Sony Classical has announced the release of Verdi’s “Otello” from the Royal Opera House. The production, which premiered last summer at the Royal Opera, stars Jonas Kaufmann in his role debut, Maria Agresta, and Marco Vratogna. Antonio Pappano conducted the production, which was directed by Keith Warner. When the production premiered OperaWire noted, “Jonas Kaufmann Cements His Legacy As One {…}
The Lyric Opera of Chicago has announced its 2018-19 season with a number of the greatest stars performing in new productions. The season will also include two important recitals from two of the world’s greatest sopranos. Recitals & Concerts Anna Netrebko returns to Chicago for the first time since 2013 when she performed “La Bohème.” This time she performs some {…}
Maria Agresta has canceled her performances of “Il Trovatore.” The Met announced that due to illness the soprano was unable to perform. As a result Jennifer Rowley will sing the role of Leonora. Rowley is due one performance of “Tosca” on Friday, Jan. 12, 2018, and was covering “Il Trovatore.” Last season the soprano had a break out at the {…}
With the New Year’s Eve just a day away, opera audiences are in for a treat with three gala concerts being streamed featuring some of the world’s biggest stars. The first major concert that will be streamed on the live in the concert hall series and in cinemas will be the Berlin Philharmonic’s annual silver concert gala. The evening will feature {…}
It’s the final the week of the year and that means many companies are off. But there are many New Year’s Galas to keep track of. Here are just a few! Die Fledermaus – Vienna State Opera, Austria The Vienna State Opera continues its tradition as it rings the New Year with its classic production of “Die Fledermaus” with Michael Schade {…}
Occasionally music history has strange coincidences where a famous composer is unable to finish his final work. This is particularly strange when the final work has something to do with death. Consider Mozart who died writing a requiem. Likewise, Giacomo Puccini succumbed to lung cancer before completing “Turandot.” The last piece he wrote was the funeral march for the slave {…}
As is the case with a number of major opera houses around the world, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden is presenting Puccini’s “La Bohème.” And is often the case with all of these major companies, there are so many performances of this beloved opera, 25 in total spread across the fall and summer, that it can be tough to {…}
Maria Agresta has withdrawn from the San Francisco Opera’s upcoming production of Puccini’s “Turandot” due to illness. The company announced that American soprano Toni Marie Palmertree will sing Liù, replacing Agresta and will now perform in all six September performances. Palmertree scored a triumph last season when she substituted for an ailing colleague on two hours’ notice as Cio-Cio-San in Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly.” {…}
Maria Agresta has pulled out of two concert performances of Verdi’s “I Due Foscari” as she undergoes an operation. In her stead, audiences will hear Chinese soprano Guanqun Yu. Yu placed second in the 2012 Operalia Competition and has showcased her talents around the world. In 2017-18 she is slated to take on the role of Liù in “Turandot” at {…}
Are you a fan of romantic music or early music? This week, audiences will have two high-profile options to choose from. The first comes from the Salzburg Festival in an acclaimed production while the second comes from an acclaimed mezzo-soprano who has obtained incredible acclaim in the past few years. Piotr Beczala as “Faust” A week after Piotr Beczala’s “Lohengrin” {…}
Maria Agresta has quickly risen to fame in the opera world. She has made debuts in all the great theaters including the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala, and Royal Opera House. She has also become the go-to soprano for the Verdi repertoire singing roles in “I Due Foscari,” “Il Trovatore,” “I Masnadieri,” “La Traviata” and “Simon Boccanegra.” This month she {…}