
The Royal Opera House has announced its 2024-25 season. Here is a look at the season. Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” will open the season with a cast that includes Luca Micheletti, Ying Fang, Huw Montague Rendall, Jacquelyn Stucker, and Ginger Costa-Jackson. Performance Dates: Sept. 2-15, 2024 Verdi’s “La Traviata” will feature two casts. The first cast will be headlined {…}
Barcelona Obertura has announced its 2024 Spring Festival. Here is a rundown of the vocal performances. Teodor Currentzis leads MusicAeterna in a performance of Mozart’s Requiem. Performance Date: March 11, 2024 Fleur Barron headlines a program featuring music by Ravel, Montsalvatge, and Raquel García-Tomás. Ludovic Morlot conducts the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra. Performance Date: March 15, 2024 Harry Bicket leads The English Concert {…}
(Credit: © SF / Peter Rigaud) The Salzburg Festival has announced its 2024 Season. Here is a look at the vocal performances. Opera Strauss’ “Caprricio” is set to be performed in concert form with Elsa Dreisig and Bo Skovhus as Countess and Count. The cast also includes Sebastian Kohlhepp (Flamand), Konstantin Krimmel (Olivier), Mika Kares (La Roche), Ève-Maud Hubeaux (Clairon), {…}
OperaVision has unveiled its programming for the month of July. First up, the company will stream “Rusalka” from the Dutch National Opera. The opera stars Johanni van Oostrum, Annette Dasch, Pavel Cernoch, and Raehann Bryce-Davis. Joana Mallwitz conducts a production directed by Philipp Stölzl and Philipp M. Krenn. The opera was recorded on June 13, 2023. Streaming Dates: July 7 – {…}
Torino’s Orchestra Rai has announced its 2023-24 season. Here are the vocal highlights. Philippe Jordan conducts Kate Lindsey in a program of music by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Ernest Chausson, Benjamin Britten, and Claude Debussy. Performance Dates: Dec 14 & 15, 2023 Michele Gamba conducts Francesco Meli and Markus Werba in a Puccini concert. Performance Date: March 20, 2024 Andres Orozco-Estrada conducts {…}
The Teatro alla Scala has announced ts 2023-24 season. The season opens with Verdi’s “Don Carlo” which will star René Pape, Francesco Meli, Luca Salsi, Ain Anger, Anna Netrebko, and Elīna Garanča. Riccardo Chailly conducts a production by Lluis Pasqual. Maria Jose Siri and Ekaterina Semenchuk perform the final two performances. Performance Dates: Dec. 7, 2023-Jan. 2, 2024 Sonya Yoncheva {…}
The English National Opera has announced its 2023-24 season. Gwyn Hughes Jones, Elizabeth Llewellyn, and Simon Bailey star in Britten’s “Peter Grimes” with Martyn Brabbins conducting David Alden’s production. Performance Dates: Sept. 21–Oct. 11, 2023 Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Iolanthe” returns to the company with Chris Hopkins conducting the production by Cal McCrystal. Samantha Price, Ellie Laugharne, Catherine Wyn-Rogers, Marcus Farnsworth, John Savournin, {…}