Gounod’s “Faust” is the quintessential French grand opera. It premiered in Paris at the Théâtre Lyrique in 1859, with spoken dialogues and less musical numbers. The opera was an immense success, and up until 1869 it was represented 314 performances. Subsequent changes included recitatives instead of spoken dialogue, an aria for Valentin, and the ballet during the “Walpurgis Night” scene {…}
(Credit: Opéra National de Paris official website) The Opéra National de Paris has announced the cancellation of all performances in April 2021 and up to May 2 due to the lockdown of Paris. The decision will affect all performances of Gounod’s opera “Faust,” as well as ballet “Notre-Dame de Paris” at the Opéra Bastille. The ballet “Le Parc” at the {…}
(Credit: Opéra National de Paris) The French government has announced that it will implement a strict lockdown of Paris and 15 other departments, due to the exponential spread of new variants of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. The lockdown will last for four weeks starting Friday, March 19 midnight. Aisne, Nord, Oise, Pas-de-Calais, Somme, Paris, Essonne, Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, Seine-et-Marne, Val-de-Marne, Val-d’Oise and Yvelines, {…}
The Opéra National de Paris has announced that it will stream Gounod’s “Faust” from the Opéra Bastille on Friday, March 26, 2021. Audiences will be able to watch the performance on France 5; the performance will then be made available for repeat viewings on Culturebox for six months. It will also be released in cinemas at a later date. The {…}
The Opéra National de Paris has announced that it will be canceling all performances up until April 5, 2021. As a result, all presentations of “Aida,” which were set to take place at the Opéra Bastille, will no longer be showcased. The same goes for the “Concert de musique Russe” on March 4, the Young Audience recital throughout March, the {…}
(Credits: Fabien Monthubert / Opera Online / Opéra National de Paris official website / Opéra National de Paris official website) The Opéra National de Paris will stream Jean-Philippe Rameau and Louis Fuzelier’s opera “Les Indes Galantes,” and Dmitri Shostakovich and Alexander Preis’ “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” on MEZZO TV. “Les Indes Galantes” stars Sabine Devieilhe in the roles of Hébé {…}
Credit: David Agassi Mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili will give a recital at the ABAO Bilbao Ópera on Feb. 27, 2020. Rachvelishvili will perform in lieu of Ermonela Jaho, who was previously scheduled for this showcase. The mezzo-soprano will be accompanied by pianist Vincenzo Scalera. Anita Rachvelishvili recently tested positive for COVID-19 for a second time, forcing a live stream of “Carmen” {…}
(Credit: © Pia Clodi) American tenor Charles Castronovo has been hospitalized after contracting COVID-19. Castronovo’s wife, soprano Ekaterina Siurina posted on social media that Castronovo has been sick for over two and a half weeks. “Charlie has been in the hospital in Vienna with coronavirus for a week now, but he’s getting better, we can’t put into words our experiences, {…}
(Credit: © Sebastien Galtier / Dutch National Opera) Ching-Lien Wu, Chorus Master of De Nationale Opera in Amsterdam, has been appointed new Chorus Master at Opéra National de Paris. Ching-Lien Wu studied in Taipei and at the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique de Lyon. In 1989, Wu was appointed Chief of Singing at l’Opéra de Nantes, which was followed by {…}
The Opéra National de Paris has announced several changes coming to its upcoming schedule. The company stated that its concert version of “Il Trovatore” would no longer be taking place at the Opéra de Bastille and that chamber concerts between Feb. 11-25 at the Studio and Amphithéâtre Bastille will also be canceled. Additionally, the ballet program scheduled for February at {…}
(Credit: Jason Homa) The ABAO Bilbao Ópera has announced that it will present a series of concerts, with the first taking place in February 2021. Between February and May 2021, six recitals will be held in collaboration with different institutions in Bilbao, such as the Euskaduna Palace or the Bilbao Philharmonic Society. Famed soprano Lisette Oropesa will open the series {…}
