Oper Frankfurt has announced a cast change for its production of Berg’s “Lulu.” The company said that Vera-Lotte Boecker has withdrawn from the production and will be replaced by Brenda Rae. Rae took to social media and said, ” Sometimes things fall into place in the most amazing ways. After a disappointing cancellation this coming fall, I got the call {…}
(Credit: Simon Van Rompay) La Monnaie Opera House in Brussels will stream Alban Berg’s opera “Lulu” until Jan. 24, 2022. The opera stars Natascha Petrinsky as Gräfin Geschwitz; Bo Skovhus in the roles of Dr. Schön & Jack The Ripper; Toby Spence as Alwa; Pavlo Hunka as Schigolch; and Barbara Hannigan in the title role. The cast also includes Lilly {…}
On Nov 2, 2021, Barbara Hannigan will reprise her signature turn in Berg’s “Lulu” in Krzysztof Warlikowski’s production for La Monnaie in Brussels. Hannigan’s first performances of the opera in 2012 saw her running into walls and on ballet pointes for almost the entire three-hour performance. Hannigan, incidentally, not a trained ballerina, met the significant physical and vocal demands of {…}
“Page to Opera Stage” looks at stories – real-life or fiction, old and new – that have inspired operas, and the ways these narratives have been edited and dramatized to fit a new medium. In this instalment, we follow “Salome” with another play adapted into an opera: Frank Wedekind’s duology “Earth Spirit” and “Pandora’s Box” and Alban Berg’s “Lulu.” Austrian {…}
(Photo credit: Frances Marshall) What’s opera about? Passion? Drama? Politics? Sex? All the above, of course, and it’s been that way since 1597, even in the face of censorship. Yet, the prohibitions around taboo topics such as politics and sex caused composers and librettists to get creative when including such material in their operas. Opera critic, author, and historian par {…}
(Credit: Felix Broede) The Staatsoper unter der Linden has announced that soprano Mojca Erdmann will take over the role of Pamina in Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte” on Dec. 27, 2020, and Jan. 6, 8, 10 & 14, 2021. Erdmann will replace soprano Evelin Novak. Erdmann wil join a cast that includes René Pape in the role of Sarastro, Siyabonga Maqungo as {…}
(Credit: The Metropolitan Opera official website) In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, The Metropolitan Opera’s HD Live in Schools program has launched an online series for the 2020–21 school year. For the upcoming school year, all students and teachers will receive free subscriptions to the Met Opera on Demand streaming service. A total of ten operas have been selected {…}
(Credit: Marco Borggreve) The Cleveland Orchestra is set to showcase Berg’s ground-breaking “Lulu” in May 2020 as part of its “Censored: Art & Power” festival. “Lulu” will feature Barbara Hannigan in the title role with Rainer Trost, Bo Skovhus, Norbert Ernst, Sergei Leiferkus, and Jennifer Johnson Cano. Franz Welser-Möst will conduct performances of the opera on May 16, 19, and {…}
“Lulu” was Alban Berg’s second opera. He worked on it between 1929 and 1935, but unfortunately never completed the work by the time of his death in 1935. The work had a posthumous world premiere on June 2, 1937 and was “completed” over 40 years later in 1979. Despite never being completed by the composer, the work has become a {…}
Alban Berg, born on Feb. 9, 1885, is one of the most prevalent composers of 12-tone music. He grew up in Vienna and showed more interest in literature than music from an early age. However, he would start teaching himself to compose at the age of 15 and eventually started studying under Arnold Schoenberg in 1904. His entire compositional style {…}
Teresa Stratas, born on May 26, 1938, was a consummate singing actress. Born in Canada to Greek parents, Stratas was destined for a career defined by brilliant combination of vocal and dramatic skills. Watch any performance of hers on video and you will immediately find yourself immersed in a world she creates all on her own. At age 20 she {…}