It’s festival season and that means many stars are heading over to major companies to make role debuts, perform signature roles, or simply make important debuts with companies. Here is a look at what OperaWire recommends for this weekend. Nabucco – State Opera Stara Zagora, Bulgaria Maria Guleghina takes on her signature role of Abigaille alongside Romanian baritone Ionut Pascu and bass Ivailo {…}
Over the past few years, Soprano Kristina Mkhitaryan’s star has been rapidly rising in the opera world. Since winning second prize at the Operalia Competition, the soprano has been making important debuts, role debuts and opening productions. And this week Mkhitaryan headlines another important production and a house debut. After a series of debuts, Mkhitaryan will make her Opera di {…}
The Deutsche Oper Berlin has long been a mecca for iconoclast regie theater directors ranging from Hans Neuenfels and Claus Guth to Ole Anders Tandberg, whose recent staging of “Carmen” had more viscera on the stage than verismo. Curiously, the extant production of “La Traviata” by the former Deutsche Oper Intendant Götz Friedrich, dating back to 1999, is surprisingly uncontroversial. In his {…}
The Royal Opera House Muscat has announced its 2018-19 featuring 40 new programs and a total of 69 performances. The season will include some of the best conductors and singers in the world leading the world’s finest orchestras, the concentration of orchestral talent appearing at ROHM this season is impressive. Here is a look at the operatic and vocal events {…}
The Glyndebourne Festival has announced its 2019 season featuring six productions, of which two are new. Here is a look at what the festival will present. Productions The season opens with Berlioz’s “La Damnation de Faust” conducted by Robin Ticciati and directed by Richard Jones in a new production. Allan Clayton, Julie Boulianne, and Christopher Purves headline the production. Performance {…}
This review is for the performance on April 1, 2018. Many of Verdi’s early operas are strange concoctions. As you sit there listening to these works, you find yourself often carried away by the hints of the genius to come. The knowledge of what he will become creates the anticipation that he will show up in his full greatness in {…}
This weekend will be filled with a number of stars singing some of their most acclaimed roles. But what will make this weekend even more special is that it will feature a world premiere, a rarely performed Verdi gem, and a rarely performed baroque piece. Here is a look. Rusalka – Prague National Opera, Czech Republic Kerri-Lynn Wilson makes a {…}
The Palm Beach Opera has announced its 2018-19 season featuring three opera productions and gala performances showcasing rising stars of the opera world. Here is a look. The season opens with a Rising Stars of Opera gala offering a unique opportunity to enjoy exceptional singers on the brink of international stardom and singers of the Palm Beach Opera’s Benenson Young {…}
On March 6, 2018, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden will showcase its new production of Bizet’s “Carmen.” The production, directed by Barrie Kosky, stars mezzo Anna Goryachova, Francesco Meli, Kostas Smoriginas, Kristina Mkhitaryan, David Soar, Jacquelyn Stucker, Aigul Akhmesthina, Pierre Doyen, Jean-Paul Fouchécourt, and Gyula Nagy under the musical direction of Jakub Hrůša. The production has been getting mixed {…}
German soprano Anett Fritsch has withdrawn from singing the role of Micaëla in The Royal Opera’s “Carmen” due to pregnancy. As a result the role will be sung on Feb. 6, 10, 14, 20, 23 and March 3 and 6 by Russian soprano Kristina Mkhitaryan, who will make her Royal Opera debut in the role. She recently sung the role {…}
South African tenor Levy Sekgapane and Romanian soprano Adela Zaharia were the first prize winners of this year’s Operalia Competition. In the male voice competition, second place went to tenor Davide Giusti, while the third place award was given to Korean baritone Leon Kim. In the female voice competition, Russian soprano Kristina Mkhitaryan won the second prize while third prize {…}