Even before you stepped into the Metropolitan Opera on Friday, Nov. 23, 2018, you knew who the star of the night was destined to be. The entire marketing campaign run by the Metropolitan Opera in anticipation of “Il Trittico” had seemingly focused on one person and one person only. The company had announced a special ceremony would take place at {…}
The Metropolitan Opera will hold a special ceremony honoring Plácido Domingo during the Friday, Nov. 23 performance of “Il Trittico.” Domingo is celebrating his 50th Anniversary season with the company and he will be presented with a special honor at some juncture during the performance. The legendary artist is set to perform in the title role of the final opera {…}
Puccini’s “Il Trittico” returns to the Met Opera on Nov. 23, 2018, for seven performances. Despite being one of Puccini’s finest works, it has only been presented with the company on 74 occasions; by the end of this run, it will have 81 performances total. As is always the case with these operas, there are a ton of singers involved {…}
Following a series of extensive tours, the Hungarian State Opera returns is set to return to the Erkel Theatre to begin its 135th season, which will be dedicated to Puccini and his contemporaries. As expected the company will kick off its brand new season with one of Puccini’s finest works, “La Fanciulla del West,” in a new production by Vasily {…}
Soprano Elizabeth Caballero has announced that she will be appearing in Puccini’s “La Bohème” on Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018. She will be stepping in for soprano Adrienn Miksch, who was originally billed to sing. “Yup, it’s been an exciting morning today. Last time I sang Mimì it was on the Met stage. All kinds of feels are rolling in my {…}
UPDATE Per the Teatro Real’s Press Office: “Artistic director, Joan Matabosch, contracted Ms. Alberola, almost three years ago, to perform Liù, he thought that her voice would evolve in a different way. During the rehearsals of “Turandot,” Mr. Matabosch and the soprano agreed that it would be better not to go on with Liù now and to offer her another role in {…}
“Opera Meets Film” is a feature dedicated to exploring the way that opera has been employed in cinema. We will select a section or a film in its entirety, highlighting the impact that utilizing the operatic form or sections from an opera can alter our perception of a film that we are viewing. This week’s installment features “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Queen’s {…}
While the music of “La Fanciulla del West” would be difficult to mistake for anyone other than Puccini’s, the actual drama lacks the usual sacrificial or torturous death of the heroine, which characterizes his other famous operas. In fact, it is the woman who his cast in the role of savior, riding in to rescue the man she loves from {…}
Are you a bookworm interested in opera, but remain a bit scared of whether you might like it or not? As with all forms of art, its great artists are distinguished by their differing styles and approaches to the art form. As in the case with literature, there are different styles that simply might be more appealing to you based {…}
Puccini’s “Tosca” received its 966th performance at the Metropolitan Opera on Thursday, Oct. 25. The work featured the second revival of David McVicar’s production from last season, with some unique distinctions. As noted in last year’s review of this production, this version of the work’s success will live or die based on whether the performers bring a strong perspective to {…}
“Puccini in Love” surveys mostly well-known love duets from Puccini’s canon. Because the music will be familiar to opera aficionados, the album’s success or failure depends on whether the interpreters can make the familiar fresh. Mission accomplished. Marketing at Sony is betting on the love-story behind the album to sell the project, but its success has little to do {…}