Sir Simon Rattle Appointed New Chief Conductor of Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks

(Credit: Kevin Yatarola) Celebrated conductor Sir Simon Rattle has been appointed the new Chief Conductor of the Chor and Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks. Rattle will begin his five-year tenure in 2023. The famed conductor served as the Chief Conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker until 2018, and currently holds the position of Music Director of the London Symphony Orchestra. “Bayerischer Rundfunk {…}

Dec 27, 2020

Danielle De Niese & Marlis Petersen Lead La Monnaie’s Holiday Festival Opera Streaming

Credits: LA Opera official website / © Yiorgos Mavropoulos La Monnaie/de Munt has announced that it will stream four operas as its holiday streaming package. Among the streams on offer are Leoš Janáček’s “Jenůfa” starring Sally Matthews, Charles Workman, Nicky Spence, and Jeanne-Michèle Charbonnet. Donizetti’s “Don Pasquale” features Danielle De Niese, Michele Pertusi, Joel Prieto and Lionel Lhote, while Korngold’s {…}

Oct 17, 2020

Grand Théâtre de Genève to Perform ‘The Makropoulos Case’ Without Live Orchestra

(Credit: Grand Théâtre de Genève official website / Fabien Bergerat) The Grand Théâtre de Genève et l’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande has announced that the orchestra will not perform live in the pit of the opera house for the performance of Leoš Janáček’ opera “L’Affaire Makropoulos” due to the absence of social distancing, as the musical setup requires thick orchestration {…}

Sep 11, 2020

Christian Gerhaher, Joyce DiDonato, Józef Orliński, Benjamin Bernheim Among Nominees for Gramophone Awards 2020

Credit: Gregor Hohenberg/Sony Gramophone has announced the recordings that have advanced to the final round of the Gramophone Classical Music Awards 2020. For the purpose of this article, we will focus on vocal, choral, and opera categories. The first contestant in the opera category is the Barber’s “Vanessa,” performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Glyndebourne Chorus, under the musical {…}

Sep 5, 2020

Tenor Štefan Margita Tests Positive For COVID-19

(Credit: Dusíkovo divadlo official website) Famed Slovakian tenor Štefan Margita and his wife Hanka both tested positive for the novel COVID-19 coronavirus. Margita posted a message on his Facebook profile, stating “Our dear ones, we did not want to burden you with our worries. Yes, we both tested positive for COVID. So you don’t have to learn from the various {…}

Aug 12, 2020

Sir Simon Rattle & Magdalena Kožená to Perform Live in Brno

(Credits: (C) Julia Wesely / Pentatone / Oliver Helbig) Sir Simon Rattle, and the Czech mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená will perform a live concert in the Villa Tugendhat in Brno, Czech Republic on August 13, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. EDT. Repertoire for the concert will include songs by Bohuslav Martinů, Erwin Schulhoff, Antonín Dvořák, Leoš Janáček, and Petr Eben. Simon Rattle {…}

Jan 30, 2020

Brooklyn Art Song Society to Present Music of Bartok, Kodaly, Janacek

The Brooklyn Art Song Society is set to showcase a concert featuring the music of Bela Bartok, Zoltan Kodaly, and Leos Janacek on Feb. 7, 2020 at the Brooklyn Historical Society in New York. The concert will feature sopranos Lucy Fitz Gibbon and Caitlin Mead alongside mezzo-sopranos Kate Maroney and Allison Gish, as well as tenor Dominic Armstrong. Brooklyn Art {…}

Mar 4, 2019

Carnegie Hall 2018-19 Season Review: Matthew Polenzani & Julius Drake In Recital

On Sunday, February 24, 2019, tenor Matthew Polenzani took to Carnegie Hall for a sold-out recital of song cycles from Schubert, Beethoven, Brahms, and Janacek. Accompanied by Julius Drake, this evening’s recital featured not only a finely-crafted program, but experienced artists who burned with a passionate fire. Some Schubert To Start First on the evening’s program was a selection of {…}

Nov 23, 2017

Opera Profile: Janacek’s “Katya Kabanova”

“Katya Kabanova” is considered one of the first “mature” operas composed by Leos Janacek. First premiering on November 23, 1921, the opera is adapted from Alexander Ostrovsky’s play “The Storm,” and is said to be influenced by Janacek’s unrequited love for a woman named Kamila Stosslova, with whom he kept frequent correspondence through letters. Centering on the timeless theme of {…}

Nov 6, 2017

Opera Profile: Janacek’s ‘The Cunning Little Vixen’

Leo Janacek composed some of opera’s greatest masterpieces, including “The Cunning Little Vixen,” or “Příhody lišky Bystroušky” in the original Czech. The opera, which had its world premiere on Nov. 6, 1924, is arguably the composer’s best-known opera, its themes allowing it to be showcased as a more serious drama or even as children’s entertainment. The opera’s finale was played {…}

leos janacek