(Photo: Vincent Pontet) If I were to rank the weakest opera libretti of all time, Jean-Philippe Rameau and Antoine-César Gautier de Montdorge’s “Les Fêtes d’Hébé ou Les Talents Lyriques” would certainly be in the top tier. Nevertheless, the opera-ballet possesses an allegorical charm that transcends the quality of its text—and it is a charm that is not solely musical. After {…}
The Dresdner Musikfestspiele has announced the 2025 season with the theme of “LOVE.” For this article, we will focus on the vocal performances. Fabio Luisi NHK Symphony Orchestra is set to join perform Haydn and Mahler with Ying Fang and Jan Vogler. Performance Date: May 18, 2025 The works by Arvo Pärt will be performed by Kadri Toomoja and the {…}
The Salzburg Whitsun Festival has announced its 2025 season. Opera “Hotel Metamorphosis,” a pastiche of Vivadi’s music, will be conducted by Gianluca Capuano and directed by Barrie Kosky. The production will star Cecilia Bartoli, Varduhi Abrahamyan, Lea Desandre, Philippe Jaroussky, and Angela Winkler. Performance Dates: June 6-8, 2025 Nadine Sierra, Piotr Beczala, and Luca Salsi star in Verdi’s “La Traviata” {…}
Acte 4 has announced its 2024-25 season. This article only features vocal works. Sopranos Emőke Baráth and Lauranne Oliva, countertenor Tim Mead, tenor Robin Tritschler, and baritone Benjamin Appl are soloists in Handel’s “Messiah.” They are joined by The Spiritual Concert orchestra and choir and directed by Hervé Niquet. Performance Dates: December 11, 2024 Mezzo-soprano Lea Desandre sings Sapho, Iphise and Eglé {…}
(Photo credit: SF/Marco Borrelli) Thomas Dunford and Lea Desandre are pop. Young, synergetic, and talented, they exude a pop quality even when they are not singing the Beatles. It is a fresh thing that makes them desirable and somehow accessible. But how many people can play the lute like Thomas and sing like Lea? In their Salzburg recital, their pop-ness {…}
Welcome back for this week’s look at the latest CD and DVD releases in the opera world. This week audiences will get to relive two acclaimed performances from the 2023 Salzburg Festival as well as two world premiere recordings. Giuseppe Verdi: Macbeth C Major Entertainment releases Salzburg’s production of Verdi’s masterpiece which was recorded in August 2023. The production by {…}
(Photo credit: Julien Benhamou) Let’s talk about chemistry. Cher and Sonny had it; so did Joey and Chandler. And, nowadays, the duo with the most chemistry in classical music is French-Italian mezzo-soprano Lea Desandre and French lutenist Thomas Dunford (D+D for the fans). The concert was extremely solar, gleeful, and gay, reflecting their bright partnership. Their youthful joyfulness even brightened {…}
(Photo credit: Monika Rittershaus) “So, who is signing the work?” an operagoer asks Raphaël Pichon and Claus Guth at a lunchtime panel about their opera-project “Samson.” The music is Rameau’s, but it is not that simple. According to Guth (and his Wikipedia search), Rameau did indeed compose a “Samson” with a libretto by Voltaire; however, it is all lost. Pichon {…}
Arte is set to present three of Festival Aix-En-Provence’s productions on its streaming platform. It all starts with “Iphigénie en Aulide-Iphigénie en Tauride” on July 11 and will be available until Dec. 11, 2025. The productions stars Corinne Winters, Russell Braun, Véronique Gens, Alasdair Kent, Nicolas Cavallier, Soula Parassidis, Florian Sempey, Stanislas de Barbeyrac, and Alexandre Duhamel. Emmanuelle Haïm conducts the production by Dmitri Tcherniakov. Then on July 12, {…}
The Opéra de Rouen Normandie has announced its 2024-25 season. Opera Joyce El-Khoury stars in Verdi’s “Aida” alongside Adam Smith, Alisa Kolosova, Adolfo Corrado, and Nikoloz Lagvilava. Pierre Bleuse conducts the production by Philipp Himmelmann. Performance Dates: Sept. 27-Oct. 5, 2024 Sally Matthews, John Findon, Paula Murrihy, and Caroline Wettergreen headline Strauss’ “Ariadne auf Naxos” with Ben Glassberg. The production {…}
Photo credit: Elisa Haberer / Opéra national de Paris Paris Opera’s production of Charpentier’s “Médée” is not bad, but throughout the performance, operagoers will be filled with a sensation of uneasiness. It is not necessarily because of its murderous plot, but because the production feels unsuited to its musicians. It leaves one with the feeling of wearing a garment lent {…}