Who doesn’t love kicking back as a child and copying your favorites singers while imagining that you are that artist and taking the world by storm? That the spotlights are on you and that you have transitioned from a dreaming child to a worldwide star. That’s Lucas Meachem right now. The baritone, who is currently singing the role of Marcello {…}
On Friday, Feb. 16, 2018, the Met Opera revives Puccini’s “La Bohème” with a star-studded cast. Every single one of the major artists to take on the opera is a veteran in the part at the Met. So here is a look at their Met trajectory in their respective roles to date. Sonya Yoncheva – Mimì The Bulgarian soprano’s second-ever {…}
Leontyne Price. The Met’s diva, even to this day. Over the last year, Price’s presence has grown astronomically by virtue of her association with the new house. She was a prominent part of the 50th-anniversary celebration of the new house in Lincoln Center and appeared in a recent documentary. And it is no surprise. She was and continues to be {…}
This week’s offerings range from the modern to the classical in an assortment of options all around the continent. Six. Twenty. Outrageous – American Opera Projects For three days, the American Opera Projects world premieres the new opera by Daniel Thomas Davis with a cast that includes Ariadne Greif, Jacqueline Horner-Kwiatek, and Andrew Fuchs. The performances will take place at {…}
On Saturday, the Metropolitan Opera will continue its 2017-18 Live in HD series with a performance of Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’Amore.” The opera is set to star Matthew Polenzani, Pretty Yende, Davide Luciano, and Ildebrando d’Arcangelo in Bartlett Sher’s production. The production was largely hailed with OperaWire noting that the singers “made this night another success for the Met as the {…}
On Feb. 10, 2018, audiences around the world will have their pick of watching two different “L’Elisir d’Amore” performances. The Met’s Live in HD program will showcase its own version, but the Vienna State Opera will live stream another performance around the same exact time. The performance will feature Benjamin Bernheim, Andrea Carroll, Mario Cassi, and Paolo Rumetz in the {…}
René Pape, opera’s most iconic bass had an eventful 2017 and is kicking off the New Year in tremendous style. For those who want a recap – the bass sang in 14 productions throughout the year, mostly in Wagner operas and then ended 2017 by releasing a rubber duck in his image, the famed “Papeduck.” And now he’s back for {…}
Editorial Note: Per a recent report from the New York Times, Copley’s remarks were aimed at the chorister and were largely inappropriate. Of course, the dispute rages and there seems to be much debate about who or what was said. Some of our own investigation has yielded similar contradiction. As such, we do note that until the clarity of the {…}
Met Assistant General Manager Robert Rattray has passed away at the age of 67. Per sources, he suffered a stroke on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018. He was appointed to the position in 2014, replacing Sarah Billinghurst. Prior to that appointment, he had already accumulated over 40 years of experience in the world of classical music management. He had been Joint {…}
Back on Jan. 4, I published this piece of criticism on this website. Entitled “Metropolitan Opera 2017-18 Review – Tosca: Yoncheva, Grigolo, Villaume Not Ready for Primetime,” it was clearly no ringing endorsement for the major performers of this hotly anticipated Met Opera production. In fact, it was scathing takedown in some ways of everyone involved, done in the greatest {…}
This weekend, the Metropolitan Opera’s famed Live in HD series returns with Puccini’s “Tosca.” The production by David McVicar stars Sonya Yoncheva, Vittorio Grigolo, and Zeljko Lucic, with Emmanuel Villaume conducting. The production premiered on New Year’s Eve 2017 and has divided critics left and right. Of this cast, OperaWire’s David Salazar wrote, “Yoncheva, Grigolo, Villaume Not Ready for Primetime,” {…}