(Photo: Wiener Staatsoper Michael Poehn) Premiered in 1863, “Les Pêcheurs de perles” is one of Georges Bizet’s earliest operas, composed more than a decade before his masterpiece “Carmen.” Set on the exoticized shores of ancient Ceylon, it combines lush lyricism with themes of friendship, desire, and betrayal. Though initially overshadowed by Bizet’s later success, the opera has gradually earned recognition {…}
Mezzo.TV is set to present a new production of Bizet’s “Les pêcheurs de perles.” The new production will be broadcast on May 29 from the Wiener Staatsoper in a new production by Ersan Mondtag. Daniele Rustioni conducts an all-star that includes Kristina Mkhitaryan as Leila, Juan Diego Flórez as Nadir, Ludovic Tézier as Zurga, and Ivo Stanchev as Nourabad. Mondtag {…}
The New National Theatre Tokyo has announced its 2026-27 season. First up is Rossini’s “Il Turco in Italia” under the baton of Alessandro Bonato, with production and costume design by Laurent Pelly. The cast includes Giorgi Manoshvili, Claudia Muschio, Paolo Bordogna, Ruzil Gatin, Bruno Taddia, Yuka Tajima, and Yasuhiro Yamamoto. Performance Dates: Oct. 2–12, 2026 A new production of Britten’s {…}
The Wiener Staatsoper has announced opera that will stream on its platform. The first stream will be Janacek’s “Vec Makropulos” with a cast that includes Marlis Petersen, Pavel Černoch, Lukas Schmidt, Alma Neuhaus, Bo Skovhus, Carlos Osuna, and Wolfgang Bankl. Tomáš Hanus conducts. Streaming Date: Dec. 6, 2025 Franz Welser-Möst conducts Beethoven’s “Fidelio” with Malin Byström, David Butt Philip, Christopher {…}
The Tchaikovsky Concert Hall’s performance of Massenet’s “Manon” will be livestreamed on YouTube on Sept. 12, 2025. The concert hall, sponsored by Putin’s Ministry of Culture, is one of the largest in Russia, and will showcase soprano Kristina Mkhitaryan in her first of three Russian appearances this season. She will sing the title role while Liparit Avetisyan, who makes his {…}
On Sept. 12, 2025, Kristina Mkhitaryan will return to the Putin-supported Tchaikovsky Concert Hall for a concert performance of “Manon.” The performance will come days before her return to the Metropolitan Opera House and will also star Liparit Avetisyan, who is making his Met debut this season. It will also mark the first of three Russian appearances this season for {…}
The Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari has announced its 2026 season. Opera Niccolò Piccinni’s “La Cecchina” opens the season with Daniele Luchetti directing. Stefano Montanari conducts a cast that includes Ana Maria Labin, Francesca Benitez, Krystian Adam, Francesca Aspromonte, Paola Gardina, Michela Antenucci, Christian Senn, and Pietro Spagnoli. Performance Dates: Jan 21-28, 2026 Vincenzo Milletari will conduct Verdi’s “Falstaff” with Luca Ronconi directing. The production will star Milan {…}
The Wiener Staatsoper has announced its 2025-26 season. Here is a look at the operas and recitals for the new season. Premieres Smetana’s “The Bartered Bride” will get a new production by Dirk Schmeding. The cast will be headed by Franz Xaver Schlecht, Margaret Plummer, Slávka Zámečníková, Ivo Stanchev, Monika Bohinec, Pavol Breslik, Michael Laurenz, Peter Kellner, Matthäus Schmidlechner, Ilia Staple, and Alex Ilvakhin. Tomáš Hanus conducts. A second cast will {…}
The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées has announced its 2025-26 season. Opera Productions Jakob Lehmann conducts Berlioz’s “La Damnation de Faust” in a production by Silvia Costa. Benjamin Bernheim, Viktoria Karkacheva, Christian Van Horn, and Thomas Dolié star. Performance Dates: Nov. 3-15, 2025 Offenbach’s “Robinson Crusoé” will be conducted by Marc Minkowski and directed by Laurent Pelly. Lawrence Brownlee, Julie Fuchs, Laurent {…}
Of course, this isn’t a review of the great Metropolitan Opera House, per se, but as a most fortunate and frequent attendee of the Royal Opera House, (now frustratingly called the Royal Ballet and Opera), it proved somewhat impossible for me to make comparisons. Yes, of COURSE, it IS big; it’s the biggest opera house in the world, as the {…}
(Photo: © Javier del Real /Teatro Real de Madrid) The Teatro Real’s recent staging of Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin” offers a profound and intimate exploration of love, regret, and honor, brought to life by a stellar cast. Ukrainian baritone Iurii Samoilov delivers a convincing portrayal of Eugene Onegin, capturing the character’s evolution from detached arrogance to profound remorse. His performance is {…}