The Vienna State Opera will live stream “Werther” on Oct. 31, 2019. Massenet’s masterpiece will feature Vittorio Grigolo in the title role with Elena Maximova as Charlotte and Daniela Fally as Sophie. Adrian Eröd rounds out the cast as Albert. Frédéric Chaslin conducts a production directed by Andrei Serban. The stream kicks off at 7:30 p.m. local time. That’s around {…}
(Credit: Marty Sohl / Metropolitan Opera) In the current social climate of today, Laurent Pelly’s vision for “Manon,” which premiered at the Met Opera back in 2012, remains as relevant as ever. And with top notch performers in the leading roles, the performance on Sept. 24, 2019, allowed this vision to rise to the top. The Male Gaze Back in {…}
Juan Diego Flórez is set to return to the Royal Opera in the title role of Massenet’s “Werther.” The opera production by Benoît Jacquot will be revived for the third time since its debut in 2004 production. Flórez will sing the role following acclaimed performances at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna and Opernhaus Zurich. He will be joined by mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard {…}
(Credit: Bregenzer Festspiele/ Karl Forster) While “Rigoletto” plays on the Bregenz Festival’s main stage, the famous floating Seebühne on Lake Constance in western Austria, the Festspielhaus offers a chance to see “Don Quichotte,” Massenet’s poignant adaptation of Miguel Cervantes’s immortal novel, “Don Quixote.” The Best Men Can Be The new production, directed by Mariame Clément, might seem disorienting on paper. It {…}
(Credit: Richard Hubert Smith) French Composer Jules Massenet premiered his opera “Cendrillon” in 1899 at the Théâtre National de l’Opéra-Comique in Paris. Best known for its radical story-telling of the fairytale Cinderella, this opera is centered around dreams-versus-reality and highlights Massenet’s surrealistic tendencies before the surrealism movement even began. Glyndebourne is a legendary hub that produces “no ordinary opera,” therefore, {…}
Two years ago, Benjamin Bernheim was a young artist performing light tenor roles and preparing to make the jump to some of the most important lyric operas in the repertory. He was an unknown and was still a member of the Opernhaus Zurich. But he had a perspective of where he wanted to be. “I knew I wanted to sing {…}
Massenet’s famed “Manon” will take the stage on June 9, 2019 at the Vienna State Opera. The company will be live streaming the work to audiences around the world as well. The famed French masterwork will star Nino Machaidze in the title role with Juan Diego Flórez as her lover Des Grieux. The cast also features Dan Paul Dumitrescu and {…}
As the summer inches closer, lovers of opera and the performing arts can enjoy a number of smaller, independent productions throughout New York City. Naturally, one would not expect to see an opera singer delivering arias from on top of a piano in the middle of Washington Square Park, but that’s exactly what happens with Opera Under the Arch. The {…}
The last time that New York audiences got a chance to see Massenet’s “Hérodiade” was back in 1995 when the Opera Orchestra of New York took on this grand opera. And it’s a shame because before Friday, May 10, 2019, they were all missing out on something truly captivating and inspiring. Thanks to the New Amsterdam Opera, we got a {…}
Jules Massenet was born on May 12, 1842 and would go on to become arguably the most impactful French composer of the Romantic era. When we look at the standard repertory, Massenet’s place is firmly locked in with two of his works among the greatest ever created. In celebration of his birthday, some of our writers came together to muse {…}
The New York Opera Fest 2019 kicked off on Monday, April 29 and for the next several weeks, New Yorkers will get ample opportunity to enjoy opera in a variety of unique ways. As has been OperaWire’s tradition over the years, we have reached out to a number of the companies participating in the festival and have asked them a {…}