Michael Fabiano, Julia Bullock, Karah Son, Pretty Yende, Nina Stemme Headline San Francisco Opera’s Centennial 2022-23 Season

San Francisco Opera has announced its 2022-23 season, which represents the 100th anniversary of the organization. To that effect, the company will aim to honor its history as just the third American opera company to ever reach the centennial milestone. The season will kick off with an “Opera Ball – The Centennial Celebration” which will feature such performers as Nadine {…}

Nov 21, 2021

Francesco Meli, Melody Moore & Kevin Puts Lead New CD/DVD Releases

This week audiences will get a chance to hear a debut album by one of the world’s great tenors, a recording of one of Puccini’s most beloved works, a world premiere recording of a great contemporary opera, and many more. Madama Butterfly Lawrence Foster expands his Puccini discography on PENTATONE with “Madama Butterfly,” together with the Coro & Orquestra Gulbenkian. {…}

Feb 25, 2021

CD Review: Pentatone’s ‘La Fanciulla del West’

An aesthetic outlier in the grand tradition of Italian opera, “La Fanciulla del West” occupies a singular position both historically and within the growing catalog of Pentatone’s multichannel audio recordings. The Dutch label proposes two contrasting takes on Puccini’s tale of the Wild West; a remastered version of the DG classic (with Carol Neblett’s magisterial Minnie) and its most recent {…}

Feb 6, 2021

Ludovic Tézier, Melody Moore, Sasha Cooke & Jakub Józef Orliński Lead New CD/DVD Releases

This week audiences will be able to hear a new recording of one of Puccini’s beloved operas, world premiere recordings, and one of the most acclaimed baritone in the industry. Here is a look at the new releases of the week. La Fanciulla del West PENTATONE releases Puccini’s “La Faniculla del West” conducted by Lawrence Foster. The new recording features {…}

Jan 17, 2021

CD Review: Pentatone’s ‘Il Tabarro’

A cynical depiction of low-class misery and pessimistic determinism in the vein of Zola, “Il Tabarro” may read as a departure from the sympathetic backdrop of Imperial Japan, the mining camps of the western United States, or Bohemian Paris in the 1830s. Yet its musical ingredients leave plenty of room for the elatedness of Puccinian melodies and despite the unusually {…}

Nov 21, 2020

Brian Jagde, Juyeon Song, & Laura Strickling Headline New CD/DVD Releases

This week audiences will experience a wide array of new releases from complete opera recordings to solo albums to rarely performed pieces. Here is a look. Il Tabarro After an acclaimed “Cavalleria rusticana” recording, PENTATONE, Marek Janowski and the Dresdner Philharmonie release Puccini’s “Il Tabarro.” The new recording features Melody Moore as Giorgetta, Brian Jagde as Luigi, and Lester Lynch {…}

Apr 28, 2020

CD Review: Pentatone’s ‘Cavalleria Rusticana’

No doubt the legacy of “Cavalleria Rusticana” is reaching far back into the history of recording; from the 1909 version of the Odeon Orchestra to the milestones of the LP era. Its prominence has not even slowed with the advent of the compact disc or indeed the reprinting of forgotten lore, including the 1938 performance of Lina Bruna Rasa. One {…}

Apr 17, 2020

Nina Stemme, Brian Jagde & Anna Prohaska Lead New CD/DVD Releases

This week as you continue at home, there are a number of new albums that you can check out. Here are the latest releases we recommend you listen to. Cavalleria Rusticana Marek Janowski and the Dresdner Philharmonie present a new recording of Mascagni’s masterpiece. The new recording brings together an acclaimed group of soloists Melody Moore as Santuzza, Brian Jagde {…}

Mar 6, 2020

Melody Moore Headlines ‘Salome’ With Bard College Conservatory Orchestra

(credit: Jiyang Chen) Bard College Conservatory Orchestra is set to perform a semi-staged rendition of Strauss’s famed “Salome” on April 3 and 5, 2020. The work, which was written by Lachmann, will be directed by R. B. Schlather with Leon Botstein conducting the Bard Conservatory Orchestra. Melody Moore will headline the production and will be joined by Jay Hunter Morris {…}

Mar 2, 2020

Melody Moore, Xiaomeng Zhang Headline Opera Naples’ ‘Don Giovanni’ Cast

(credit: Jiyang Chen) Opera Naples has announced its casting for its final production of the 2019-20 season. The company has revealed that Norwegian conductor Rune Bergmann will lead Mozart and Da Ponte’s “Don Giovanni” on April 29 and 30, 2002 at the Artis-Naples Center. In the title role, audiences will hear Xiaomeng Zhang. David Crawford will appear as Leporello with {…}

Jan 31, 2020

Matthew Aucoin, Tamara Wilson, Cecilia Violetta López Headline Top 5 Operas to See This Weekend – North America

(Credit: Claire McAdams / Vanessa Preziose) Most people recognize that there is a major world premiere taking place this weekend. But the reality is that there are two. The weekend is also full of appetizing offerings and this weekend’s selections come down to a mix of classics with star casts as well as a Spanish-language masterpiece that undeniably deserves greater {…}