(Credit: Speranza Scappucci official website) The Musical Director of the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège Speranza Scappucci has received the first edition of the De Sanctis Europa Prize, at the residence of the Italian Ambassador in Brussels. The De Sanctis Prize is an important Italian distinction, conferred by the De Sanctis Foundation in collaboration with the Council of Ministers and the {…}
The Teatro dell’Opera di Roma continues its digital season on March 17, 2021. The concert, which will star the orchestra dell’Opera di Roma, will be presented on Radio 3 and will see Kevin Rhodes make his debut with the Opera di Roma. Rhodes will perform the well-known piece Notre Damme de Paris by Maurice Jarre which was inspired by Victor {…}
The Opera di Roma has announced it will stage opera during the summer season. In an interview with Corriere della Serra, sovrintendente Carlo Fuortes announced that the company would be performing a new production of “Rigoletto” at the Villa Borghese with a maximum of 1,000 spectators. In the interview he said that the production would follow government regulations and also {…}
(Credit: Yasuko Kageyama / Teatro dell’Opera di Roma) What is it about “Tosca” that seems to provoke the most conservative impulses? It’s hard to think of another opera that, in the little more than a century since its premiere, has been so widely and frequently performed, yet in a spirit not of renewal or discovery, but of replication. Even “Parsifal,” {…}
Half way through the second act of Donizetti’s “Anna Bolena,” Giovanna Seymour enters the prison cell of Anna Bolena in an attempt to save her from the execution block by getting her to admit that she is guilty of adultery, precipitating a musical and dramatic confrontation between the two rivals for Enrico’s love. It is a confrontation of epic proportions, {…}
Act two of “Le Nozze di Figaro” opens in a modern living room with sleekly designed furniture, surrounding a polar bear skin rug. On the back wall is a very large picture of an elephant crashing into the room. By Act three the same elephant is now standing inside the room. It has grown substantially. It is now a giant {…}
The central drama in “Billy Budd” unambiguously rotates around the relationships between Seaman Billy Budd, Captain Vere, and the Master-at-Arms, John Claggart. However, the exact nature of the relationships and the psychological motivations upon which they are founded are shrouded in a white mist, opening up the possibility for directors to pursue a variety of valid interpretations. Many recent productions {…}
It’s popular to make year-end lists, and I saw between 30-35 performances during the calendar year. Much of what I saw was terrific and, of course, there were many more outstanding performances that I didn’t see. These are the five that I will remember the most from what I saw; they are not necessarily the best but will remain in {…}
We are in the midst of holiday season and the opera houses in Europe are going as strong as ever. This week, we feature a company opening its season, among many other distinguished performances. Let’s take a look. Der Rosenkavalier – Vienna State Opera On Saturday, opera lovers in Vienna will get a chance to hear the Strauss masterpiece in {…}