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 {…}
Earlier this year, mezzo-soprano Wallis Giunta took home the award for Young Singer of the Year at the International Opera Awards. To that point, she has been growing her career steadily as an ensemble member at the Oper Leipzig, among others endeavors. But the victory propelled her into the spotlight and since then, Giunta has made her BBC Proms debut {…}
Oper Leipzig has officially announced a replacement for its “Tannhäuser” production. The company announced via Twitter stating, “It’s official: The internationally renowned Catalan director Calixto Bieto takes over the production of Richard Wagner’s ‘Tannhäuser,’ originally planned with Katharina Wagner.” In December, the company announced that it would not present Wagner’s production due to “logistical challenges.” The company promptly looked for an {…}
Oper Leipzig has announced the cancellation of Katharina Wagner’s production of “Tannhäuser.” In a statement, the company stated, “Due to logistical challenges, it is unfortunately not possible to realize the production of ‘Tannhäuser’ under the direction of Professor Katharina Wagner as initially scheduled. The Oper Leipzig and Professor Wagner deeply regret this, but all involved look forward to a future {…}