This title occupies a singular place within Gioachino Rossini’s early output. Composed in 1812 for Venice’s Teatro San Moisè, it belongs to the small group of one-act farces that the young composer, just 20 years old, wrote during one of the most frenetic periods of his career. It follows the tradition of the eighteenth-century opera buffa: a romantic entanglement built {…}
(Credit: ©2026 Tristram Kenton) Gaetano Donizetti’s “La Fille du Régiment,” first perfomed in 1840, was something of a near disaster. On opening night, the lead tenor was frequently off pitch and when it premiered in Italy, shortly after, it was labelled as “worthless” and closed after just six performances. Fortunately for Donizetti, (and everyone else), it quickly turned round and {…}
The Teatro San Carlo has announced its 2026-27 season. Mariangela Sicilia, Marta Torbidoni, Piotr Beczała, Stefan Pop, Igor Golovatenko, Franco Vassallo, Michele Pertusi, Gabriele Sagona, Martina Belli, and Marko Mimica star in Verdi’s “Luisa Miller.” Daniel Oren conducts the production by Davide Livermore. Performance Dates: Dec. 2-10, 2026 Anna Pirozzi, Karah Son, Jorge de León, Giorgio Berrugi, Veronica Simeoni, Chiara Tirotta, Marco {…}
The Teatro dell’Opera di Roma has announced its 2026-27 season. Opera The season opens with Stravinsky’s “The Rake’s Progress” with Michele Mariotti conducting a new production byRafael R. Villalobos.The cast includes Lawrence Brownlee, Jennifer Larmore,Daniela Barcellona, Alex Esposito, Rosalia Cid, Simone Alberghini, and Ya-Chung Huang. Performance Dates: Nov. 27-Dec. 5, 2026 Two cast will perform Giordano’s “Andrea Chénier.” Sonya Yoncheva, {…}
The Donizetti Opera has announced its 2026 season. The festival, which is set to take place between Nov. 13 and 29, 2026, will showcase three operas. In a statement, Music Director Riccardo Frizza said, “Today we present an edition in which Donizetti rarities take center stage. Donizetti Opera 2026 will, in fact, promote the rediscovery of lesser-known Donizetti works, starting {…}
The Teatro Comunale di Bologna has anounced its 2026 season. Here is a look at the operatic performances. Roberto Abbado conducts Mozart’s “Idomeneo” in a production by Mariano Bauduin. Antonio Poli, Francesca Di Sauro, Mariangela Sicilia, Salome Jicia, and Leonardo Cortellazzi star. Performance Dates: Jan. 24-Feb. 1, 2026 Adela Zaharia and Julia Muzychenko star in Verdi’s “La Traviata” with Liparit {…}
The Teatro Filarmonico has announced its 2026 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances in Verona. The season will open with Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” starring Ildar Abdrazakov, Paolo Bordogna, Ramaz Chikviladze, Gilda Fiume, Iván Ayón Rivas, Marta Torbidoni, Emma Fekete, and Alessandro Abis. Francesco Lanzillotta conducts the production by Enrico Stinchelli. Performance Dates: Jan. 18-25, 2026 Christian Senn, Loriana Castellano, Josè {…}
The Donizetti Opera Festival has announced its 2025 season. The festival will open with “Caterina Cornaro” conducted by Riccardo Frizza and directed by Francesco Micheli. Carmela Remigio leads the cast with Fulvio Valenti, Enea Scala, Riccardo Fassi, and Vito Priante. Performance Dates: Nov. 14-30, 2025 “Il Campanello” will be conducted by Enrico Pagano and directed by Stefania Bonfadelli. The cast {…}
The Wiener Staatsoper has announced its 2025-26 season. Here is a look at the operas and recitals for the new season. Premieres Smetana’s “The Bartered Bride” will get a new production by Dirk Schmeding. The cast will be headed by Franz Xaver Schlecht, Margaret Plummer, Slávka Zámečníková, Ivo Stanchev, Monika Bohinec, Pavol Breslik, Michael Laurenz, Peter Kellner, Matthäus Schmidlechner, Ilia Staple, and Alex Ilvakhin. Tomáš Hanus conducts. A second cast will {…}
The Royal Ballet and Opera has announced its 2025-26 season. The season opens with Puccini’s “Tosca” in a new production by Oliver Mears. Anna Netrebko and Aleksandra Kurzak share the title role. Freddie De Tommaso and Gerald Finley also star. Performance Dates: Sept. 11-Oct. 7, 2025 Speranza Scappucci conducts Verdi’s “I vespri siciliani” in a revival of Stefan Herheim’s production. Marina {…}
The third title of the Teatro Carlo Felice’s 2024-25 season will be Nino Rota’s “Il Cappello di Paglia di Firenze.” The work in four acts will be shown on Dec. 13, 15, and 17 and will be conducted by Giampaolo Bisanti. Damiano Michieletto will conduct the work in a production from 2007 that was made in collaboration with the Opéra {…}