On New Year’s Eve, the Metropolitan Opera opened a new production of Gounod’s “Roméo et Juliette.” The result was a mixed bag with two bright stars heading the cast. The production was a dreary classically fitted take that lacked clarity of vision and ultimately dragged the show. After a few months, the Met has revived the production with better results. {…}
A butterfly can never be caged or it dies. The same can be said of an opera singer, who needs the freedom to explore and develop as an artist. When an artist is caged and not allowed to carve out an organic path, he or she may burn out very quickly. During a recent interview with OperaWire, soprano Pretty Yende {…}
It was a huge week for a number of major opera singers this week, some receiving huge honors and others getting special Valentine’s Day treats. For Corinne Winters it was probably one of the biggest weeks of her life, the Soprano announcing her engagement to tenor Adam Smith and rocking her ring on Instagram. #heasked #isaidyes💍 happiest woman on Earth {…}
Two major cancellations were announced on Monday at the Metropolitan Opera. First it was announced that Diana Damrau would not partake in the second performance of “I Puritani” on Tuesday, Feb. 14 and then it was revealed tenor Marcelo Alvarez would also withhold from performing the performance of “Carmen” on Feb. 15. Pretty Yende, coming off a thrilling running of {…}
It is Black History Month, a time to celebrate the achievements of the black community and how they have affected change around the world in all areas. The opera world is no exception with many great black artists dominating around the globe in the biggest theaters there are. As a month-long celebration, OperaWire will provide weekly features that embrace the {…}
Pretty Yende is very popular these days as she made an appearance on the Wendy Williams show. The soprano performed the cavatina to Una voce poco fa” from Rossini’s “Il Barbiere Di Siviglia,” a role she is currently performing and scoring rave reviews for at the Metropolitan Opera. After the show Yende and Williams did a behind the scenes video where they spoke {…}
Role debuts are usually among the most fascinating events in international opera. For years, adoring fans ponder at what their favored interpreter might sound and look like as a character that they have only dreamed about. Once the singer finally sets foot on the stage to embody the character, all bets are off. The Opera National de Paris’s new 2017-18 {…}
As opera lovers prepare for a new cast in Gounod’s “Roméo et Juliette,” Stephen Costello and Pretty Yende will preview arias and duets on Valentine’s Day. The two singers will participate in WQXR’S Classical Beer Jam at the Jerome L. Greene Performance Space in downtown Manhattan, marking their first public appearance together. The event will take place on Feb. 14 and {…}
Juan Diego Florez is one of the most beloved tenors around the world. He has dominated the Bel Canto repertoire for years and his mastery of coloratura is unmeasured. For years the tenor has made an effort to revive works that are rarely performed or simply have been lost in the repertoire. These works have been given special treatment as {…}
Another weekend in 2017, even more operatic activity around the United States. Of course the Metropolitan Opera continues its busy schedule with “Il Barbiere di Sivilgia,” “La Bohème” and “Roméo et Juliette” the three major offerings with such stars as Javier Camarena, Pretty Yende, Ailyn Pérez, Michael Fabiano, Vittorio Grigolo and Diana Damrau leading the casts for their respective operas {…}
This review is for the performance on Monday Jan. 10, 2017. Rossini’s “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” is one of the most famous works in the operatic repertoire as well as one of the funniest. It contains some of the most memorable melodies and space for singers to fool around and provide vocal fireworks. In recent years, the Metropolitan Opera has {…}