The Metropolitan Opera and New York Film Festival are teaming up to showcase a new documentary about the company’s history at the middle of the 20th century. Directed by Susan Froemke, “The Opera House,” per a press release, “surveys a remarkable period of the company’s rich history and a time of great change for New York.” It draws on rarely {…}
Ruth Ann Swenson was an American darling during the 80s and 90s and the early 2000s. Her coloratura soprano was renown for its bright color, flexibility, and gleaming high notes. And she was also known for numerous roles from the standard repertoire and other rarer gems she explored throughout her career. To celebrate her birth on August 25, 1959, Operawire takes {…}
It’s that time of the year when companies begin to rehearse for opening night and as a result, rather than put the focus on individual singers, this week we will see what companies are sharing about their preparations. Opera Philadelphia Opera Philadephia’s festival opens in two weeks and rehearsals have clearly begun. This week the company posted a picture of {…}
Anna Netrebko has confirmed the Metropolitan Opera’s 2020-21 production of “Aida.” According to Platea Magazine, Netrebko will open a new production that will be conducted by Yannick Nezet-Seguin. The soprano also confirmed it on Instagram. But there will be a twist. According to the Spanish Magazine, Netrebko will sing a new production. She is also scheduled to take on Sonja Frisell’s {…}
Fabio Armiliato is one of the most respected Italian tenors of his generation. Together with his late wife Daniela Dessi, he performed all over the world in many of the most popular works. He also made a career out of championing less known operas. While he is currently in demand in Europe, his U.S. engagements continue to be limited with {…}
Kathleen Battle is one of the greatest opera stars of all time. Everyone knows that her career was one of many ups and downs, the latter ultimately cost her years of her prime, but while she was at the summit of the opera world, there were few anywhere near her. Battle, born August 13, 1948, had simply too many milestones {…}
Following its opening at Austria’s Salzburg Festival, William Kentridge’s production of Wozzeck will be coming to the Metropolitan Opera in 2019. And by the looks of it, Met audiences are primed for a major treat. Shirley Apthorp of Financial Times describes the artistic direction of Kentridge’s Wozzeck as “grim sketches and animations, a return to his earlier medium of charcoal {…}
Soprano Barbara Cook has passed away at the age of 89. Cook, best known for work on Broadway, won a Tony for “The Music Man” in 1957 and received a Kennedy Center Honor in 2011. And while she dominated the musical scene, she did make some interesting appearances on the opera stage, most prominently at the Metropolitan Opera, where she {…}
Jonas Kaufmann has announced plans to return to the Metropolitan Opera. During a press conference in Sydney the tenor addressed his cancellation for the upcoming production of “Tosca” and said, “I can assure you that I offered them part of the shows, I wanted to sing there and I didn’t want to disappoint my fans in New York.” He added, {…}
Philippe Jordan is going to conduct the Met’s revival of Wagner’s “Der Ring des Nibelungen” in 2019, the New York Times has revealed. Met General Manager Peter Gelb recently confirmed that the Robert Lepage production would return for its third revival in a playbill statement from the 2016-17 season. He promised that the machine, which debuted during the 2010-11 season, {…}
Anna Netrebko graces the small screen on August 13, 2017, as PBS showcases Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin” on Great Performances. The soprano received rave reviews when the production was revived in the spring. OperaWire noted, “Netrebko’s interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s operatic masterwork was an in-your-face reminder that she is singular among modern opera’s elite superstars.” The diva is joined by Peter Mattei in {…}