Virginia Opera has announced its 45th-anniversary season, which will include four main stage productions spanning three centuries of operatic works. Artistic Director Adam Turner will preside over the musical direction for all four productions of the 2019-20 season. The season will start off with Lillian Groag’s production of Puccini’s “Tosca,” part of VO’s ongoing series, “The Puccini Cycle.” The production {…}
Gioachino Rossini, born on Feb. 29, 1729, is one of the great masters of Italian Opera. He was born in Pesaro and began to compose at the age of 12. He premiered his first opera “La Cambiale Di Matrimonio” in Venice in 1812 when he was just 18. Five years later, he was being engaged to write operas all over {…}
The Atlanta Opera has announced its 2019-20 season. According to the press release, for its 40th anniversary season, The Atlanta Opera will present operas which fall under the overarching theme of “dangerous liaisons,” where the “protagonists share a propensity for self-destructive relationships that threaten to bring about their downfall.” Additionally, during this season four internationally acclaimed artists will return home to {…}
The Seattle Opera is the first major opera company to announce its 2019-20 season, which will feature five operas and a special concert. Productions Verdi’s “Rigoletto” will open the season in August with a cast that features Lester Lynch and Giuseppe Altomare in the title role. Madison Leonard and Soraya Mafi take on Gilda while tenors Yongzhao Yu and Liparit {…}
Padua is not exactly one of Italy’s opera hotspots. It hosts at most three productions per year, two at its main theatre, “Teatro Verdi,” during October and December, and one outdoors in the courtyard of the Castello Carrarese during August. The choice of works tends to be conservative, and the run for each opera never amounts to more than a {…}
Alessandro Corbelli has canceled his participation in Opera de Paris’ “La Cenerentola.” The Opéra National de Paris announced that Corbelli would not perform the role of Don Magnifico from Dec. 7 through the 26. As a result, Paolo Bordogna will replace Corbelli. Bordogna recently finished a production of Mozart’s “Così Fan Tutte” at the Bayerische Staatsoper and is set to take {…}
Since her debut in 2002, Michèle Losier has become one of the most in-demand mezzo-sopranos in the world. She has garnered acclaim in numerous roles and has performed on some of the world’s greatest stages including the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala, San Francisco Opera, Salzburg Festival and Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, among others. This month Losier sings at the Edinburgh Festival {…}
The Portland Opera has announced a plethora of free, family events for the summer of 2018. The events include a Cinderella Sing-a-Long celebration on July 18, 2018. Those that attend will also receive complimentary ice cream. The event takes place at Director Park. On July 25, 2018, the company will offer a live outdoor simulcast of Rossini’s “La Cenerentola” outside {…}
After a delightful performance of Isouard’s “Cendrillon” during their fall 2017 season, Manhattan School of Music (MSM) showcased another version of the beloved story of Cinderella this weekend, with Rossini’s “La Cenerentola. ” While still celebrating the success of “The Barber of Seville” and not yet 25-years-old, Gioacchino Rossini met Jacopo Ferretti and together they decided to create “La Cenerentola, Ossia La {…}
Aside from “Il Barbiere di Siviglia,” there is perhaps no more popular opera by Rossini than his interpretation of the immortal Cinderella tale. “Cenerentola” premiered on Jan. 25, 1817, and while it became popular in its early life, it fell out of favor until a Rossini renaissance took place in the second half of the 20th century. Short Plot Summary {…}
I will kick off this review by noting that it was the first time I had ever seen “Cenerentola” and I was charmed. It was a magical evening, with great music, excellent singing and loads of comedy and stage business. It began with a fine rendering of the overture by the Orchestre Metropolitan conducted by the Spanish conductor Jose Miguel Perez-Sierra. {…}