(Photo: Brescia – Amisano © Teatro alla Scala) There is no other title in operatic history that was created with as little expectation as “Falstaff.” Giuseppe Verdi concluded that he had composed everything he was meant to in life and stopped writing for several years. It wasn’t until 1880 that his wife, Giuseppina Strepponi, pointed out that to close his {…}
The Fondazione Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari has announced its 2025 season. Here is a look at the operas and concerts. Opera Verdi’s “Il Corasaro” is set to open the season with Rame Lahaj and Zizhao Guo sharing the lead role. They will be joined by Guanqun Yu, Benedetta Torre, Vladimir Stoyanov, Luca Galli, Vanessa Goikoetxea, and Carmen Lopez. Stefano Montanari conducts the {…}
The Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari has announced its 2024 season. Opera Beethoven’s “Fidelio” will open the season with Joan Anton Rechi directing and Stefano Montanari conducting. The production is set to star Modestas Sedlevičius, Vito Priante, Jörg Schneider, Helena Juntunen, Tillman Rönnebeck, Francesca Benitez, and Pavel Kolgatin. Performance Dates: Jan. 26-Feb. 1, 2024 Vittoria Yeo, Michiko Takeda, Mario Cassi, Luca Galli, {…}
The Teatro Massimo di Palermo has announced its 2023-24 season. Opera The season opens with Bellini’s “I Capuleti e Montecchi.” Omer Meir Wellber conducts the production by Idan Cohen. The cast includes Maria Kataeva and Anna Pennisi as Romeo and Marina Monzó and Francesca Pia Vitale as Giulietta. Ioan Hotea, Mert Süngü, Marco Spotti, and Gabriele Sagona round out the {…}
The final production of the Festival Verdi was “La Forza del Destino,” one of the most difficult of Verdi’s work to present. Aside from its massive cast, the work also requires multiple set changes and an epic landscape. How a director goes about approaching it can be a huge challenge. For the Festival Verdi, they found a great director in {…}
The Oper Köln has announced its 2022-23 season featuring nine new productions and five revivals. Here is a look at the operatic productions of the season. Premieres Enea Scala headlines Berlioz’s “Les Troyens” alongside Mirko Roschkowski in a new production by Johannes Erath. The cast also includes Veronica Simeoni, Isabelle Druet, and Marco Spotti. Francois Xavier-Roth conducts. Premiere Date: Sept. {…}
(Credit: Teatro dell’Opera di Roma) Italy’s Teatro dell’Opera di Roma has announced the 2021-22 season featuring world premieres, rarely staged works, and star singers. Here is a look at the operatic performances of the season. Pre-Opening Before opening night, the fall season will see Verdi’s “Giovanna d’Arco.” The work will be presented for the first time in Rome since 1972 {…}
The Théâtre Capitole de Toulouse has announced its 2021-22 season. It all kicks off with a production of “La Gioconda” starring Béatrice Uria-Monzon, René Morloc, Marco Spotti, Varduhi Abrahayman, Ramón Vargas, and Pierrre-Yves Pruvot. Roberto Rizzi-Brignoli conducts a production by Olivier Py. Performance Dates: Sept. 24-Oct. 3, 2021 Michel Fau will direct “Wozzeck” which stars Stéphane Degout, Sophie Koch, Nikolai {…}
The New National Theatre, Tokyo has announced its 2020-21 season. The season will open with Britten’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in a production by Sir David McVicar. Per the company’s official website, the production will be modified into “A New Normal” style which will include social distancing protocols for artists. The opera will star Daichi Fujiki as Oberon, Kerstin Avemo {…}
The New National Theatre, Tokyo has announced its 2020-21 season, featuring four new productions and six revivals. Here is a look at what to expect next season. New Productions The new season Opens with the company premiere of Britten’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in a new production by David McVicar originally seen at La Monnaie in Brussels. The opera is {…}
The Opera Royal del Wallonie-Liege has announced its 2018-19 season featuring five new productions and nine showcases in total. The season contains a number of rarely performed works in addition to repertoire staples featuring many prominent and rising stars. Here is a look. Productions Stefano Vizioli directs Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” with Fabio Sartori in the title role and Violetta Urmana as {…}