On Oct. 10, the Festival Verdi in Parma will celebrate Verdi’s 208th birthday with a long day of events. The festivities will begin with a ceremony honoring the composer at 11:30 a.m. The ceremony will be held at the Piazza della Pace near the composer’s monument. The chrous of the Teatro Regio di Parma will perform “Va’, pensiero.” At 17:00, {…}
On Oct. 2, the Festival Verdi is set to present the Messa da Requiem which will be dedicated to the composer Sylvano Bussotti, who recently died. Daniele Gatti will conduct the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai and the coro del Teatro Regio di Parma. Maria Agresta, Elīna Garanča, and John Relyea will make their Teatro Regio di Parma debuts alongside {…}
The Teatro Regio di Parma has announced that Maria Agresta will sing the Gala Verdiano on Oct. 10, 2021. The gala, which will be performed during the Festival Verdi, was originally set to star Eleonora Buratto. However, due to health reasons, she was forced to cancel all her October dates. In a statement, Buratto said, “With profound disappointment, I am {…}
(Credit: Javier del Real) This review was written after the performance on the 3d of July, the first performance of cast B. I usually leave my opinion about the conductor for the end of the review, but in this case, since it affects the performances of the singers drastically, I have opted to give that opinion first. Nicola Luisotti’s reading {…}
Maria Agresta has been awarded the Premio Luigi Illica from the Comunale Castell’Arquato. The soprano received the award for professional contributions to the opera world and will be handed to the soprano on July 24. The award has been given since 1961 and has celebrated the artistic excellence of many individuals from Castell’Arquato. Agresta is currently performing “Tosca” at the Teatro {…}
The Festival Verdi has announced its 2021 season and will take place in both Parma and Busetto. Here is a look at the operaic performances planned for this season. Operas & Concerts The season kicks off with “Un ballo in maschera“ at Teatro Regio di Parma in a new staging by Graham Vick. Roberto Abbado conducts the Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini {…}
The ABAO Bilbao Opera in Spain has announced its 2021-22 season. The season opens with a production of “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” starring Jessica Pratt, Michael Fabiano, Elena Zhidkova, and Simón Orfila. The opera will be directed by Vincent Huguet and conducted by Carlo Montanaro. Performance Dates: Oct. 23 – Nov. 1, 2021 Next up “Cavalleria Rusticana” and “Pagliacci” will be {…}
(Credit: Vincent Pontet/Opera de Paris) This review is from the opening night on the 4th of June 2021 For months the Opéra de Paris was doing it all it could to reopen. But the pandemic would not allow it. The result was that many productions were forced on digital platforms, including its recent “Faust” showcase. But alas, after 15 months {…}
The Opéra de Paris has announced that it will present a special “Gala Lyrique” on June 16, 2021 at the Palais Garnier. The showcase will feature Maria Agresta, Michael Fabiano, Ludovic Tézier, Luca Pisaroni, and the Orchestre de l’Opéra National de Paris, all under the musical direction of Mark Wigglesworth in his company debut. The concert will open with the {…}
The Opéra de Monte-Carlo has announced its 2021-22 season featuring concerts, recitals, and operatic productions. Angela Gheorghiu opens the season in a recital with pianist Jeff Cohen. The program will include works by Durante, Paisiello, Bellini, Donizetti, Tosti, Respighi, Schumann, R. Strauss, Rachmaninov, Rameau, Martini, Debussy, Massenet, Brediceanu, Stephanescu, Flotow, and Satie. Performance Date: Oct. 8, 2021 Aleksandra Kurzak leads {…}
The Teatro San Carlo has announced its 2021-22 season featuring 14 operas, 35 concert, and 4 ballets. Here is a look at the operas and the vocal performances. The season opens with Verdi’s “Otello“ with Jonas Kaufmann singing the title role. Michele Mariotti conducts the new production by Mario Martone. Kaufmann will alternate the title role with Yusif Eyvazov and {…}