(Photo © Zurich Opera House. All rights reserved.) “She let herself go to the rocking of the melodies and felt herself vibrating with all her being as if the bows of the violins had been walking on her nerves.” -“Madame Bovary,” part II, Chapter XV As Emma Bovary is overwhelmed by “Lucia di Lammermoor,” so too was the audience at {…}
“Andrea Chénier” is the greatest masterpiece of Umberto Giordano, one of the most prominent exponents of Verismo. The plot is based on historical events: poet and scholar André Chénier, who had sympathized with revolutionary ideas, was guillotined in 1794 during the Reign of Terror following the French Revolution of 1789. The libretto features a love story between Chénier and Maddalena {…}
(Photo: ) Giuseppe Verdi’s “I vespri siciliani” recounts the story of a historical revolution: the uprising of the Sicilian people against their French rulers in 1282, leading to the liberation of the island from their occupation. The political narrative is intertwined with the personal lives of the main characters. Duchess Elena, whose brother was killed by the French, seeks vengeance {…}
(Photo: Monika Rittershouse) Opernhaus Zürich presents a new production of Claudio Monteverdi’s “L’Orfeo.” Premiered in 1607, “L’Orfeo” is not the first opera ever composed, but it is hailed as the first great opera. It stands out as the first to use music as a dramatic tool, employing diverse musical colors to express various emotional states. Its monumental success paved the {…}
Opernhaus Zürich has announced a cast change for its production of Bizet’s “Carmen.” The company said, “Edgaras Montvidas takes over the role of Don José in the ‘Carmen’ performance on Friday, April 19, 2024, replacing Saimir Pirgu.” Montvidas has performed with the Opéra National du Rhin Strasbourg, the Bregenzer Festspiele, the Opernhaus Zürich, Berlin Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Teater an {…}
Opernhaus Zürich has announced its 2024-25 season. Premieres Samuel Penderbayne’s “Wir pfeifen auf den Gurkenkönig” will be conducted by Thomas Barthel and Ann-Katrin Stöcker. Claudia Blersch directs the production which will star Liliana Nikiteanu, Sylwia Salamonska, Irène Friedli, Philipp Mayer, Stanislav Vorobyov, Valeriy Murga, Gary Martin, Martin Zysset, Carl Hieger, Christian Sturm, Indyana Schneider, Céline Akçağ, Sylwia Salamonska, and Rebeca {…}
Opernhaus Zürich has announced a cast change for its Feb. 25 performance of “The Merry Widow.” The company noted that Eleazar Rodriguez will replace Andrew Owens as Camille de Rossilon. Rodriguez has performed with such companies as Opera North, English National Opera, Frankfurt Opera, Graz Opera, Staatstheater Saarbrücken, Theater Luzern, Konzert Theater Bern, and the Michigan Opera Theater. The tenor is {…}
Opernhaus Zürich has announced a cast change for its Feb. 16, 2024 performances of Lehar’s “The Merry Widow.” The company said that Anastasiya Taratorkina will take over the role of Valencienne replacing Katharina Konradi. Taratorkina will make her house debut. The soprano is a resident artist at Hessian State Theatre Wiesbaden and has performed at the International Hamburg Music Festival, Elbphilharmonie, the {…}
The Opernhaus Zürich presents a new production of a French Baroque masterpiece: “Platée,” a ballet-bouffon composed by Jean-Philippe Rameau in 1745. The premiere took place in Versailles as part of the festivities for the wedding of Louis XV with María Teresa Rafaela of Spain. The libretto, by Adrien-Joseph Le Valois d’Orville, draws inspiration from Greek mythology. It narrates the tale {…}
(Credit: Victor Santiago) Olga Peretaytako has canceled her second performance of “Il Turco in Italia” at the Opernhaus Zürich. The soprano took to social media and said, “Dear friends and music lovers, I regret to inform you that, due to this illness, I will not be able to perform tomorrow. This flu has proven to be stronger than expected, and {…}
The Opernhaus Zürich opened the 2023-24 season with one of Giacomo Puccini’s last operas, “La rondine” and one of the least fortunate in terms of fame. There are several reasons for this, none of which have anything to do with the artistic value of the work. The Carltheater in Vienna commissioned an operetta from Puccini, but he instructed the librettist {…}