© Glyndebourne Productions Ltd. Photo: Richard Hubert Smith Trigger warning: Mozart aficionados, look away now. One might think Wolfgang Amadeus to be somewhat overrated, and the fact that he was hugely prolific, widely acknowledged to be a prodigy and is almost globally asserted to have been a genius, does little by way of endearing his music to my ear. I {…}
The Cleveland Orchestra has announced its second annual Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Opera & Humanities Festival. “Building on last season’s successful launch of the Mandel Opera & Humanities Festival, the 2024 edition will continue to bring together our community and several of Cleveland’s great cultural institutions for exploration, discussion, and reflection around the theme of ‘Power,’” said André Gremillet, {…}
The Mozartists are set to present “1773 – An Opera Kaleidoscope” on Nov. 2, 2023 at Cadogan Hall. The event, which is part of the MOZART 250 series, will feature Mozart’s 26th symphony alongside music by Paisello, Berezovsky, Mysliveček, Haydn, and Schweitzer. Per the official website, the 26th Symphony’s original intention is questioned by many musicologists who wonder whether it {…}
Opera Zuid will tour “Der Schauspieldirektor” to kick off its 2023-24 season. The Mozart work will open on Nov. 12, 2023 and is set to run through Dec. 3. It will star Sir Thomas Allen in the lead role. He will perform alongside Saskia Bonarius, Krisitna Bitenc, Chelsea Bonagura, Marc Pantus, Mitch Raemakers, Neele Jacobsen, Pascal Franssen, and Berend Stumphius. {…}
Boston’s Opera del West is set to present “La Clemenza di Tito” on Sept. 29 – Oct. 1, 2023. The Mozart opera will be showcased in an updated production that features additional dialogue in English; the opera will still be performed in the original Italian. Lucas Hickman takes on the title role and is joined by a cast that includes {…}
On August 30, 2023, soprano Alison Saporta took to OPERA America’s Scorca Hall stage in New York City, showcasing her artistry as a recitalist. Beside her, collaborative accompanist Felix Jarrar impressed on the piano, exhibiting his talents as a composer with a new song cycle and an intriguing toccata and fugue inspired by a theme from Mozart’s Requiem. Saporta, a {…}
The ominous D minor chord that ushers in the overture of “Don Giovanni” speaks volumes. It is ominous, even supernatural, foreshadowing that this is not one of Mozart’s more lighthearted sex comedies. Though Da Ponte infuses the opera with plenty of humor, there is no escaping the darkness that kicks off the drama giocoso. Interestingly, Mozart also set his Requiem {…}
Make Music New York is set to present a unique version of Mozart’s “Requiem” on June 21, 2023. The showcase is an open performance in which anyone is invited to join and participate. Leading the charge will be conductor Douglas Anderson and mezzo-soprano Melissa Gerstein. The project is several years in the making with Anderson explaining to OperaWire that the {…}
On June 9, 2023, The North End Music & Performing Arts Center Opera Project (NEMPAC), in collaboration with Boston Festival Orchestra, will present “Le nozze di Figaro.” Held at the Dante Alighieri Society of Massachusetts in Cambridge, the production will take the work to a 1950s American setting. This marks the second collaboration between NEMPAC and BFO, following their sold-out {…}
(Credit: Karen Almond) The Metropolitan Opera is set to present a Live in HD transmission of “Die Zauberflöte” on June 3, 2023. The opera stars Erin Morley, Lawrence Brownlee, Stephen Milling, Kathryn Lewek, and Thomas Oliemans. Nathalie Stutzmann conducts and Ben Bliss hosts the performance, which kicks off at 12:55 p.m. local time. Of the opening night performance, OperaWire said, {…}
(Credit: Karen Almond) It’s fair to say that the 2022-23 season at the Metropolitan Opera can be dubbed “The Mozart Season.” “Idomeneo” took the stage on the second night of the season with a tremendous cast reviving Jean-Pierre Ponelle’s classic production. During the holiday season, the Met turned to its workhorse Julie Taymour production of “The Magic Flute.” And to {…}