Rarely performed as a one-off, Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi” is most commonly paired with one of the other two “Il Trittico” operas or a second shorter work by a composer other than Puccini. However, Puccini was adamant that all three operas in his triptych should be performed together. Perhaps, it is because each of the three has a common theme: death. {…}
Pacific Opera Project’s “Madama Butterfly,” presented recently in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo, was acclaimed for presenting Puccini’s opera in Japanese and English, the languages the characters would actually have spoken. But one of the other talking points around town was the “last-minute” assumption of the title role by Melbourne-born soprano, Janet Szepei Todd. OperaWire caught up with Janet at Cafe {…}
Puccini’s “La Rondine” soared out of Berkeley’s Hillside Club Sunday afternoon, in full flight. Pocket Opera, under the artistic direction of Nicholas A. Garcia and music director David Drummond, gave voice to its bittersweet charm. With the Pocket Philharmonic tucked neatly upstage and the small cast of ardent singers weaving in and out of a petite and well-designed set, the {…}
Puccini’s “Tosca” will be presented at the Palacio de Congreso in Santiago de Compostela, Spain on June 9, 2019. The performance, which starts at 9 p.m. local time, will be presented by Promópera and will star Laura Alonso Padín in the title role. The opera will also star Moisés Molín, Manuel Mas, Quintín Bueno, David Cervera, Ihor Voievodin, and Eva {…}
Komische Oper Berlin has announced its 2019-20 season. This season will celebrate Dionysus, the forefather and protagonist of Greek theatre, with new productions reflecting the entire spectrum of musical theatre. Chief Director Barrie Kosky comments, “. . . [O]nce we believe in the power of theatre and music, believe in their intoxicating, seductive, physical, emotional, and ultimately community-building impacts, once {…}
On April 16, 2019, audiences around the world will get a chance to see Puccini’s “Turandot” live streamed from the Vienna State Opera. The famed opera will feature Anna Smirnova in the title role with Alfred Kim as Calaf and Dinara Alieva as the tragic Liù. The opera, which is directed by Marco Arturo Marelli will be conducted by Domingo {…}
Gianni Schicchi is one the most famous comedies in the operatic repertoire as it was Puccini’s only one and has become a signature for multiple baritones. Federico Longhi is one of those baritones that has used the role as a vehicle around the world. This week, he returns to the Teatro Carlo Felice to sing in this signature role. Prior {…}
Twice on Saturday night at the opening of Pacific Opera Project’s “Madam Butterfly” at the Aratani Theatre in LA’s Little Tokyo I thought, “This could be the start of something big.” “Thought One” related to the production; “Thought Two” to a singer. But first, let’s discuss the elephant in the room. Cultural Appropriation? Puccini’s “Madam Butterfly” has excited controversy over {…}
A year ago, we released a quiz dedicated to opera history. Obviously, there was no way to summarize all the information into just 10 trivia questions. We knew the day would come when we would be able to incorporate some other fun information in the form of another quiz. And that day has now come. Behold another trivia quiz made {…}
Writing a review can be a rather unique experience. Often we make a statement about a performance, expecting it to blanket an entire run of shows. After the first performance or second, we might be tempted to make the claim that either it was a mediocre performance with “decent” singers or we were impressed by the evening that exceeded any {…}
The Bayerische Staatsoper will live stream the March 30, 2019 performance of Puccini’s “La Fanciulla del West” via its Staatsoper.TV. The free transmission will kick off at 7 p.m. local time (1 p.m. EST and 10 a.m. PST) and is set to feature Anja Kampe as the opera’s heroine Minnie. Brandon Jovanovich will appear as the bandit Ramirez / Dick {…}