After reports that James Levine allegedly molested a teenager over the course of a number of years the Metropolitan Opera has released the following statement on social media, “We are deeply disturbed by the news articles that are being published online today about James Levine. We are working on an investigation with outside resources to determine whether charges of sexual {…}
It’s December and that means that most companies are gearing up for the holiday season with the shows they put on. This week alone is proof of that with a number of major companies turning to the holiday spirit to inspire their new productions. There is even one opera making a world premiere with the theme in mind. Shockingly, there {…}
The nominations for the 2018 Grammy Awards have been announced as of Nov. 28th, 2017. This year’s list of nominees are notable for the inclusion of two works by Austrian composer Alban Berg, as well as the strong presence in the lists from the Metropolitan Opera Chorus and Orchestra. Also included in the nominees is Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky, whose {…}
A performance of Verdi’s Requiem is a rather rare event at the Metropolitan Opera. That a run of the famed mass is currently underway with the company comes down to the fact that a proposed production for another opera was canceled. But the timing could not have been better. With the unfortunate passing of baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky, the Met was {…}
With the holidays coming to the fore, the opera schedule is slowly and surely growing thinner and thinner. Companies are starting to take their breaks to recoup for 2018, meaning that offerings are slimmer for operagoers. But there are performances to be thankful for as a number of companies, big and small, are putting on a show. Here are the {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced the release of its 50th Anniversary gala on CD. The company announced that it will be a 3-CD set featuring the artists that performed on May 7, 2017, when the Met celebrated its golden anniversary in Lincoln Center. Among the artists that performed multiple arias and were among the most memorable of the evening included Renée {…}
On Friday, Nov. 24, the Metropolitan Opera will present Verdi’s famed Requiem with a star cast that includes Aleksandrs Antonenko, Ekaterina Semenchuk, Krassimira Stoyanova, and Ferruccio Furlanetto, all under the baton of Music director emeritus James Levine. Hearing the mass at the Metropolitan Opera is not a particularly common event and the work itself has not featured prominently in the {…}
The beauty of Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” could render any critique almost unseemly. After all, to hear that seamless music, the moments that turn transcendent — and then to cavil? I’d suggest that even a modest performance, say, even in the dense rainforest (echoing, of course, Werner Herzog’s “Ftizcarraldo”) would still, inevitably, move one. The score simply flows, with audience and performers {…}
Thomas Adès’ “The Exterminating Angel” will get its long-awaited Live in HD performance this Saturday, Nov. 18. This is the third HD transmission of the season and perhaps it is the most intriguing. The opera, making its North American premiere run will be screened to hundreds of countries where the opera has never appeared before. In essence, millions of viewers {…}
It’s a busy weekend in North America with close to 70 performances taking place all over the continent. With so much activity from such major companies, pinning down just a handful to recommend to the operagoer was a rather challenging task. But here is a look at five performances to see this weekend around the States and Canada. As One {…}
American tenor Louis Roney has passed away as of Nov. 5, 2017. After serving five years as a commended gunnery officer for the U.S. Navy in World War II, Roney went on to make his debut at age 27 as Cavaradossi in “Tosca” with the New York Philharmonic. Roney was also among the very first Americans to sing in Italy’s {…}