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Maria Agresta has withdrawn from the San Francisco Opera’s upcoming production of Puccini’s “Turandot” due to illness.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 {…}
Another weekend, more opera performances around the world. Here are the big highlights. Austria The weekend kicks off at the Vienna state Opera with Janacek’s “Katya Kabanova” starring Dan Paul Dumitrescu, Misha Didyk, Jane Henschel, Leonardo Navarro and Angela Denoke. It will be followed by Shostakovich’s “Lady Macbeth of Mtsenk” with Wolfgang Bankl, Eva-Maria Westbroek and Brandon Jovanovich. The weekend concludes {…}
Are you excited for the weekend? Well, we are as you will get to hear some of the most exciting stars singing in the world’s leading opera houses. Check it out right here! Austria At the Vienna State Opera, audiences will get the chance to see Puccini’s “Turandot” with a star-studded cast including Elena Pankratova, Heinz Zednik, Ryan Speedo Green, {…}
The ending of Puccini’s “Turandot” is one of opera’s great tragedies. The composer, at the peak of his power, had composed his most musically daring work to date with some of his most phenomenal strokes of dramatic genius alongside some of his most riveting and enduring melodies. And yet, when he was ever so close to completing it, he hit {…}
This week two new DVDs will be released featuring some of the greatest singers in the world. Puccini’s “Turandot” The first of Riccardo Chailly’s Puccini series will be released this week from Decca Classics. The DVD, which was recorded in 2015 features an all star cast that includes Nina Stemme, Maria Agresta and Aleksandrs Antonenko. The new DVD has the {…}
