Entering into opera out of the blue can be a daunting task. It’s not always easy to know what’s the first thing to watch. And moreover, what might be easiest to take in first might not be readily available. Take the Met Opera’s new 2022-23 season which opens this week (tomorrow as of this writing) and features three operas that {…}
(Photo: Evan Zimmerman / Met Opera) The Metropolitan Opera is set to revive Shostakovich’s “Lady Macbeth Mtsenk” in Graham Vick’s 1994 production. The production, which will be performed six times, opens on Sept. 29 with Russian soprano Svetlana Sozdateleva in the lead role of Katerina Ismailova. The soprano, who is making her Met debut, has performed the role to great {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced a cast change for its production of Shostakovich’s “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk.” The company noted that Russian soprano Svetlana Sozdateleva will make her Met debut singing Katerina Ismailova in all performances replacing Eva-Maria Westbroek. Sozdateleva was set to make her Met debut during the 2020-21 season in the “The Fiery Angel” but was canceled due {…}
Argentine director Marcelo Lombardero has accused Polish auteur Krzysztof Warlikowski of plagiarism with regards to his new production of “Lady Macbeth of Mtsenk.” The story first broke in El País, where the Argentine director, who produced the opera nearly a decade ago in South America, noted that he was “honored” to see Warlikowski honor him with his take on the {…}
The Opéra National de Paris has announced its cinema season for the 2018-19 season. Here is a look at the works that you can expect to see on the silver screen. Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots (Oct. 4, 2018): The season begins with Meyerbeer’s grand opera starring Bryan Hymel, Diana Damrau, Ermonela Jaho, and Nicolas Testé. Michele Mariotti conducts Andreas Kriegenburg’s new production. Verdi’s {…}
Making its premiere on January 22, 1934, “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District” is adapted from a novel of the same name written by Nikolai Leskov. The opera was banned for nearly thirty years by the Communist Party in Russia after it was deemed to be offensive; one performance at the Bolshoi Theatre was attended by none other than Joseph {…}
The Salzburg Festival’s upcoming production of Shostakovich’s “Lady Macbeth of Mtsenk” is getting some cast changes. Italian bass Ferruccio Furlanetto has stepped out of the upcoming production in the role of Boris Ismailov, stating that the role is not for him. As a result, Dmitry Ulyanov will replace him. The opera is also getting a new tenor as Russian tenor {…}