(Photo: ©OMC Marco Borrelli) A Parisian critic during the belle époque once wrote about the Opéra de Monte-Carlo: “If only the Paris Opera could assemble for one special performance a cast equivalent to the one that the inhabitants of the little earthly paradise on the Mediterranean will be able to applaud all winter long!” (La Renaissance musicale, October 8, 1881) {…}
(Photo: OMC Marco Borrelli) On Sunday March 2nd, 2025, the Opéra de Monte-Carlo and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo presented a concert performance of Act two of Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde.” The concert was billed as a prelude to the annual music festival Le Printemps des Arts de Monte-Carlo, which will open on March 12th. The evening began with the {…}
(Photos: Marco Borrelli) The Opéra de Monte-Carlo ushered in the new year with two standout productions as part of the “Mozart in Monaco” festival, organized by the resident Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo. The festival’s first offering was a semi-staged “Don Giovanni,” presented by the Wiener Staatsoper on January 19th. Cecilia Bartoli, director of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, continued her fruitful {…}
The Opéra de Monte-Carlo has announced its 2024-25 season. Festival Centenaire Puccini Giacomo Sagripanti conducts Puccini’s “La Rondine“ in Concert. Pretty Yende, Charles Castronovo, Deanna Breiwick, Juan Francisco Gatell, and Roberto de Candia. Performance Date: Oct. 30, 2024 Anna Netrebko, Nino Machaidze, Mariam Battistelli, Yusif Eyvazov, and Florian Sempey lead Puccini’s “La Bohème.” Biagio Pizzuti, Giorgi Manoshvili, and Matteo Peirone {…}
Photo: © OMC-Marco Borrelli On Sunday April 7th, 2024, the Opéra de Monte-Carlo concluded their 2023-2024 season with the world premiere of “Their Master’s Voice,” starring mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli and actor John Malkovich. The show was a coproduction with the annual music festival Le Printemps des Arts de Monte-Carlo, of which this performance was also the closing event. For voice {…}
Photo: Marco Borrelli On Sunday January 28th, 2024, the Opéra de Monte-Carlo gave the penultimate performance of a new production of Handel’s “Giulio Cesare in Egitto,” the third in a series of Handel productions featuring Cecilia Bartoli, following “Ariodante” in 2019 and “Alcina” in 2023, both staged by Christof Loy. This time, the staging was entrusted to Davide Livermore, scenographer {…}
Credit: © OMC-Marco Borrelli On Sunday November 26th, the Opéra de Monte-Carlo gave the final performance of its first staged opera of the season, a new production of Verdi’s “Don Carlo” in the four-act Italian version of 1884. The staging was entrusted to the Turin-based Davide Livermore, scenographer Giò Forma, costume designer Sofia Tasmagambetova and Video designer D-WOK. Although Livermore {…}
(Credit: Simon Pauly) Jonas Kaufmann has canceled his upcoming performances of “Andrea Chénier” at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo. The company said that the tenor is obliged to withdraw his participation in the new production for health issues. In a statement, the tenor said, “I am deeply saddened to be forced to withdraw from singing in the Opéra de Monte-Carlo’s production {…}
On February 22nd, the Opéra de Monte-Carlo inaugurated a new era under the direction of Cecila Bartoli. To open her first season, Bartoli chose to present Handel’s 1735 opera seria “Alcina,” in which she stars in the title role. “Alcina” has become one of the most frequently staged works by Händel. This past year alone has seen productions at Covent {…}
The Opéra de Monte-Carlo is set to present Massenet’s “Werther” this February. The showcase, which runs between Feb. 20, 2022 and Feb. 26, 2022, will star Jean-François Borras in the title role with Stéphanie d’Oustrac as Charlotte. Jean-François Lapointe will take on the role of Albert with Jennifer Coucier as Sophie. Other cast members include Marc Barrand, Reinaldo Macias, Luca {…}
(Credit: Alain Hanel) The new production of Rossini’s “Il Turco in Italia” at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo was a symbolic bridge between the present and future of this illustrious opera house. The production’s stage director was Jean-Louis Grinda, who for the past fifteen years has also served as Director of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, while the show’s prima donna was {…}