Hailed as the “tenor that the whole opera world is talking about” (Marie Claire) and a “revelation” (Bachtrack), English tenor Adam Smith is known for his voice that “overflows with dramatic conviction and heroic impact” (Opera Now Magazine). Born in the North of England, he studied the violin from the age of four and having been accepted with a scholarship, {…}
(Photo: Festival Janacek Brno) Human beings need love and friendship to flourish and to pursue normal, balanced lives. Remove this support and replace it with abuse, neglect and contempt, and a person will become unable to function successfully. They will become maladjusted, unable to relate to others with ease and confidence, and suffer increasing periods of loneliness and isolation. Desperate {…}
(Photo: Janacek Brno Festival) Over the course of her career, Czech soprano Eva Urbanova has done it all. She has performed at the world’s top opera houses, sang with the greatest singers, and worked with the greatest conductors and stage directors. However, as of yet, there is no sign of her slowing down. She has just completed a performance of {…}
It is an under-appreciated coincidence that Janacek’s searing opera of bourgeois repressiveness and psychological collapse appears in the same year as fellow Moravian Sigmund Freud’s “Beyond the Pleasure Principle” and his study of “Mass Psychology” (they were, in fact, born mere miles apart). “Kat’a Kabanova” is a psychic drama of shame and self-hatred. As in Freud’s work, Janacek creates a {…}
The West Edge Festival in Berkeley, California has announced that it is planning to move forward with presenting its events between July 25-August 9, 2020. The festival is well-known for presenting a new opera, a repertory staple, and an early opera on period instruments. “In this difficult time, West Edge Opera is focused on a hopeful future, a hope that this {…}
The West Edge Opera has announced its 2020 festival lineup. The season will open with Janacek’s “Katya Kabanova,” which will star Carrie Hennessey in the title role. Hennessey previously performed at West Edge Opera in a production of Jake Heggie’s “The End of the Affair” back in 2014. Afterward, the company will showcase “Elizabeth Cree” by Kevin Putts and Mark {…}
The winners of the Olivier Awards 2019 were announced on Apr. 7, 2019 at the Royal Albert Hall in a ceremony hosted by Jason Manford. The award for Best New Opera Production went to Janáček’s “Katya Kabanova” at the Royal Opera House. Richard Jones’ production, which sets the story in the 1960s, ran from Feb. 4 – 26, 2019 with {…}
Set in a provincial Russian town close by the Volga River, the basis for Janáček’s “Káťa Kabanová” – Alexander Ostrovsky’s play “The Storm” – invites the color palette of a murky staging; a cerulean hue or olive green to mirror the portentous themes that percolate the sometimes dissonant, sometimes harmonious and sinuously changing score. Unlike many opera settings, the visual {…}
“Katya Kabanova” is considered one of the first “mature” operas composed by Leos Janacek. First premiering on November 23, 1921, the opera is adapted from Alexander Ostrovsky’s play “The Storm,” and is said to be influenced by Janacek’s unrequited love for a woman named Kamila Stosslova, with whom he kept frequent correspondence through letters. Centering on the timeless theme of {…}
Many opera companies get back in on the action this weekend from all around the country in one of the busier weekends of the season. The Dallas Opera makes its great return on Friday, March 10 with a production of Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly.” Hui He stars in the leading role with Gianluca Terranova, Lucas Meachem and Manuela Custer rounding out the {…}
Violetta, the heroine of Verdi’s “La Traviata,” is one of the iconic roles of the operatic repertoire, the measuring stick by which almost all sopranos are judged. Singing the role for many is an indication for them that they have “arrived” in the opera world. It is so imbued with depth and intensity that years and years of performance reveal {…}