By the end of the first act, I knew it: to watch Sabine Devieilhe singing “Lakmé” is one of the greatest privileges of my life. Sopranos who can undertake Leo Delibes’ most cultivated operatic role are so rare that generations could be named after them: from Mady Mesplé to Natalie Dessay, Joan Sutherland to Christiane Eda-Pierre, Mado Robin to {…}
Frédéric Chaslin is one of today’s most important French conductors in the world. He has performed at every major opera theater with major opera stars in a variety of repertoire. He has even composed numerous operas. This season Chaslin is exploring the French repertoire. He opened the season with “Lakmé” at the Liège Opera House and is set to conduct {…}
The Tiroler Landestheater Innsbruck has announced its 2022-23 season. Here is a look at the Opera productions. The season opens with Schumann’s “Genoveva” with Lukas Beikircher conducting and Johannes Reitmeier directing. Premiere Date: Sept. 24, 2022 Tommaso Turchetta conducts Puccini’s “Tosca” with Thilo Reinhardt directing. Premiere Date: Oct. 1, 2022 Hansjörg Sofka conducts Jason Robert Brown’s “Songs for a New {…}
Teatro Real presented two concert performances of the iconic French opera “Lakmé,” with French specialist singers Sabine Devielhe and Stéphane Degout, accompanied by the award-winning young tenor Xavier Andagua. “Lakme,” by Léo Delibes, is a preeminent example of a narrative style of French opera which became incredibly popular towards the end of the 19th century: a story set in a {…}
(Credit: © Julia Lamoureux) Opéra Comique in Paris has announced its 2022 season, featuring seven operas. Here is the full slate. Ambroise Thomas’ “Hamlet” opens the season with Sabine Devieilhe as Ophélie and Stéphane Degout in the title role. The cast also includes Laurent Alvaro, Sylvie Brunet-Grupposo, Pierre Derhet, Jérôme Varnier, Yu Shao, Geoffroy Buffière, and Nicolas Legoux. Louis Langrée {…}
Hindus are urging the Washington Concert Opera in Washington DC to withdraw Delibes’s “Lakmé” from the 2021-22 season. The work is scheduled to be performed on May 22, 2022, and according to Hindi statesman Rajan Zed, the work “seriously trivializes Hindu religion and other traditions.” Zed noted, “that a renowned institution like WCO should not be in the business of {…}
(Credit: Javier Camarena official website) Tenor Javier Camarena will give five concerts in Spain from Jan. 12 to Jan. 21, 2021. The first concert will be at the Auditorio de Zaragoza on Jan. 12, followed by a recital at Teatro Real de Madrid on Jan. 15. Camarena will then perform at the Palau de la Música Catalana on Jan. 18 {…}
“Opera Meets Film” is a feature dedicated to exploring the way that opera has been employed in cinema. We will select a film section or a film in its entirety and highlight the impact that utilizing the operatic form or sections from an opera can alter our perception of a film that we are viewing. This week’s installment features Nicholas {…}
(Credit: Oberon’s Grove) French coloratura soprano Christiane Eda-Pierre has died at the age of 88. Eda-Pierre was born in Fort-de-France, capital of Martinique. She came to France to finish her studies at Conservatoire de Paris and in 1957, she made her professional debut in the role of Leïla in Bizet’s “Les pêcheurs de perles.” She went on to perform at {…}
(Credits: English National Opera official website/Benjamin Ealovega) The Grange Festival has announced a series of live performances between August 21-23, 2020. Director Sinéad O’Neill has created “A Precipice,” an outdoor immersive poetic sequence using the many natural stages offered by the buildings at The Grange. Each performance will last an hour and will be presented to small guided audiences of {…}
(Ed Araquel/Universal Pictures via AP) “Opera Meets Film” is a feature dedicated to exploring the way that opera has been employed in cinema. We will select a section or a film in its entirety, highlighting the impact that utilizing the operatic form or sections from an opera can alter our perception of a film that we are viewing. This week’s {…}
