Oper Leipzig has announced that on August 1, 2022, Tobias Wolff will officially take over as Intendant. Wolff has also made a number of new appointments. Wolff announced that Cornelia Preissinger will take over the position of Opera Director and Deputy Intendant while Christoph Gedschold will become the company’s new Music Director. Finally, Marlene Hahn will take the position of Head {…}
(Credit: Riccardo Chailly’s official website) Maestro Riccardo Chailly’s contract as the Music Director of l’Orchestre du Festival de Lucerne has been extended until the end of 2026. Riccardo Chailly currently serves as the Music Director of the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. In his long and fruitful career, Maestro Chailly served as the first music director of the Orchestra Sinfonica {…}
It’s the last week of 2020. Which means there will be a lot of streaming options focused on end of the year celebrations and the holiday season. But our list also includes a number of unique opera productions and experiences. Without further ado, here is our final Top 10 operas to stream this week. Have a very Happy and Healthy {…}
(Image source: Oper Leipzig TV / YouTube) Oper Leipzig has announced that it will stream a shortened adapted version of Verdi’s operatic masterpiece “Il Trovatore” on Dec. 31, 2020 at 5 p.m. CET. The opera will star Roberta Mantegna as Leonora, Dario Solari as Conte di Luna, Gaston Rivero in the role of Manrico, Marina Prudenskaya as Azucena, Sandra Maxheimer {…}
(Credit: Kirsten Nijhof / Opera Online website / Staatstheater Hannover official website) Oper Leipzig has announced that it will shut down until at least the end of February 2021. The company has joined a growing number of German opera houses and concert halls that have closed until February or March 2021. In the meantime, Oper Köln and Staatstheater Hannover have {…}
(Credits: © David Jerusalem / Emelie Kroon / Jiyang Chen / Dagmar Medina / In Art Management Official Website) The Oper Leipzig has announced the Wagner 22 festival. The festival, which is set to be held from June 20 to July 14, 2022, will showcase all 13 Richard Wagner operas and will feature such artists as Andreas Schager, Stefan Vinke, {…}
(Credit: Emelie Kroon) When COVID-19 struck a few months back, one of the final “live” performances to take the stage was a rendition of Wagner’s “Die Walküre” in Sweden. Among the performers in that production was dramatic soprano Elisabet Strid, who took on the role of Sieglinde. Strid, who has performed in such opera houses as the Teatro Real, Lyric {…}
On March 23, 2020, Andreas Pieske passed away at the age of 91, as confirmed by the Leipzig Opera. From 1960 to 1990, Pieske served as choir director for the Leipzig Opera, where he was credited for making it into one of the best choirs in German-speaking countries. He was also director of the Gewandhaus Choir from 1964 to 1980. {…}
The Oper Leipzig has announced its 2020-21 season featuring four new productions, a Wagner festival, and the Ring Cycle. Here is a look at the productions for the season. Premieres Ulf Schirmer conducts Katharina Wagner’s new production of Wagner’s “Lohengrin.” The cast includes Michael Weinius in the title role, Jennifer Holloway as Elsa, Kathrin Göring as Ortrud and Simon Neal {…}
(Credit: Cristopher Santos) Dead branches bend in the wind as the first notes of Schubert’s “Du bist die Ruh” palpitate softly. Suddenly a gentle soprano materializes as we get a birds eye view of soprano Julia Sophie Wagner, in a vibrant red dress, lying in the dark dirt around her, arms outstretched and moving gently up and down. This is how {…}
Oper Leipzig has announced its 2019-20 season featuring seven new productions and a number of revivals. Find out what the company is presenting throughout its season. New Productions Rolando Villazón directs a new production of “L’Elisir d’Amore” with Bianca Tognocchi in the role of Adina and Piotr Buszewski and Matthias Stier sharing the role of Nemorino. Jonathan Michie and Franz {…}