Vittorio Grigolo is one of the most acclaimed tenors of his generation and has already been hailed as the successor to Luciano Pavarotti, his greatest qualities including his rampant energy and charisma on stage. On Feb. 19 Grigolo celebrates his 40th birthday and as a result OperaWire takes a look at some his most acclaimed roles The Duke in “Rigoletto” Vittorio Grigolo {…}
We acknowledge that OperaWire is late to the “Rusalka” party, but here is our review for the performance on Feb. 17, 2017, the fifth performance of this run. Antonín Dvorák’s “Rusalka” is the epitome of a metaphorical operatic identity crisis. The opera, which is a grim version of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid,” follows the story of a water {…}
Prepare yourself for two high profile premieres this weekend on opposite sides of the country. On Saturday, the Los Angeles Opera lifts the curtain on “Salome” starring Patricia Racette in the role that she dominated at the Metropolitan Opera. Regarding her performance OperaWire wrote, “she dominated the stage in one of her greatest achievements on the Met stage.” Another major {…}
Roberto Aronica will sing the final performance of Bizet’s “Carmen” on Feb. 18. He will replace Marcelo Álvarez, who is ill. Aronica stepped in for the previous Feb 7, 11 and 15 performances after Rafael Davila filled in for two performances including the opening night. Álvarez sang three performances of the run but opted out of finishing it. Aronica made his Met debut as Alfredo in {…}
Kristine Opolais revealed that she will sing more Verdi and Wagner in the future. During Facebook Live with the Metropolitan Opera, the soprano revealed that she plans on singing the role of Elsa in Wagner’s “Lohengrin” and Desdemona in Verdi’s “Otello.” She also added that she will continue to sing Puccini. During the interview Opolais also noted that if she could {…}
Some people actually have an interest in attending the opera but struggle with understanding where to begin. They might be afraid that all of those “clichés” they have heard might come true and disappoint them in the biggest of ways. Many people simply don’t know that there is opera for everyone and that the right experience can be a lasting {…}
Often when we react to a flood of news, like a new opera season, it is easy to dwell on some of the negatives, such as which of your favorites are now showing up or which operas got the boot for yet another season. But the beauty of a new season is ultimately the gems that we will get to {…}
Everytime a new season is announced we put all the attention seeing which superstars are performing what opera and with whom. Nowadays, most of the world’s biggest stars have already showcased their talents on the Met stage, but every year we see someone new and interesting that gets us pumped. Here are the five Met debuts we are looking forward {…}
Every season brings new surprises, some of which may be of the disappointing variety. In disappointment, we mean singers that we love and treasure but are unable to see get the proper representation. Here is a look at the singers that were shockingly left off the roster this year. Diana Damrau: It may not have been the perfect 2016-17 season {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced its 2017-18 season and with it there are two Met premieres and two notable revivals. “Luisa Miller” will have its first run in over a decade. Rossini’s “Semiramide” will also be performed for the first time since 1993 while Msssenet’s “Cendrillon” bows at the house for the first time ever. With some of these operas {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced its 2017-18 season and as promised, it contains a lot of hotly anticipated productions and performances. Here is a quick rundown with OperaWire set to include additional content throughout the day. The New Productions The Metropolitan Opera season will feature five new productions. David McVicar’s new production of Bellini’s “Norma” will open the season on {…}