Premiering on March 9, 1842 at Milan’s Teatro alla Scala, “Nabucco” is the opera to which Verdi attributes the beginning of his career as a composer. Although he had composed works prior to this, such as “Oberto” and “Un giorno di regno” it wasn’t until “Nabucco” where he would receive the overwhelming success that would follow throughout his career and {…}
The Arena di Verona has announced its 2018 summer festival, which will feature five operas over the course of two months. The festivities kick off on June 22, 2018, with Bizet’s “Carmen.” The opera runs through August 31 for a total of 13 performances. June 23, 2018, marks the first performance of “Aida,” which will run for 16 performances, the {…}
It’s going to be a busy day for opera lovers this Saturday with three major showcases on a television. First up is a performance of “Don Carlo” from La Scala starring Ferruccio Furlanetto, Stuart Neil, Dalibor Jenis, Anatolij Kotscherga, Fiorenza Celodins, and Dolora Zajick on RAI Cinque. The showcase kicks off at 4 p.m. in Europe. The performance was conducted {…}
This review is for the performance on August 4, 2017 and was written in collaboration with Editor-in-Chief David Salazar. “Va pensiero,” the famous chorus from Verdi’s “Nabucco” is often cited as an unofficial national anthem for Italy and proved as such throughout the Risorgimento when the country was battling for its independence from the Austrian Empire. The choral passage, with {…}
Did you miss the Met’s Live in HD broadcasts courtesy of Fathom Events these past few summers? Still want to check out some HD broadcasts from the Metropolitan Opera? Well, you have a chance to do just that, at the Met. More like, right outside the Met, as the company will offer 10 free screenings in Lincoln Center Plaza from {…}
Liudmyla Monastyrska is one of the most in-demand Verdi sopranos of her time. Just look at her repertoire and engagements and you will see that the Ukrainian soprano has run the gamut of the great composer’s repertoire. From the earliest works to “Aida,” Verdi’s final dramatic soprano role, Monastyrska has deep knowledge of Verdi’s artistic development. Among the roles that {…}
Opera Lille has announced its 2017-18 season, which will feature five operas, among a number of other major events. The opera season kicks off on Sept. 30, 2017, with Mozart’s “Così fan tutte,” starring Ruzan Mantashyan, Virginie Verrez, Jaël Azzaretti, Anicio Zorzi Giustiniani, Alessio Arduini, and Nicolas Rivenq. The production, which will be directed by Christophe Honoré, will run for {…}
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 {…}
On May 7, Plácido Domingo returns to great performances on PBS. The tenor-turned-baritone stars in Verdi’s “Nabucco” from the Metropolitan Opera’s recent revival of the composer’s early masterwork. Domingo is joined by an exceptional cast that includes the dramatic soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska as Abigaille and Dmitry Belosselskiy as Zaccaria. Jamie Barton stars as Fenena while Russell Thomas is Ismaele. James {…}
On March 9, 1842, Verdi scored his first major success with his opera “Nabucco.” Two years later, on March 9, 1844, the composer scored another riveting success with the world premiere of his “Ernani.” While the respective journeys of these two works have diverged over the one-hundred plus years since their respective debuts (“Nabucco” is a cornerstone of the repertoire {…}