As February, gets underway, more and more opera companies are opening their doors. This week’s offerings feature numerous modern works, but also have their fair share of classic repertoire. Here is the list (in alphabetical order by company). Dead Man Walking – Atlanta Opera Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally’s famed opera will get a major showcase in Atlanta in a {…}
Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” returned to the Metropolitan Opera on Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019 in Michael Grandage’s anonymous production. It’s a staging that unfortunately offers little to Mozart’s opera (unless you just want to see some fire at one point) and likely one that no one would miss if this opera were simply set on a black stage or given in {…}
Bass-baritone Justino Diaz is one of the most famous Puerto Rican opera stars of all time. Born in San Juan, he started to participate in his elementary school’s vocal activities at the age of eight. He would go on to University of Puerto Rico High School where he would continue his development as a singer; this continued at the University. {…}
The Metropolitan Opera completed its run of “Adriana Lecouvreur” on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. This opera had already been experienced and reviewed by OperaWire earlier in the run, but the high quality of this showcase was so great, that it felt worthwhile to check it out again, albeit with a major casting switch. Stronger Than Ever Those who had appeared {…}
Nico Muhly and Nicholas Wright’s “Marnie” will get a broadcast as part of PBS’s Great Performance series this Friday, Feb. 1, 2019. The broadcast, the second to showcase a performance from the 2018-19 season, will kick off at 9 p.m. EDT and Isabel Leonard as the complex heroine who constantly shifts her identity in order to run from a painful {…}
The Met Opera will continue its Live in HD series this Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019, with a performance of Bizet’s ever-popular masterpiece “Carmen.” The broadcast, which kicks off 12:55 p.m. Eastern time, will showcase Clémentine Margaine in her first Live in HD performance for the company. The mezzo is the reigning Carmen interpreter of today, taking on over 15 productions {…}
This review was written by David & Francisco Salazar for the performance on Jan. 24, 2019. With the double bill of “Iolanta” and “Bluebeard’s Castle,” director Mariusz Trelinski sought to explore how the search for vision could lead to growth but inversely lead to darker truths and self-destruction. When his production returned to the Met Opera on Thursday, Jan. 24, {…}
Matthew Poelnzani has canceled the opening night performance of Tchaikovsky’s “Iolanta.” The tenor announced via social media that he was ill and therefore would have to cancel. “I am sorry to let you know that I have to cancel tonight’s performance of Iolanta at the Met due to illness,” he said. “I wish all of my colleagues a beautiful opening and {…}
On Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019, the Metropolitan Opera will revive its double bill of “Iolanta” and “Bluebeard’s Castle.” The former work will receive its eighth performance at the Met on Thursday in just its first revival with the company. However, the history of “Bluebeard’s Castle” and its 31 performances with the company is intriguing. The work itself is rather brief {…}
Tchaikovsky’s “Iolanta” and Bartók’s “Bluebeard’s Castle” will return to the Metropolitan Opera as a double after a successful run a few seasons ago. On first look, it seems like a strange combination with the composers’ styles rather different overall. It takes a truly strong maestro to move from Tchaikovsky’s lush lyrical qualities to Bartók’s challenging harmonic structures. Hungarian maestro Henrik {…}
The Metropolitan Opera announced that it will offer free tickets for each of its productions to federal government employees affected by the ongoing government shutdown. The offer will be available for all performances from Jan. 19 through Jan. 31, 2019. The performances will exclude the Jan. 26 of “Carmen,” which is set to be broadcast live around the world in {…}
