After leaving the premiere of La Fenice’s production of “Mefistofele,” I dried two little tears from my eyes and, in a burst of emotion, was possessed by one thought: how underrated Boito is. Usually relegated merely to the place of the fanciest of Verdi’s librettists, Boito was much more. His works extend from a few musical pieces to many (untranslated {…}
(Credit: Fabrizio Sansoni) This week the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma is opening its 2023-24 season with an audacious production of “Mefistofele” directed by Simon Stone. Headlining the production is John Relyea in the title role. Relyea is no stranger to the role of Mefistofele as he has performed both the Berlioz and Gounod works on several occasions in leading theaters. {…}
The Teatro dell’Opera di Roma is set to broadcast its opening night production of Boito’s”Mefistofele” on Nov. 27, 2023. The opera will be shown on Rai 5 through Rai Cultura and can also be heard on Radio 3. Boito’s work will be presented in a new production by Simon Stone, who is making his debut in Italy and will be {…}
The Teatro Lirico di Cagliari has canceled its opening performance of “Mefistofele” due to the strike. In a statement via social media star Latoinia Moore said, “So…tonight was supposed to be my role debut as Margherita in Boito’s Mefistofele here Teatro Lirico di cagliari. Due to rolling strikes all around Europe, the company has decided to completely cancel the premiere. {…}
“Page to Opera Stage” looks at stories – real-life or fiction, old and new – that have inspired operas, and the ways these narratives have been edited and dramatized to fit a new medium. This week, the focus is Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s two-part magnum opus “Faust” and three operas – Berlioz’s “La damnation de Faust,” Gounod’s “Faust,” and Boito’s {…}
“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 Murnau’s {…}
The Chelsea Opera Group is preparing to mount a rare performance of Boito’s “Mefistofele” at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank Centre on Sunday, March 24. The concert performance will be lead by Matthew Scott Rogers and will feature Vazgen Gazaryan as the devil himself. Pablo Bemsch will take on the role of Faust while Elizabeth Llewellyn will interpret the {…}
Arrigo Boito, born on Feb. 24, 1842, was what one could consider a Renaissance Man of the 19th century. He was a poet, journalist, novelist, librettist, and composer and many of his works in those diverse disciplines remain fixtures of the operatic canon. He initially set out to be a musician, studying at the Milan Conservatory. He then fought in {…}
Arrigo Boito’s “Mefistofele” is a work of glorious moments that has yet to find a stable place in the standard repertoire. Despite being derived from Goethe’s famed “Faust,” great arias for the major leads, and an amazing part for any opera house’s chorus, it has never been as popular as other adaptations of the same source material(ie: Gounod’s “Faust”). In {…}
On Thursday, Nov. 8, Boito’s “Mefistofele” makes its return to the Metropolitan Opera after an 18-year hiatus. Of the opera’s 67 performances, all but 13 came before 1927, which makes a statement on the opera’s popularity with the company. It has never quite turned into a major staple of the repertoire at large, though it has been growing in popularity {…}
It’s a Christian van Horn kind of year. The bass-baritone has already opened a new production of “Faust” at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, headlined opening night at Opera Philadelphia, and won the Richard Tucker Award. He also starred at the Canadian Opera and returns to the Metropolitan Opera for “La Bohème.” But perhaps his biggest assignment will come this week when he sings {…}