Photo credit: Elisa Haberer / Opéra national de Paris Paris Opera’s production of Charpentier’s “Médée” is not bad, but throughout the performance, operagoers will be filled with a sensation of uneasiness. It is not necessarily because of its murderous plot, but because the production feels unsuited to its musicians. It leaves one with the feeling of wearing a garment lent {…}
There was a major cast change during the Jan. 26, 2024 performance of “Medée” at the Teatro alla Scala. Soprano Marina Rebeka, who started the run on Jan. 14, 2024, but had to withdraw from performances on Jan. 20 and 23 due to illness, returned to the stage to open the Jan. 26 performance. However, due to illness, she {…}
(Credit: Teatro alla Scala / Brescia – Amisano) Medici.TV is set to stream the Teatro alla Scala’s new production of Cherubini’s “Médée.” The streaming platform will showcase the opera on Jan. 27 in co-production with Rai. Latvian soprano Marina Rebeka stars in the title role in a new production by Damiano Michieletto. She is joined by a cast that includes {…}
The Teatro alla Scala has announced a cast change for its Jan. 20 performance of “Médée.” The company said that Marina Rebeka will not sing in the performance due to illness. As a result, Maria Pia Piscitelli will take over the title role. Piscitelli has performed at the Staatsoper Hamburg, San Francisco Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Deustche Oper Berlin, Teatro {…}
Nowadays, there is much discussion about a singer’s fach, or, in more mundane terms: does a singer have “the” proper voice for a certain role? Although this discussion has its merits, it usurps the space of the more important question of how singers inhabit their characters through their acting personalities. Especially in less-performed repertoire—such as baroque and classical operas—it is {…}
(Photo credit: Cassandra Hannagan) In a podcast for Pinchgut Opera’s latest production, Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s opera “Médée,” Artistic Director Erin Helyard describes the first interpreter of the title role in 1693, Marie le Rochois, as “the greatest actress in all of France.” “Actress.” Not singer? But perhaps the designation provides a clue as to how to appreciate this early French baroque {…}
Cherubini’s claim to fame in the opera world is “Médée,” which had its world premiere on March 13, 1797. The work didn’t really receive a good reception, but it did return to the repertory in the 20th century, usually in an Italian version that featured recitatives replacing the French spoken dialogue. There are also German versions of the work, though {…}