WQXR and the Metropolitan Opera have announced “Aria Code,” a new 10-episode podcast series that explores the opera world’s most legendary arias. The podcast is set to debut on Dec. 4, 2018, to coincide with the new production premiere of Verdi’s “La Traviata.” That episode will be dedicated to the famed Italian opera and will discuss the famed “E strano… {…}
The Metropolitan Opera will hold a special ceremony honoring Plácido Domingo during the Friday, Nov. 23 performance of “Il Trittico.” Domingo is celebrating his 50th Anniversary season with the company and he will be presented with a special honor at some juncture during the performance. The legendary artist is set to perform in the title role of the final opera {…}
Puccini’s “Il Trittico” returns to the Met Opera on Nov. 23, 2018, for seven performances. Despite being one of Puccini’s finest works, it has only been presented with the company on 74 occasions; by the end of this run, it will have 81 performances total. As is always the case with these operas, there are a ton of singers involved {…}
On Wednesday, November 14, 2018, the Metropolitan Opera opened this season’s production of Georges Bizet’s “Le Pecheurs de Perles.” This was the third time that the Bizet opera was revived at the Met after the successful showcase a few seasons ago starring Diana Damrau, Matthew Polenzani, and Mariusz Kwiecien. And was the case during that run, this year’s take on {…}
Lawrence Tibbett was one of the shining stars of the Metropolitan Opera in the pre-World War II era. The baritone, born on Nov. 16, 1896, would sing over 600 performances with the company between his debut on Nov. 24, 1923 and his final performance on March 24, 1950. Interestingly, he began his Met career as a bit role in “Boris {…}
As we get ready for Thanksgiving, we can look around and be thankful for all the opera options in North America. Here’s a look at what you can check out before you start to think about your Thanksgiving feast. Poppea – Bare Opera It might be a reduced version of Monteverdi’s masterpiece, but it remains a vital piece of work {…}
For just the third time in Metropolitan Opera history, Bizet’s “Les Pêcheurs de Perles” will receive a revival. The opera had its Met premiere on Jan. 11, 1896, but only two of its acts were performed. The first full performance of the opera would have to wait 20 years when it appeared on opening night, Nov. 13, 1916. The cast {…}
Per the Met’s press office DiGiacomo has always been scheduled to perform the Dec. 28 performance. Sonya Yoncheva will no longer perform the Dec. 28 performance of Verdi’s “Otello” at the Metropolitan Opera. The soprano’s team announced via Twitter that she would no longer appear in the performance. The soprano is slated to be at the Opéra de Paris for New {…}
It was 2014 at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Clémentine Margaine, a graduate of the Paris Conservatory and winner of the Special Jury Prize at the Concours International de Marmande, was an ensemble member of the company who had just been handpicked by the casting director of the company to sing the title role of “Carmen.” “I was very lucky that {…}
Arrigo Boito’s “Mefistofele” is a work of glorious moments that has yet to find a stable place in the standard repertoire. Despite being derived from Goethe’s famed “Faust,” great arias for the major leads, and an amazing part for any opera house’s chorus, it has never been as popular as other adaptations of the same source material(ie: Gounod’s “Faust”). In {…}
On Thursday, Nov. 8, Boito’s “Mefistofele” makes its return to the Metropolitan Opera after an 18-year hiatus. Of the opera’s 67 performances, all but 13 came before 1927, which makes a statement on the opera’s popularity with the company. It has never quite turned into a major staple of the repertoire at large, though it has been growing in popularity {…}