Will Liverman, Ana María Martinez, René Barbera, Mario Rojas, David Portillo Headline New Productions by Lyric Opera of Chicago for 2020-21

The Lyric Opera of Chicago has announced additional productions for its 2020-21 season. In addition to its “Twilight: Gods” the company will present “Pasión Latina,” a free concert featuring such renowned artists as Ana María Martínez, René Barbera, David Portillo, Mario Rojas, Richard Ollarsaba, Denis Vélez, and Ricardo José Rivera. The performance will feature music from Puerto Rico, Mexico, Cuba, {…}

Oct 30, 2020

Obituary: Conductor Alexander Vedernikov Dies at 56

(Credit: Marco Borggreve) Famed Russian conductor Alexander Vedernikov has died at the age of 56, after having been diagnosed with COVID-19. Vedernikov died on Friday, Oct. 30 after being put on a ventilator for few days following the diagnosis. Born in Moscow, Vedernikov was the son of the bass Alexander Filipovich Vedernikov and Natalia Nikolaevna Gureeva. The conductor went on {…}

Oct 20, 2020

Soprano Mara Zampieri Cancels Wiener Staatsoper Performances

(Credit: Mara Zampieri official website) The Wiener Staatsoper has announced that soprano Mara Zampieri has canceled her appearances as Lucia in the run of Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana.” Per an official statement on the company’s website, the soprano, who belongs to the COVID-19 risk group, does not want to take the chances in traveling to Vienna and participating in the rehearsals {…}

Oct 19, 2020

Piotr Beczała Concert in Wrocław Postponed Due To COVID-19

(Credit: Johannes Ifkovits) Polish tenor Piotr Beczała has announced on his official Facebook account that his concert at the Narodowe Forum Muzyki in Wrocław has been postponed due to the worsening epidemiological situation. Beczała was supposed to perform with the Polska Filharmonia Kameralna Sopot and the program for the concert included works by Verdi, Puccini, Massenet, Moniuszko, Giordano, and Mascagni. {…}

Sep 22, 2020

Q & A: Martin Muehle on Brazilian Music, Favorite Roles And COVID-19

(Credit: Simon Pauly) “The music is giving me what I need. Music has always given me what I needed in my life.” When the COVID-19 hurricane struck humanity in full force in March, tenor Martin Muehle was about to begin rehearsals for the supernatural opera “The Queen of Spades” at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. At that moment it was obvious {…}

Sep 3, 2020

Opera Meets Film: How ‘Funny Games’ Prologue Uses Operas by Handel & Mascagni to Establish Major Themes of Comfort & Chaos

“Opera Meets Film” is a feature dedicated to exploring the way that opera has been employed in cinema. We will select a film section or a film in its entirety and highlight 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 Michael {…}

Aug 29, 2020

Guildhall School of Music & Drama Announces New Broadcast Technology & Autumn 2020 Events

London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama has announced the installation of low-latency broadcast technology to facilitate large scale musical collaboration within the school while maintaining social distancing measures. The technology represents a significant investment in Guildhall’s streaming and broadcast capabilities. The newly installed NDI video and Dante Audio Networks augment the Recording and Video department’s installation of a Solid {…}

Aug 18, 2020

Metropolitan Opera Stars Live in Concert Review: Roberto Alagna & Aleksandra Kurzak in Èze, France

(Credit: © Gregor Hohenberg) The Metropolitan Opera Stars Live in Concert series continued this Sunday with a performance by the celebrated French-Italian tenor Roberto Alagna and Polish soprano Aleksandra Kurzak on the hilltop medieval village of Èze, France. On the outdoor terrace located at the Château de la Chèvre d’Or, Alagna and Kurzak were accompanied by the Vienna Morphing Quintet. {…}

Aug 14, 2020

Allan Clayton, Golda Schultz and Natalya Romaniw Highlight BBC Proms Live Program

(Credits: © Sim Canetty-Clarke / Dario Acosta / Patrick Allen) BBC Proms has announced the schedule for the two weeks of live performances at the Royal Albert Hall. Compared to the initial plans that were conveyed to the public in May, there will be no live audience. For the purpose of this article, we will focus only on vocal performances. {…}

Apr 12, 2020

Word Search: Complete the Names of these Legendary Santuzza Interpreters

For this week’s word search we turn to Mascagni’s famed opera “Cavalleria Rusticana” and look back at some notable interpreters of the role of Santuzza. Instructions: You are free to solve the word search directly on your mobile or desktop device; just click the first and last letter of each word for it to appear on the screen. For those {…}

Dec 8, 2018

Opera Quiz: Which ‘Cavalleria Rusticana’ Character Are You?

Pietro Mascagni, born on Dec. 7, 1863, had an extensive career as an opera composer. Despite that, we remember him today for “Cavalleria Rusticana,” an enduring masterpiece about revenge and betrayal. The work is undeniably a fixture of the canon because of its incredible music, yet it was revolutionary because of the perspective it took on its characters. No longer {…}