All “Normas” are a spectacle, but some are more spectacular than others—or so the Orwellian adage might go. Marina Rebeka, for instance, set the bar for dramatic intensity in her fiery CD release from last year. By contrast, Melody Moore’s portrayal on EuroArts—though dignified—leans toward restraint. That is not to slight Moore or—indeed—any of her colleagues. As Norma, she commands {…}
Welcome back for this week’s look at the latest CD and DVD releases in the opera world. This week audiences will get a good helping of baroque favorites and rarities, star-studded albums, world premieres and some fantastic modern works by recognized composers. Rufus Wainwright’s Dream Requiem The new album showcases Wainwright’s “Dream Requiem,” an epic work for orchestra, chorus, soprano, {…}
The San Francisco Opera has announced its 2025-26 season. The company is set to present its “Opera Ball,” co-presented with the San Francisco Opera Guild. Performance Date: Sept. 5, 2025 The season opens with Verdi’s “Rigoletto” with Eun Sun Kim conducting the work. Amartuvshin Enkhbat leads the cast in the title role alongside Adela Zaharia, Giovanni Sala, J’Nai Bridges, and {…}
The score of Gordon Getty’s “Goodbye, Mr. Chips” breathes all the unpretentiously sweet melancholy of its many predecessors – from James Hilton’s 1933 novella of the same title to subsequent adaptations as, among others, radio plays and lavishly cast movie musicals. Yet it is not exactly the feel-good opera advertised in Pentatone’s press release; rather, the eponymous Mr. Chips – {…}
The Washington Chorus has announced its 2024-25 season. Dr. Eugene Rogers conducts Morris Robinson in music by Jessie Montgomery, Aaron Copland, and Carlos Simon/Dan Harder. rs. Performance Dates: Sept. 14, 2024 Dr. Eugene Rogers conducts Suzzette Ortiz. Performance Dates: Dec. 14-22, 2024 Dr. Eugene Rogers conducts Damian Norfleet and Monique Holmes-Spells in music by Leonard Bernstein, Nkeiru Okoye, Eugene Rogers, {…}
Welcome back for this week’s look at the latest CD and DVD releases in the opera world. This week you get albums from two very famous singers, a soundtrack to one of this year’s Oscar contenders, and two complete opera recordings you cannot miss. Maestro Deutsche Grammophon releases the official soundtrack to Bradley Cooper’s new film “Maestro.” The recording features {…}
After this summer’s “Un Ballo in Maschera,” the forces behind the Dutch label Pentatone are turning their attention to another heavy-hitter from the Italian repertoire: with “Tosca” they enter the well-trodden territory of one of the most recorded operas ever. Yet, Carlo Montanaro and the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester do not pretend to proverbially reinvent the wheel the way Rostropovich famously did in {…}
This week audiences will get a chance to listen to a tribute album to one of the greatest sopranos in history, two new DVDs and a soundtrack to one of this year’s most acclaimed films. The Distances Between SOMM Recordings releases “The Distances Between,” the second volume of songs – including 17 first recordings – by Stephen Dodgson marking the {…}
The Festival Napa Valley has announced the 2023 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances of the season. Gordon Getty’s “Goodbye, Mr. Chips” will be shown. Performance Date: July 12, 2023 Festival Live! Concert Series will feature the 2023 Manetti Shrem Summer Conservatory Fellows. Performance Date: July 14, 2023 Serena Sáenz, Francisco Fullana, Sophia Bacelar, and Pablo Sáinz-Villegas {…}
The Baltimore Symphony announces the 2023-24 season featuring Jonathan Heyward in his first season as Music Director. David Danzmayr conducts Christine Goerke in a program that includes Anna Clyne, Barber, and Sibelius. Performance Dates: Oct. 21 & 22, 2023 A baroque Christmas will include Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons,” Händel’s “Messiah,” and more with Baroque masters at their most irrepressibly joyful and {…}
San Diego Opera has announced the appointment of Melody Moore as its Artistic Administrator. In her new role, the famed soprano will serve as an advisor to General Director David Bennett in casting decisions. Moore has performed with such companies as Los Angeles Opera, San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Seattle Opera, and Washington National Opera, among others. “I am {…}