Premiering on August 28, 1850, Richard Wagner’s ‘Lohengrin’ is steeped in medieval Christian and Germanic folklore. This tale, drawing upon the tradition of the Holy Grail, enamored King Ludwig II of Bavaria, who would give Wagner the patronage to fund the construction of the Richard-Wagner-Festpielhaus. Short summary: At a gathering of the Germanic clans held in Brabant, King Henry the {…}
Within the last quarter of the 20th century, there was perhaps no dramatic soprano as influential as Deborah Voigt. Born August 4th, 1960, the American soprano is most celebrated for her interpretations by Strauss and Wagner, and other German composers. Though Voigt’s repertoire ranges from bel canto to new American premieres, the “down to earth diva” had most of her {…}
Roberto Alagna will sing Wagner’s “Lohengrin” at the Bayreuth Festival in 2018. After speculation that the tenor would perform the role, the Bayreuth Festival announced the news via Twitter. The tenor will sing the role alongside Anja Harteros, who has performed Elsa to great acclaim around the world and Waltraud Meier, who will portray Ortrud. Tomasz Konieczny will sing Telramund {…}
Looks like Piotr Beczala could be returning to the role of “Lohengrin” soon rather than later. The tenor is set to appear in the Zurich production of the opera on Sunday, but not quite in the way you might expect. Tenor Brandon Jovanovich is calling in sick, forcing producer Andreas Homoki to step onstage to play the part. But he {…}
Nicolai Gedda was one of opera’s most proficient artists, taking on dozens and dozens of roles throughout his career. For many, Gedda, born on July 11, 1925, will always be associated with the role of “Faust” in Gounod’s famous work, one which he performed hundreds of times, but he also performed a number of roles that one might not associate {…}
Last season Anna Netrebko and Piotr Beczala did what most expected was impossible. They performed their first Wagner roles in “Lohengrin.” During the four performances, rumors swirled around that the run had been recorded for DVD. A year later the rumors came to fruition as a DVD was released through Deutsche Grammophon in what is one of the finest “Lohengrin” {…}
Deutsche Grammophon has announced the release of Wagner’s “Lohengrin.” The hotly anticipated DVD features Anna Netrebko and Piotr Beczala in their role debuts from the Semperoper Dresden. It will also feature Evelyn Herlitzius and Tomasz Konieczny and George Zeppenfeld under the direction of Christian Thielemann. When the opera premiered in 2016, Opera News noted, “The results were flabbergasting- this was {…}
La Monnaie announced its 2017-18 season last week. As always, it features a plethora of offerings across opera, ballet, concert and chamber music. Let’s take a look at the offerings for opera lovers. Philippe Boesmans’ “Pinocchio” opens on Sept. 9, 2017, with Stéphane Degout leading the cast. Rossini’s “Tancredi” will appear for just two concert performances on October 11 and {…}
When you hear the name Leonard Warren, you always hear another name – Verdi. The baritone, born on April 21, 1911, was dedicated to the great Italian and practically sang every great baritone role that Verdi wrote. You name it. For many, he was the ultimate Rigoletto (he performed the opera 89 times at the Metropolitan Opera), while others will {…}
The Royal Opera House has announced its 2017-18 season, which will feature four World Premieres, seven new productions of established repertory classics and one concert performance. The New Productions The season opens on Sept. 11 with Richard Jones’ new take on Puccini’s “La Bohème.” Michael Fabiano leads the cast on opening night, though such notable artists as Maria Agresta, Benjamin {…}
This weekend audiences in Munich will get a chance to experience the dynamic duo that is Jonas Kaufmann and Anja Harteros in Giordano’s “Andrea Chénier.” Kaufmann likely needs no introduction, the tenor arguably the most popular of his voice type in the entire universe. Harteros deserves equal praise, her dramatic soprano a superb instrument that is simply unmatched in the {…}