Famed English conductor Jeffrey Tate passed away on Friday, June 2, 2017, leaving a massive void in the musical world. The renowned conductor, born on April 28, 1943, performed at many of the major theaters of the world and dedicated much of his career to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. His Metropolitan Opera debut came in 1980, when he led {…}
Elena Souliotis and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau were both born on May 28. The former came into the world in 1943 while the latter came 18 years earlier in 1925. Both singers had tremendous careers, the German baritone among the greatest lieder interpreters of all time. Meanwhile, the soprano was one of the leading interpreters of the Italian repertoire. Ultimately they are {…}
Let me preface this by saying that I love the Metropolitan Opera. It is my home opera house and OperaWire.com does not exist if not for the hundreds of nights spent at that house over the past decade. But it was truly disheartening this week to read that the company is still struggling to fill the theater. The New York {…}
After looking at the top female and male singers as well as the finest maestros of the 2016-17 season, we now turn the spotlight on the 10 best-assembled casts of the season. This was a truly difficult piece to put together as this Met season had great casts for almost every single opera. But the casts listed below were simply {…}
Maybe you missed some operas? Or you just loved it so much you need a second dose. The popular Metropolitan Opera Live in HD encores are scheduled for four viewings in June and July. These popular silver screen opera transmissions have grown since 2006 to become the leader in alternative movie theater programming. June will be encoring “Les Pêchuers de {…}
We’ve talked up the finest female performers. We’ve engaged in a discussion about the best men onstage. Now we shift over to the best conductors of the year, the artists that make the entire production work. In this edition, we only picked five, given that, unlike the other categories, there are far fewer to choose from. Here are our favorite {…}
Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” is set for a major Met Opera return during the 2019-20 season. According to an article by the New York Times, the new production will be directed by Bartlett Sher and feature Eric Owens. Owens performed a duet from the opera at the recent Metropolitan Opera 50th anniversary gala celebration and program notes indicated that he {…}
Take a look at the global box office for a moment. At number 10, below such films as “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “The Fate of the Furious,” “The Circle” and “Beauty and the Beast,” all featuring some of Hollywood’s most notable actors, is “Der Rosenkavalier.” That is the worldwide box office. Take that in for a second. The Met’s Live {…}
It is yet another busy opera weekend across North America, with the Metropolitan Opera’s 2016-17 season, the longest running in the country, coming to a close. Here is a rundown of the companies and works they will be presenting on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. As with last weekend’s edition, we will list the companies and corresponding productions. For more information {…}
The Metropolitan Opera 50th anniversary Gala promised to be a night filled with glamour and star power that reunited some of opera’s greatest singers on the same stage. It was a night that included some of the most popular pieces in the repertoire as well as some lesser known music that highlighted the Met’s growing and diverse repertoire. On many {…}
As Music director Designate Yannick Nézet-Séguin kicked off the first notes of Bernstein’s Overture to “West Side Story,” audiences got to view a video showcasing the artistic design and progression toward the creation of the new Metropolitan Opera house. The graphic design and special effects hinted at a nostalgic evening filled with a look back, some looks forward, all while {…}