(Photo: John D Kelly) With its intimate space and reflective ambiance, St Carthage’s Cathedral in Lismore proved to be the ideal venue for the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival’s performance of Purcell’s chamber opera, “Dido and Aeneas.” Seating approximately 350 to 400 people, the cathedral allowed the audience to enjoy a very personal and close-up experience of the composer’s masterpiece. A {…}
The Festival International de Arte Sacro (FIAS) will present a concert featuring countertenor Nacho Castellanos alongside Gato Murr. Entitled, “The Purcell Tongue,” the program featuring the works of Purcell. The showcase mixes the sacred and profane, always with an eye on the spiritual. “‘The Purcell Tongue’ aims to not only honor the composer capable of transcending the limits of the {…}
San Francisco Performances will present five-time Grammy Award winner Dawn Upshaw, along with the Brentano String Quartet, in “Dido Reimagined: A Response to Purcell’s Lament.” The program, scheduled for Jan. 12, 2023 at the Herbst Theatre, will feature numerous English works, including Purcell’s famed lament from “Dido and Aeneas.” The second half will showcase a new work composed by Pulitzer Prize winner Melinda {…}
On April 3, 2022, CAL PERFORMANCES presented “Sunday in the Park,” a musical celebration that filled the heart, mind, and soul for nearly two hours. Two artists of exceptional talent—Jamie Barton, mezzo-soprano extraordinaire and noted American composer and pianist Jake Heggie—offered a program ranging from Schubert and Brahms to Price and Heggie himself. The concert was a sheer and satisfying delight {…}
(Credit: Zen Grisdale) The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAE) is actively creating new life in the digital realm of opera by evolving the genre’s traditional standards and exploring alternate creative interpretations to share with audience members at a broader level through a new series called “music video remake” films. The aesthetic concept underlying OAE’s recent film which features bass-baritone {…}
“Opera Meets Film” is a feature dedicated to exploring the way that opera has been employed in cinema. We will select a film section or a film in its entirety and highlight 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 Florian {…}
Wilmington Concert Opera will stream the company’s first complete virtual opera, Purcell’s “Dido & Aeneas,” on April 11 at 2:00 P.M. EDT, on Wilmington Concert Opera’s YouTube channel and includes a live chat with the cast. Based on an episode within Virgil’s epic poem, “The Aeneid” is Purcell’s sole opera and a central work of the Baroque canon regarded as {…}
(Credits: RibaltaLuce Studio / © Christine Schneider / Michal Novak) The Festival of baroque and sacred music in Froville, France has announced its 2021 edition. The festival will take place from May 28 until July 6, 2021. For the purposes of this article, we will focus only on vocal performances. Here is the look. Mezzo-soprano Vivica Genaux will perform works {…}
Sarasota Opera in Florida has announced major changes for its 2021 Winter Opera Festival. The company revealed that it will present two live operas in February and March as well as a second two-opera season in April. “We are both optimistic and committed to adapting our art to the challenges of today’s world,” Executive Director Richard Russell stated in a {…}
“Opera Meets Film” is a feature dedicated to exploring the way that opera has been employed in cinema. We will select a film section or a film in its entirety and highlight 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 Maurice {…}
Boston Camerata is marking the 40th anniversary year of the release of its landmark period-instrument recording of Purcell/Tate’s “Dido and Aeneas” with a new digital production of the opera set to stream from November 14-29. The cast is led by mezzo-soprano Tahanee Aluwihare as Dido and baritone Luke Scott as Aeneas. Bookending the performance is a presentation by musicologist Ellen {…}