“To see the elephants. The lights. The action. I was sold. I didn’t understand why I had to go to school because I knew what I wanted right away. I thought it was the most amazing magical night ever.” That was mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught’s description of her first ever experience at the Arena di Verona as a 13-year-old. The Dundalk, {…}
René Pape is considered one of the greatest, if not the greatest, living bass of his generation. He has performed with all the leading opera companies and has sung numerous leading roles. But there is a composer that he has become associated with, in particular, Wagner. In celebration of Pape’s birthday on Sept. 4, 1964, OperaWire looks at some of {…}
We have a conductor change at the Bayreuth Festival for the “Parsifal” performance on August 5, 2017. Per the company’s official website maestro Harmut Haenchen will be replaced by Marek Janowski due to illness. The performance of Wagner’s final opera will include RyaMcKinny as Amfortas, Karl-Heinz Lehner as Titurel, Georg Zeppenfeld as Gurnemanz, Andreas Schager as Parsifal, Derek Welton as {…}
Richard Wagner is one of the most controversial figures in all of history, his antisemitic statements often creating staunch adversaries to his art. And just as the man was condemned for his abject racism, some of his operas have been at the heat of controversy. Take the “Ring,” for example, with many seeing Mime and Alberich as anti-semitic symbols. But {…}
This week opera lovers get a chance to discover new music from Robert Franz and Handel and relive a classic work from Wagner. They also get a chance to listen to some of the world’s foremost Baroque specialists and Wagner singers. Check it out! Parsifal A new recording of Wagner’s “Parsifal” is scheduled for release this week as part of Elder’s new {…}
The Opera Ballet Vlaanderen has officially revealed its schedule for the 2017-18 season. The company kicks things off in Gent and Antwerp on Sept. 15 with a production of “Das Wunder der Heliane” by Korngold. The opera gets four performances at Opera Gent and five at Opera Antwerpen with Alexander Joel conducting a cast that includes Ian Storey as the {…}
It’s the holiday season with Easter and Passover taking place at the same time. As a result, OperaWire is taking a look at some of the operas that are set during these very sacred holidays. Easter For those not familiar with what Easter Sunday celebrates, it is the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as {…}
On Thursday, April 13, 2017, the Vienna State Opera is live streaming its current run of Wagner’s “Parsifal.” The Vienna State Opera’s current production of “Parsifal” has garnered strong reviews since it debuted a few weeks ago with Classical Source praising conductor Semyon Bychov for leading “a patient but never dragging interpretation. He and his musicians demonstrated great endurance and {…}
The Bayerische Staatsoper has announced its 2017-18 season, which will feature a whopping six new productions and a total of 41 operas. The season opens in Japan in September with the “Così fan tutte” officially kicking things off in Munich at the end of the month. The New Productions The first new production of the year will be Mozart’s “Le {…}
Imagine a major singer suddenly cancel an opera that is just two days away from opening? Most opera houses have a cover ready to step in and in other cases, there are top singers that come in as quick replacements. But when do you go from a high-profile star to arguably the man most famous for the role you are {…}
Often when we react to a flood of news, like a new opera season, it is easy to dwell on some of the negatives, such as which of your favorites are now showing up or which operas got the boot for yet another season. But the beauty of a new season is ultimately the gems that we will get to {…}