Fans will get a chance to meet mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton at the Metropolitan Opera Store on Feb 23 at 3 p.m. Barton will sign copies of her new album “All Who Wander,” which includes music from Sibelius, Dvorak and Mahler. Upon release OperaWire said, “Barton’s voice is delicate throughout, a sound that the audiences are not accustomed to hearing in the opera house where {…}
It isn’t a particularly busy week in terms of releases, but there are some gems that people will undeniably want to check out. Here is a look at the French and German offerings you can find available for home release. Damrau in Bizet One of the major highlights of the Met Opera’s 2015-16 season was Bizet’s “Les Pêcheurs de Perles.” {…}
During this weekend’s broadcast of “I Puritani,” Metropolitan Opera General Manager Peter Gelb was given the floor to talk about the company’s upcoming 2017-18 season, which was announced this past Wednesday. But instead of launching into his offerings, Gelb moved in a different direction, turning his attention toward the social-political challenges facing arts institutions. “I think it’s really important that {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has cancelled plans to stage Damiano Micheletto’s version of Saint-Saens’ “Samson et Dalila.” According to the AP, Gelb said, “Michieletto is a very talented director, however, this production of ‘Samson’ just didn’t click with the Parisian public.” As a matter of fact the production was booed when opened last year at the Opera de Paris. Michieletto restructured {…}
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 {…}
