For the second straight night, the Metropolitan Opera orchestra was at its peak level. After an incredibly immersive opening night performing in Cherubini’s “Medea,” the ensemble, under the musical direction of Manfred Honeck nearly outdid itself. From the thunderous overture all the way to the final triumphant march, Honeck had the ensemble surging forward with unbridled passion and a {…}
The Metropolitan Opera is set to present a revival of Mozart’s “Idomeneo.” The production, which is set to run between Sept. 28 and Oct. 20, will be conducted by Manfred Honeck, the music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. The cast will also include Michael Spyres in the title role of the king of Crete, Ying Fang as Ilia, Federica Lombardi as {…}
The Metropolitan Opera Guild has announced that it will celebrate the legacy and impact of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at the Guild’s 88th Annual Luncheon. The event, which is set to take place on Nov. 10, 2022 at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City will feature spoken and musical tributes by LYADP alumni Stephanie Blythe, Michelle Bradley, {…}
This week audiences will get a chance to hear complete opera recordings from Saint-Saëns, Monteverdi, Janáček, Olga Neuwirth, and Wagner. Here is a look at this week’s new releases. Henry VIII Odyssey Opera will release its fifth album Camille Saint-Saëns’ “Henry VIII.” Recorded on New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall stage in 2019, this four-CD set marks the debut recording of {…}
(Photo: Catherine Ashmore) Such has been the success of Margret Atwood’s novel “The Handmaid’s Tale” that, since its publication in 1985, it now finds itself positioned alongside other major 20th century dystopian novels, drawing comparisons with Orwell’s “1984” and Huxley’s “Brave New World.” Like them, it has entered the cultural mainstream, spawning plays, films, a ballet, a major television series, {…}
Wigmore Hall has announced details for its Autumn 2022 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances. Regula Mühlemann soprano and La Folia Barockorchester open the season with Cleopatra featuring music by Hasse, Vivaldi, Legrenzi, Graun, and Händel. Performance Date: Sept. 8, 2022 Elizabeth Llewellyn and Simon Lepper perform a program of music by Coleridge-Taylor, G Mahler and Strauss. {…}
(Credit: © Wiener Staatsoper / Michael Pöhn) The Wiener Staatsoper has announced that it will reopen its doors to the public with a performance of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” on Dec. 13, 2021 after a three-week closure due to the ongoing spread of COVID-19. The opera had its live online premiere on Dec. 5. “Don Giovanni” stars Hanna-Elisabeth Müller as Donna {…}
(Credit: Wiener Staatsoper official website) The Wiener Staatsoper has announced the slate of operas that it will be presenting on its streaming platform over the next week. First up is a performance of Donizetti’s “L’elisir d’amore” from 2016 which will showcase Valentina Naforniţă, Stephen Costello, Marco Caria, and Erwin Schrott. Marco Armiliato conducts a production by Otto Schenk. Streaming date: {…}
(Credit: © Peter Mayr) The Wiener Staatsoper has announced the upcoming premiere of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” which due to the nationwide lockdown in Austria, will be performed without live audiences. The cast for the opera includes Hanna-Elisabeth Müller as Donna Anna, Kate Lindsey as Donna Elvira, Philippe Sly as Leporello, Stanislas de Barbeyrac in the role of Don Ottavio, Ain {…}
(Credit: Wiener Staatsoper official website) The Wiener Staatsoper has announced the slate of operas that it will be presenting on its streaming platform over the next week. Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin” from 2020 kicks off the slate. The opera spotlights Helene Schneiderman, Nicole Car, Anna Goryachova, Larissa Diadkova, Andrè Schuen, Bogdan Volkov, Dimitry Ivashchenko, Dan Paul Dumitrescu, Mykola Erdyk, and Johanna {…}
(Credit: Rosetta Greek) The Wiener Staatsoper has announced that Kate Lindsey will sing the role of Nerone replacing Virginie Verrez in an upcoming revival of “L’incoronazione di Poppea.” Lindsey first sang the production by Jan Lauwers at the Salzburg Festival in 2018 and later premiered it at the Wiener Staatsoper in 2021. The mezzo-soprano is well known for her work {…}