I’m going to kick off this week’s edition of the top 10 operas to stream by saying that it is probably among the most varied from a repertory standpoint. You have your Verdi, Mozart, Strauss, and Wagner, of course. But then you also have music by African American composers, a baroque opera, a modern operatic classic, and even a recital {…}
The National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts in Taiwan is set to present live performances of Verdi’s “La Traviata.” Li-ching Huang and Li Keng will alternate as Violetta with Claude Lin and Seung-jin Choi taking on the role of Alfredo. Baritones Martin Ng and Yu-hsi Wu-Bai will share the role of Germont. Other cast members include Jo-pei Weng as Flora, Chueh-yu Lai as Annina, Yinchi {…}
(Credit: Iko Freese/drama-berlin.de) Komische Oper Berlin has announced that it will stream a production of Korngold’s “Die Tote Stadt.” The opera will star soprano Sara Jakubiak, tenor Aleš Briscein, and baritone Günter Papendell. The cast also includes Maria Fiselier, Georgina Melville, Adrian Strooper, and Ivan Turšić. Ainārs Rubiķis conducts the production by Robert Carsen, which was filmed on Sept. 30, {…}
(Credit: Rosa Frank) The Wiener Staatsoper has announced that soprano Vera-Lotte Boecker will sing the role of Micaëla for the premiere of Bizet’s “Carmen,” replacing Olga Kulchynska. Boecker is the second cast change in the production after Piotr Beczała took over the role of Don José replacing Charles Castronovo. Last month there was a COVID-19 outbreak at the opera house {…}
(Credit: © D.R) Opera director Stefano Mazzonis di Pralafera has died at the age of 72. Stefano Mazzonis di Pralafera was born in the capital of Italy. He studied law and music in Rome, and at the same time pursued directing with the University Theatre in Rome. He directed his first operas in 1983 and was subsequently invited by the {…}
(Credit: Presto Music website) Bulgarian soprano superstar Sonya Yoncheva will release her new album “Rebirth” on March 12, 2021. The album, which will be released by Sony Classical, will spotlight works by Claudio Monteverdi, Francesco Cavalli, Barbara Strozzi, John Dowland, Tomás de Torrejón y Velasco Sánchez, and Alessandro Stradella, among others. The album will also include the popular Bulgarian folk {…}
(Credit: Uwe Arens) The celebrated British baritone Sir Simon Keenlyside will not be appearing for the concert at the Teatro alla Scala on Feb. 6, 2021. It was originally planned for Sir Simon Keenlyside to perform alongside soprano Chen Reiss with Maestro Zubin Mehta conducting. The Teatro alla Scala did not provide a reason for the famed baritone’s withdrawal. Keenlyside {…}
(Credit: LA Opera official website) The Ópera de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has announced a cast change for Verdi’s “Il Trovatore.” The Spanish company announced that tenor Murat Karahan will no longer sing the title role and will be replaced by Arturo Chacón-Cruz who will make his house debut. Chacón-Cruz is well known for his Italian roles and he {…}
Florida-based Opera Naples has announced the full cast for its upcoming production of “La Traviata.” Starring in the role of Violetta Valéry will be soprano Leah Patridge. Tenor Dmitri Pittas will appear Alfredo while baritone Trevor Schheunemann will take on the role of Giorgio Germont. The famed Verdi opera will be directed by Jeffrey Buchman. The opera will be conducted {…}
Charlottesville, Virginia’s Victory Hall Opera (VHO) has announced the February 27 release of “Unsung,” a documentary film created after the cancellation of its production of “La traviata.” In response to the cancellation, Artistic Director Miriam Gordon-Stewart presented to the principals an exciting challenge: create a movie filmed only on iPhones, in their own cities, under Gordon-Stewart’s remote direction. “When the pandemic {…}
(Credit: Opera Australia official website) Celebrated Australian opera director Elijah Moshinsky has died at the age of 75. Moshinsky graduated from the University of Melbourne and made his operatic debut in 1975 at the Royal Opera House with a production of Britten’s opera “Peter Grimes.” The famed director went on to stage a number of highly successful productions at the {…}