(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 {…}
The Houston Grand Opera has announced a cast change for its upcoming production of Verdi’s “Aida.” The company announced that mezzo-soprano Michaela Martens, scheduled to sing the role of Amneris in Verdi’s Aida, has withdrawn from the production due to personal reasons. As a result, renowned soprano Melody Moore and Catherine Martin will takeover the run. Moore will make her {…}
The Seattle Opera has announces its 2020-21 season featuring an all-star lineup and some ambitious productions. Here is a look: The season opens with the double bill of “Cavalleria Rusticana” and “Pagliacci” with Gregory Kunde headlining both productions in a rare U.S. appearance. He will share the run with Arsen Soghomonyan. Melody Moore and Marcy Stonikas will share the role {…}
(Credit: Arielle Doneson / Nicolas Phan Facebook / Jiyang Chen) Tenor Nicholas Phan has co-curated “Emerging Voices” with the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. The event kicks off on Jan. 13, 2020 and runs through the 24. The event features a total of six concerts as well as a number of world premieres by such composers as Nicolas Bacri, Iva Bittová, {…}
Three new releases will be seen this week featuring some rarely performed works. La Donna Serpente Piero Pretti, Carmela Remigio, Erika Grimaldi, Francesca Sassu, Anna Maria Chiuri, and Roberto de Candia star in a Alfredo Casella’s opera conducted by Gianandrea Noseda. Naxos releases the production from the Teatro Regio di Torino. Eduardo e Cristina Naxos releases the rarely performed Rossini {…}
The Minnesota Opera has announced its 2019-20 season with five main stage productions and a number of rising stars. Here is a look at what audiences can expect. Melody Moore and Alexandra Loutsion headline a production of Strauss’ “Elektra” with Brian Straufenbiel directing. Jill Grove and Mary Stonikas round out the cast with Elias Grady conducting. Performance Dates: Oct. 5-13, {…}
The Houston Symphony has announced its 2019-20 season with a number of great artists and conductors featured in a variety of repertoire. For this season announcement, we will focus on the vocal performances and operatic repertoire. Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Andrés Orozco-Estrada team up for a concert, which will include a suite from “Porgy and Bess” by Gershwin, as well as the {…}
There are cases for quite serious readings of Engelbert Humperdinck’s 1893 opera “Hansel and Gretel,” which Los Angeles Opera has just opened at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in a revival of Doug Fitch’s 2006 production. In his program booklet essay “Hansel and Gretel” (“Fact and Fiction”) Basil De Pinto pointed out the opera’s very real concerns with hunger and poverty {…}
It’s a weekend of Bel Canto, Wagner, Mozart, and Puccini with many of the greatest stars in the world. There are some rarities and some signature pieces that are must see. Tosca – Teatro Municipal de Chile, Chile Melody Moore and Lilit Soghomonyan share the title role in Puccini’s masterpiece with Leonardo Caimi and Artem Golubev alternating Cavaradossi. Elchin Azizov and Alexander Krasnov {…}