Welcome back for this week’s look at the latest CD and DVD releases in the opera world. This week audiences will experience albums from some of the top divas in the opera world as well as Christmas albums that will be great for the holiday season. Essence Marina Rebeka releases a new album on Prima Classic. The soprano sings a selection {…}
On Dec. 1, 2023, the Teatro alla Scala will make its Dubai Opera debut. The Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala from Milan will perform a gala titled “A Concert for Tomorrow.” Michele Gamba will conduct the orchestra in a program of Italian maestros such as Verdi, Puccini, and Mascagni. Soprano Aida Garifullina and Piero Pretti will perform as soloists in {…}
(Credit: Simone-Falcetta) The Teatro Regio di Torino is set to celebrate its 50th anniversary with a gala performance of “I Vespri Siciliani” on July 6, 2023. The gala will see Riccardo Frizza conduct the Verdi work with soloists Roberta Mantegna, Piero Pretti, Vladimir Stoyanov, and Michele Pertusi. In a statement, Frizza noted, “It’s an honor to be conducting the Gala Concert, {…}
The Teatri di Reggio Emilia has announced its 2023-24 season. Michele Pertusi, Piero Pretti, Ernesto Petti, Ramaz Chikviladze, Anna Pirozzi, Teresa Romano, Andrea Pellegrini, Michela Antenucci, and Andrea Galli star in Verdi’s “Don Carlo.” Jordi Bernàcer conducts the production by Joseph Franconi-Lee. Performance Dates: Nov. 17-19, 2023 Gregory Kunde, Luca Micheletti, and Francesca Dotto star in Verdi’s “Otello“ with Leonardo Sini {…}
(Photo Credit: Miguel Lorenzo/Mikel Ponce) Valencia closed its 2022-23 season with Verdi’s “Ernani.” The success of their proposal relied on a strong cast, a non-provocative production, and the ardent labour of the young Italian conductor Michele Spotti in the pit. The production, directed by Andrea Bernard, was a co-production with Teatro La Fenice in Venice. The stage simulated a landscape {…}
The Palau de les Arts in Valencia is set to present Verdi’s “Ernani.” The opera, which is set to be staged by Andrea Bernard, will be performed between June 7 to 18, 2023. Michele Spotti conducts the Cor de la Generalitat Valenciana prepared by Francesc Perales and the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana. “Ernani” is set to star Piero Pretti in {…}
The Teatro dell’Opera di Roma has announced its 2023 Caracalla Festival featuring two operas and a vocal performance. Myung Whun-Chung conducts Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with soloists Olga Bezsmertna, Sara Mingardo, Giovanni Sala, and Roberto Tagliavini. Performance Dates: July 9, 2023 Verdi’s “La Traviata” will be conducted by Paolo Arrivabeni in a production by Lorenzo Mariani. Francesca Dotto takes on {…}
The Teatro La Fenice is set to present Verdi’s “Ernani.” The production, which is set to open on March 16, will star Piero Pretti in the title role, Ernesto Petti as Don Carlos, Michele Pertusi as De Silva, and Anastasia Bartoli as Elvira. Regarding his title role, Pretti said, “I have been close to ‘Ernani,’ studying the opera, for the {…}
The International May Festival has announced its 2023 season at the Staaststhater Wiesbaden. Opera Uwe Eric Laufenberg stars in “Flieg, Gedanke, auf goldenen Schwingen.” Performance Date: April 30, 2023 Elissa Huber, Aaron Cawley, Erik Biegel, and Fleuranne Brockway Leoš Janáček’s “Die Sache Makropulos” while Christopher Bolduc, Julian Habermann, Aaron Cawley, Ralf Rachbauer, and Darcy Carroll star in Janáček’s “Aus einem {…}
The Teatro alla Scala is set to present a new production of Verdi’s Risorgimento work, “I Vespri Siciliani.” The work, which has not been performed at the famed theater since 1989-90 season season, will star Luca Micheletti, Roman Burdenko, Adriano Gramigni, Piero Pretti, Dmitry Beloselskiy, Marina Rebeka, and Angela Meade. In a statement Pretti said, “This is a stirring, complex, {…}
On November 21, the Società del Quartetto di Milano and international opera singers will present “Uniti per Verdi,” an event to save Sant Agata, Verdi’s home. The gala, which was organized by Ricardo Frizza and Francesco Meli will also feature Eleonora Buratto, Massimo Cavalletti, Roberto de Candia, Chiara Isotton, Roberta Mantegna, Caterina Piva, Piero Pretti, Annalisa Stroppa, Riccardo Zanellato, and {…}