“Opera Meets Film” is a feature dedicated to exploring the way that opera has been employed in cinema. We will select a section or a film in its entirety, highlighting the impact that utilizing the operatic form or sections from an opera can alter our perception of a film that we are viewing. This week’s installment features “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Queen’s {…}
This week’s major releases are as varied as they get. On one hand you have a famed interpreter of a renowned classic finally getting a home video release. There is also a recent world premiere getting its first commercial release. To top it all off, an iconic artist records his first album in half a decade. Let’s take a look. {…}
The Central City Opera has announced its 2019 season, which will feature four operas. Among the four works are two well-known masterpieces and two lesser-known oeuvres. As of this writing, the company has not announced the full dates of the performances of the works. Traditionally, the company reveals more details in the fall with tickets going on sale in the {…}
There is something so intimate about the theater at Santa Fe Opera. Though intimacy may not be the word in mind for the over 2,000 seat semi-outdoor theater, it was magical to watch the setting sun as the backdrop for Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly.” It’s a treat reserved specifically for the New Mexican audience. Director Lee Blakely’s melancholy production of “Madama {…}
On August 8, 2018, Laura Alonso Padin will make her role debut as Cio-Cio San in Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly.” The Spanish soprano will sing the role at the Espacio Cultural San Martín Pinario in Santiago de Compostela, where she will be joined by Moises Molin, Sandra Olivas, and Pablo Atahualpa. Linus Lerner will conduct the performance which will begin at 7 {…}
Licia Albanese was one of the most influential sopranos of the 1900s. Born on July 22, 1909, in a quarter of Bari Italy, she would make her professional debut sometime in the mid-1930s (there has always been some controversy on when her true professional debut came about). But she did make her official La Scala debut in 1935 (she made {…}
The Glyndebourne Festival has announced that several productions will be screened during this summer’s festival. The performances will be showcased in cinemas across the UK or online for international audiences; the live streams online will be straight from the festival’s website. This year the operas on offer to a wider range of audiences will be “Madama Butterfly,” “Vanessa,” and “Saul.” {…}
Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” has been a staple of the repertoire for years and at the Metropolitan Opera, it has had somewhat of a renaissance ever since Anthony Minghella’s inventive production came opened in 2006. The opera is really a showcase for a great soprano who can bring forth intense emotions and who can captivate an audience with the lead character’s suffering. For this {…}
Making its premiere on February 17, 1904, “Madama Butterfly” is one of the most prominent works not only to come from composer Giacomo Puccini, but in the operatic canon as well. Despite this, its initial premiere at Milan’s Teatro all Scala was received unfavorably by critics and audiences. This is attributed to lack of time to rehearse the work, given {…}
It’s Valentine’s Day, the day to cherish a significant other. Last year we took a cynical look at the holiday, but not this year. Opera is rife with love, almost every single plot in every single work has some communion of two persons in that blissful word. In fact, love in opera has incited just as many battles and tension {…}
The Pittsburgh Opera has announced its 2018-19 season, which, after a season of modern opera, is slated to take a look back at some of the major repertory hits. The season kicks off with Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” which will star Dina Kuznetsova in her company debut. Cody Austin will appear as Pinkerton. Performance Dates: Oct. 6-14, 2018 In November, the {…}
