The Metropolitan Opera has announced cast change for its upcoming performances of “Aida.” The company said, “for all remaining fall performances of Verdi’s ‘Aida,’ the title role will be sung by Michelle Bradley, replacing Latonia Moore, who has withdrawn due to illness.” The news comes after Moore sang the first performance of the run. Bradley was already scheduled to perform {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced a cast change for its production of “The Magic Flute.” The company noted that for performances between Dec. 29 and Jan. 5, the role of Monostatos will be sung by David Cangelosi, replacing Rodell Rosel. Cangelosi made his Met debut in 2004 as Mime in “Das Rheingold” and has since performed in productions of “Andrea Chenier,” {…}
The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra has announced a rally “We are the Met!” The rally, scheduled for May 13, will be held at noon in front of Lincoln Center. In a statement on social media, the orchestra said, “The pandemic has shown the need for our community to leverage our collective power as a union to make sure ALL fellow musicians {…}
(Credit: Deutsche Oper Berlin official website) Deutsche Oper Berlin has announced that it will stream the 2018 production of Korngold’s operatic masterwork “Das Wunder der Heliane” between Feb. 18 and Feb. 21, 2021, on its official website. The opera, which was recorded on the DVD on the NAXOS label, stars Brian Jagde, Josef Wagner, Okka von Damerau, Derek Welton, Gideon {…}
(Credit: Presto Music website) Bulgarian soprano superstar Sonya Yoncheva will release her new album “Rebirth” on March 12, 2021. The album, which will be released by Sony Classical, will spotlight works by Claudio Monteverdi, Francesco Cavalli, Barbara Strozzi, John Dowland, Tomás de Torrejón y Velasco Sánchez, and Alessandro Stradella, among others. The album will also include the popular Bulgarian folk {…}
(Credit: © Pia Clodi) American tenor Charles Castronovo has been hospitalized after contracting COVID-19. Castronovo’s wife, soprano Ekaterina Siurina posted on social media that Castronovo has been sick for over two and a half weeks. “Charlie has been in the hospital in Vienna with coronavirus for a week now, but he’s getting better, we can’t put into words our experiences, {…}
(Credit: James Hole) Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen will release a new album on March 26, 2021. The album, which will be released by Decca Classics, will spotlight works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Richard Wagner, Luigi Cherubini, Pietro Mascagni, and Giuseppe Verdi, including the arias “Pace Pace” from “La Forza del destino,” “Ave Maria, piena di grazia” from “Otello,” “Dei tuoi {…}
(Credits: Ilia Korotkov / Bayerische Staatsoper official website) The Mariinsky Theatre will live stream a performance of Prokofiev’s opera “The Fiery Angel” on MEZZO TV on Jan. 31 at 5:30 p.m. CET. The opera will star Elena Stikhina, Evgeny Nikitin, Anna Kiknadze, Evgeny Akimov, and Mikhail Petrenko. Valery Gergiev will conduct the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra in the production by David {…}
The International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians! has released a statement regarding the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and the company’s hiring of non-Met musicians. In a statement, ICSOM noted, “There is no question that the Metropolitan Opera, in its nearly 140 years of existence, has set the world standard for operatic excellence and innovation. What CEO Peter Gelb is attempting—using {…}
(Credit: Kevin Yatarola) Celebrated conductor Sir Simon Rattle has been appointed the new Chief Conductor of the Chor and Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks. Rattle will begin his five-year tenure in 2023. The famed conductor served as the Chief Conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker until 2018, and currently holds the position of Music Director of the London Symphony Orchestra. “Bayerischer Rundfunk {…}
(Credit: Gregor Hohenberg/Sony Music) France has announced the traditional New Year’s list of honors. La Grande Chancellerie de la Légion d’honneur has published the full list of recipients. Among those awarded is the celebrated tenor Roberto Alagna, thus becoming the Officer of Légion d’honneur . The famed tenor recently debuted the title role of Wagner’s “Lohengrin” at the Staatsoper Berlin. {…}