(Credit: ©Barbara Anmüller) “Comedy today, tragedy tomorrow.” American soprano Sydney Mancasola uttered these words before going to the stage at the Adelaide Festival on March 13 2020, in the role of Bess in opera “Breaking the Waves.” The opera had a second performance on March 15, and at that time the coronavirus pandemic already begun its deadly march across Europe {…}
(Credit: © Marco Borrelli) American tenor Michael Spyres has been honored with the prestigious Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres designation by the government of France. Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres is one of the main distinctions among the four ministerial orders of the French Republic, which rewards three times a year people who have distinguished themselves by their {…}
(Credit: © Gregor Hohenberg) The Staatsoper Hamburg has announced an upcoming concert by tenor Roberto Alagna. The concert, entitled “THE ART OF Roberto Alagna,” will feature music by a wide variety of composers ranging from Händel to Wagner. Alagna will be joined onstage by pianist Morgane Fauchois-Prado. Alagna is broadly regarded as one of the greatest living tenors. His huge {…}
(Credit: Gerald Finley official website) Famed Canadian bass-baritone Gerald Finley has joined the roster of the MWA Management. “I am absolutely thrilled to welcome one of my favorite artists to the MWA family. I have always been a huge fan of Gerald Finley’s astonishing artistry and commitment to the art form. It is hard to imagine a more complete artist {…}
The Opéra National de Paris has announced a farewell concert in honor of music director Philippe Jordan on July 2, 2021. Jordan will conduct the Orchestre et Choeurs de l’Opéra National de Paris in Liszt’s “Faust” Symphony as well as three songs featuring tenor Andreas Schager. The tenor will then join Peter Mattei, René Pape, and Ève-Maud Hubeaux in a {…}
(Credit: Vincent Pontet/Opera de Paris) This review is from the opening night on the 4th of June 2021 For months the Opéra de Paris was doing it all it could to reopen. But the pandemic would not allow it. The result was that many productions were forced on digital platforms, including its recent “Faust” showcase. But alas, after 15 months {…}
The Opéra National de Paris will be honoring the memory of director Nicolas Joel with an online broadcast of Bruno Mantovani’s “Akmatova.” Audiences will be able to check out the performance between June 19-26 on the Opéra de Paris’ official website. The work, which Joel directed back in 2011, starred Janina Baechle, Atilla Kiss-B, Lionel Peintre, Varduhi Abrahamyan, Valérie Condoluci, {…}
The Opéra National de Paris has announced that it will be presenting Mozart’s “La Clemenza di Tito” at the Palais Garnier, starting on June 30, 2021. The production will star Stanislas de Barbeyrac in the title role alongside Amanda Majeski, Anna El-Khashem, Christian Van Horn, Michèle Losier, and Jeanne Ireland. Mark Wigglesworth will conduct the Orchestre de l’Opéra National de {…}
The Opéra de Paris has announced that it will present a special “Gala Lyrique” on June 16, 2021 at the Palais Garnier. The showcase will feature Maria Agresta, Michael Fabiano, Ludovic Tézier, Luca Pisaroni, and the Orchestre de l’Opéra National de Paris, all under the musical direction of Mark Wigglesworth in his company debut. The concert will open with the {…}
(Photo Credit: © Charles-Alexandre Creton) The Academy of the Opéra National de Paris has announced that it will present a production of Britten’s “The Rape of Lucretia” between May 19-29. The showcase will feature l’Ensemble Multilatérale et de l’Orchestre-Atelier Ostinato and will be directed by Léo Warynski with production design by Jeanne Candel in her first collaboration with the Opéra {…}
The Opéra National de Paris has announced further changes to its schedule for the month of May, June, and July. In an email message, General Director Alexander Neef announced that productions of “Tosca,” and “The Queen of Spades” will be canceled. “Tosca” was set to run between May 6-28 while the Tchaikovsky masterwork was set for the stage between May {…}