First performed in 1846, “La Damnation de Faust” remains one of Hector Berlioz’s most audacious and elusive works: neither fully opera nor oratorio, but a hybrid “dramatic legend” that defies conventional staging and genre. Drawing on Goehte’s “Faust” while filtering the story through Berlioz’s intensely Romantic imagination, the piece moves with feverish speed from pastoral lyricism to infernal spectacle, {…}
(Photo: © Vincent Pontet) From November 3 to 15, the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées presented Berlioz’s “La Damnation de Faust” with the Orchestre Les Siècle—formerly conducted by François-Xavier Roth and now under the baton of Jakob Lehmann—in a production by Silvia Costa. Staging is perhaps a big word, given the minimal effort that went into it. Whether in terms of set {…}
(Photo by Matt Dine) There was a time that I would have unashamedly described myself an avid Berliozian. Which means, to me, that I not only loved Berlioz’s music but also the classic ‘romantic’ ideal his life represented. Besides his epitomizing the dramatic life of the Romantic period artist, Berlioz clearly blazed a path with innovative forms of music that {…}
Audiences will get a chance to see the Opéra de Monte-Carlo’s new production of “La Damnation de Faust” on Nov. 19, 2022 via Mezzo Live HD. The opera will be available to view via medici.tv and stars Pene Pati in the title role, Nicolas Courjal as Méphistophélès, and Aude Extrémo as Marguerite. Other cast members include Frédéric Caton as Brander, {…}
Credit: © Patrice Nin Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia has announced that mezzo-soprano Sophie Koch will perform Chausson’s “Poème de l’amour et de la mer,” Op. 19 in the concert. Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 10 will be performed in the rest of the concert. Roberto González-Monjas will conduct. Sophie Koch recently performed the role of Kundry in {…}
“Page to Opera Stage” looks at stories – real-life or fiction, old and new – that have inspired operas, and the ways these narratives have been edited and dramatized to fit a new medium. This week, the focus is Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s two-part magnum opus “Faust” and three operas – Berlioz’s “La damnation de Faust,” Gounod’s “Faust,” and Boito’s {…}
(Credits: © Aymeric Giraudel / Seattle Symphony official website) Mezzo-sopranos Karine Deshayes and Delphine Haidan will give a recital at Opéra de Vichy on Feb. 19, 2021. The program for the concert includes the works by Adolpha Le Beau, Brahms, Strauss, Gounod, Delibes, Saint-Saëns, Tchaikovsky, and Rossini. Due to the French government’s COVID-19 regulations, the concert will be held without {…}
(Credits: Matilde Fasso / © DR / Deutsche Oper am Rhein official website / Opus 3 Artists official website) Italian television channel Rai5 has announced broadcasts for the week of Jan. 11 – Jan. 15, 2021. First up will be a production of Donizetti’s “L’elisir d’amore” with Mariangela Sicilia, John Osborn, Iurii Samoilov, Alex Esposito and Francesca Benitez. Francesco Lanzillotta {…}
The Maggio Musicale Fiorentino has announced that the upcoming performances of “La Damnation de Faust” have been canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The performances, which were expected to take place on Jan. 11, 13, and 16, 2021, were set to be conducted by James Levine. It would have marked his return to the podium following a 2017 report {…}
(Credits: © Dario Acosta / Charles Castronovo official website / Deutsche Oper am Rhein official website / Kristian Schuller/Decca) The Salzburg Festival has announced its 2021 edition, featuring 8 operas and numerous concert performances. Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” will feature Mika Kares as Il Commendatore, Nadezhda Pavlova as Donna Anna, Michael Spyres in the role of Don Ottavio, Federica Lombardi as {…}
(Credit: Jason Daniel Shaw) The Teatro Massimo di Palermo has announced that the recital of Italian soprano Anna Caterina Antonacci scheduled for Nov. 15, 2020 has been redesigned due to the ongoing concerns over COVID-19. The new program will include Tosti’s “Quattro canzoni d’Amaranta,” Ottorino Respighi’s “Liriche,” “Venezia” by Reynaldo Hahn, and Francis Poulenc’s “La voix humaine.” Donald Sulzen will {…}