(Credit: ©Michele Crosera) For the first time in 20 years, the Teatro la Fenice will perform a new production of Verdi’s “La Traviata.” The new production by Christophe Gayral will follow social distancing and health regulations in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Stefano Ranzani will conduct the production with a cast that includes Claudia Pavone in the role {…}
(Credit: Eric Bouloumié) After months of closure, the Opéra de Bordeaux opens its 2020-21 season with a modified production of Verdi’s beloved “La Traviata.” The masterpiece will get a starry cast including Rachel Willis-Sørensen, who makes her role debut as Violetta. Since her win at the Operalia competition in 2014, Willis-Sørensen has become well known for her lush sound and {…}
(Credits: Peter Knutson / Vicor Santiago / Andrey Uspensky) The Deutsche Oper Berlin has announced changes to its October 2020 schedule. The performances of Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte” slated for October 2, 2020; “Così fan tutte” scheduled for October 20 & 25, 2020; Verdi’s “La Traviata” scheduled for Oct. 10, 2020; Bizet’s “Carmen” slated for Oct. 16, 21 & 24, 2020; {…}
(Credit: Yan Bleney) Mongolian baritone Amartuvshin Enkhbat has pulled out of the performances at the Verdi Gala concert at the Deutsche Oper Berlin on Sep. 12 & 13, 2020, per an official statement on the company’s website. Enkhbat is currently in Mongolia and unable to perform due to the quarantine, that was enforced by Mongolian authorities due to the ongoing {…}
(Credit: Elena Cherkashyna / Merri Cyr) Soprano Nadine Sierra and tenor Xabier Anduaga will appear together in a concert on Sep. 9, 2020. The performance, entitled “A Celebration of Opera” will also feature pianist David Aronson. Concert, which will not include a live audience, will be organized by the Gibraltar Philharmonic Society. Sierra will perform “Ah, je veux vivre” from {…}
(Credit: Opera Naţională Română din Timişoara official website) Romanian soprano Constanța Adriana Mesteș passed away in Bucharest at the age of 64. She graduated from the singing section of the Timișoara’s High School of Arts “Ion Vidu” in 1975. That same year, she got her first job at Opera Naţională Română din Timişoara, at first as a member of the {…}
(Image source: YouTube) Dutch mezzo-soprano Cora Canne Meijer passed away on August 25, 2020, at the age of 91. Cora Canne Meijer graduated from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. The mezzo-soprano debuted in 1950 with the Nederlandse Opera (now De Nationale Opera) in the role of Annina in Verdi’s “La Traviata.” During her first year at the Nederlandse Opera, Meijer sang {…}
(Credit: Rahvusooper Estonia) Estonian conductor Jüri Alperten has died at the age of 63, after a long illness. Alperten graduated from the Tallinn Conservatory in 1979 and was the Chief Conductor of the Estonian National Opera from 2002 to 2004; he was also the Chief Conductor of the Pärnu City Orchestra since 1998. Alperten had worked with several prominent orchestras, {…}
(Credit: Javier del Real) This review is for the performance on July 25, 2020. One of the unique features of the Teatro Real de Madrid’s “Traviata” was the fact that the company provided audiences with a chance to see four different sopranos perform the iconic title role in close proximity to one another. While we have already looked at Marina {…}
At the beginning of July, the Teatro Real de Madrid kicked off a project that many other opera houses around the world observed attentively. The company launched a production of Verdi’s “La Traviata” with some of the world’s greatest opera stars, presenting the work 27 times over the course of an entire month. That production’s run came to an end {…}
Lisette Oropesa made Teatro Real de Madrid history on July 28 when she performed an encore during a performance of Verdi’s “La Traviata.” The soprano repeated “Addio del Passato,” the iconic aria in Act three. This is the second time that Oropesa was involved in an encore at the famed theater. Back in 2018, she was a member of the {…}