In our selections for this weekend’s top picks, we examine a few classic masterpieces with some solid casting as well as some new operas that are gaining some traction across the continent. Here is a look at our selections, in alphabetical order by company. La Bohème – Dallas Opera On Saturday evening, audiences will get a chance to check out {…}
The Opéra de Montréal has announced its 2019-20 season featuring five staged operas and an opera in concert version. The season will open with Tchaïkovsky’s “Eugene Onegin” with real-life couple Etienne Dupuis and Nicole Car as Onegin and Tatiana. They will be accompanied by tenor Owen McCausland, mezzo Carolyn Sproule, bass Denis Sedov, mezzo Christiane Bélanger, with a guest appearance {…}
If you checked out last week’s edition, you may have noticed a stark preference for 20th century works. Things continue this week with a number of 21st century operas making the list; the only standard repertory piece in this week’s edition is a controversial one. Here is the list (in alphabetical order by company). Silent Night – Austin Opera The {…}
The Opéra de Montréal has announced that it will be presenting a new opera “La Reine-Garcon” in 2023 in co-production with the Canadian Opera Company. The work will be by composer Julien Bilodeau and librettist Michel Marc Bouchard and will be based on Boucard’s “Christine, La Reine-Garcon, which was presented in Montréal in 2012 and has appeared around the work. {…}
November means a lot of opera. And a lot of opera means almost endless choices. So in picking this week’s major selections, we recommended a mix of new and old works across the States and Canada. Otello – Austin Opera Verdi’s great masterpiece gets a concert production at the Austin Opera with Marina Costa-Jackson headlining the cast as Desdemona. She {…}
This November, the Opéra de Montréal will present Wagner’s “Das Rheingold” for the first time in 20 years. The first chapter in Wagner’s tetralogy will be led by Michael Christie, who was part of the original team who created this visually and aurally stunning production of “Das Rheingold,” along with director Brian Staufenbiel, at the Minnesota Opera in 2016. “In {…}
The opera season is starting to get back into business in North America, making for a lot of interesting productions set to take the stage. This week’s installment features works by Verdi, Puccini, Mozart, and Floyd. Here we go (ranked in alphabetical order). “La Bohème” – Indianapolis Opera Puccini’s beloved masterwork kickstarts the Indianapolis opera’s 2018-19 season with three performances {…}
The Opéra de Montréal has announced an additional performance of Bizet’s “Carmen” on May 13, 2019. The company announced in a press release that the new production conceived and directed by renowned Quebec filmmaker Charles Binamé has received a great draw. The work returns to the company after 14 years and as a result, an extra performance was necessary. The {…}
Opera America has announced the recipients of the second cycle of Innovation Grants. The grants, which are “generously funded by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation,” were launched in 2016 in support companies that have shown tremendous innovation in diverse areas of the art form. The grants total $1.5 million. This year, 20 companies were awarded the prestigious grants. They {…}
Easter weekend in the US is a time when opera houses remain relatively quiet. So you’ll notice that one house gets major prominence in this weekend’s recommendations. Così fan tutte – Metropolitan Opera We recommended this showcase a few weeks ago and will recommend it once again. “ At its core, the opera is one big joke that all the characters {…}
The Opéra de Montréal will present the Montréal premiere of “Svadba (Wedding).” After the success of the work in Toronto in 2012, which earned the Dora Mavor Moore Award and led to a Canadian and European tour, “Svadba,” an a cappella chamber opera, will be presented in Montreal, the adopted home of its creator, Ana Sokolović. The new production will {…}