The Metropolitan Opera opened its 2022-23 season with the company’s first-ever performance of Cherubini’s “Medea.” The opera, which premiered in a French version back in 1797, was a major hit throughout the 19th century (with numerous translations, including the Italian one on offer at the Met) until it fell into seclusion, only to be rescued in the 20th century by one {…}
Entering into opera out of the blue can be a daunting task. It’s not always easy to know what’s the first thing to watch. And moreover, what might be easiest to take in first might not be readily available. Take the Met Opera’s new 2022-23 season which opens this week (tomorrow as of this writing) and features three operas that {…}
(Credit: Marty Sohl/Metropolitan Opera) On Sept. 27, the Metropolitan Opera is set to open the new season with the company premiere of “Medea.” The opera was made famous when Maria Callas rediscovered it in the 1950s and took it to the Teatro alla Scala, Royal Opera House, and the Dallas Opera. She also took the story (not the opera though) {…}
(Photos by Marty Sohl / Met Opera) Works & Process at the Guggenheim is set to present a preview of the Met Opera’s upcoming production of “Medea” on Sept. 19, 2022. The event will feature soprano Sondra Radvanovsky, director David McVicar, conductor Carlo Rizzi, tenor Matthew Polenzani, soprano Janai Brugger, and pianist Howard Watkins in a panel discussion that will {…}
(Credit: Presto Music website) Bulgarian soprano superstar Sonya Yoncheva will release her new album “Rebirth” on March 12, 2021. The album, which will be released by Sony Classical, will spotlight works by Claudio Monteverdi, Francesco Cavalli, Barbara Strozzi, John Dowland, Tomás de Torrejón y Velasco Sánchez, and Alessandro Stradella, among others. The album will also include the popular Bulgarian folk {…}
(Credit: Athole Still Artists official website) Conductor Andrew Greenwood has died. Greenwood was born in Yorkshire. He graduated from Clare College, Cambridge. He went on to join the music staff at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden from 1977 until 1984. He then became a Chorus Master at the Welsh Opera until 1990. He served as Artistic Director of the {…}
Opera Vision will showcase Cherubini’s “Medea,” live from the Moscow State Stanislavsky Music Theatre on Oct. 12, 2018. The work will star international soprano Hibla Gerzmava in the title role with the cast also including Natalia Vladirmiskaya, Daria Terekhova, Najmiddin Mavlyanov, Felix Kudrayavtsev, and Maxim Osokin. Conductor Felix Korobov leads the ensemble while Alexander Titel directs the production. The stream {…}
Opera Omaha was handed a dilemma in its inaugural ONE Festival when it was forced to replace the title role in Fiona Shaw’s version of “Medea,” a co-production with the Wexford Festival Opera, due to illness less than three weeks before the show. The solution was inelegant but probably the best that could be mustered under the circumstances with an {…}
Maria Callas is arguably THE greatest opera star in history. Born on Dec. 2, 1923, the Greek singer (who was born in New York City) would become a turning point in the history of the art form, with some going so far as to claim there was a period “Before Callas” and one “After Callas.” Leonard Bernstein called her “The {…}
In order to successfully produce any work for the theatre, be it an opera or otherwise, a director must have a clear vision of the themes they wish to explore or highlight, and of the means by which they will present them, so that the audience can engage with the work in an intelligent and meaningful way. Fiona Shaw, the {…}