(Image source: YouTube) Dutch mezzo-soprano Cora Canne Meijer passed away on August 25, 2020, at the age of 91. Cora Canne Meijer graduated from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. The mezzo-soprano debuted in 1950 with the Nederlandse Opera (now De Nationale Opera) in the role of Annina in Verdi’s “La Traviata.” During her first year at the Nederlandse Opera, Meijer sang {…}
Massenet’s opera “Thaïs,” set in 4th century Alexandria, focuses on two individuals with diametrically opposed outlooks and lifestyles. There is the hedonistic courtesan Thaïs, who seeks only love—although for no longer than a week at a time—and there is a cenobite monk named Athanaël, an ascetic, whose aim is to turn the courtesan to the path of righteousness. While he {…}
(Credits: Piotr Lempa’s Facebook Page/ Baltic Opera) The Baltic Opera in Gdansk has announced its fall season. In keeping with safety regulations due to ongoing concerns over COVID-19, spectators will be required to wear facemasks at all times and maintain a 1,5 m social distance. Here is the look at the upcoming slate. Rossini’s operatic masterpiece “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” {…}
(Credit: Oliver Ostermann/Brian Cheney) Austrian Composer Oliver Ostermann and American Tenor Brian Cheney have teamed up during the COVID-19 pandemic to create the album “ I Sang My Heart to the Moon.” The album features eight pieces in total with lyricist and acclaimed poet Nancy Fitz-Hugh Meneely offering up poetry suited for this time. “Love Apart,” “I Sang My Heart {…}
As Renée Fleming, “America’s Diva,” introduced the third to last piece in a program that ranged from Handel to Cantaloube to Harold Arlen, the beloved singer sighed deeply. It was a testament to the magic and beauty she had spun singing one of the standout numbers of her concert, “O mio babbino caro” from Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi.” She sang the {…}
(Image Source: New National Theatre Tokyo Official Website) The New National Theatre, Tokyo has announced its streaming program for the month of June. It all kicks off on June 5 with Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte” with a cast that includes Sava Vemic, Steve Davilim, Yoko Yasui, Masako Hayashi, Andrè Schuen, Kane Kushima, and Tadahir Masujima. Roland Böer conducts. The performance will {…}
In Italy, Verdi and Puccini are the great representatives of Italian opera. In Germany, it’s Wagner and Strauss. In France? It’s hard to argue against anyone but Massenet. But what’s curious about the great composer’s output is that while he was rather bounteous in his creation, only a handful of operas actually became major staples. “Manon,” “Werther,” “Thaïs.” You could {…}
Little could Met audiences know about the full fledged lyricism of Petr Nekoranec when he took on the spieltenor role of the Doyen in the company’s premiere production of “Cendrillon” in 2018. Certainly, the Doyen has earned his keep in the eclectic repertoire of Jules Massenet and the long tradition of French opéra comique; it remains, however, a somewhat ungrateful {…}
Russian tenor Dmitry Korchak’s second solo album for Decca, a compilation of romantic French arias, provides an insightful interpretation of French style, dazzling high notes ,and impressive piannismi and diminuedo phrasing. The album presents, with the exception of the less popular Bizet’s aria “À la voix d’un amant fidele,” a selection of the most renowned lyrical and romantic French arias. {…}
The Opéra National de Paris is teaming up with France.TV to showcase its new production of Massenet’s “Manon.” The production starred Pretty Yende and Benjamin Bernheim as Manon and Des Grieux. Roberto Tagliavini and Ludovic Tézier also appeared withthe production conducted by Dan Ettinger and directed by Vincent Huguet. The showcase struggled to make it to the stage in late {…}
(Credit: Steven Pisano) I have always been partial to small and regional opera companies as they struggled to hold the flag high for the art of opera, often in the unlikeliest places. First, it seemed to me those small companies mirrored what was the norm in Europe, with so many of the small towns with their own opera theater and {…}