On Oct. 4, the Central Hall Westminster will present bass René Pape and four distinguished European choirs in Sven Helbig’s Requiem A. Pape will be accompanied by the London Contemporary Orchestra and the choirs Dresdner Kreuzchor (Germany), Trinity Boys Choir (UK), Poznań Boys’ Choir (Poland), and La Maîtrise de Garçons de Colmar (France), under the direction of Kreuzkantor Martin Lehmann. Icelandic {…}
Welcome back for this week’s look at the latest CD and DVD releases in the opera world. This week, a diva says goodbye to classical music, while there are several rare operas and oratorios. Here are this week’s new releases. Dog Days / Thumbprint Bright Shiny Things reissues two operas that have been out of print for nearly two years: {…}
The Staatsoper Berlin has unveiled its 2025-26 season. Premieres Bertrand de Billy conducts Lydia Steier’s new production of Offenbach’s “Les Contes d’Hoffmann.” The cast includes Pene Pati, Nina Minasyan, Julia Kleiter, Clara Nadeshdin, Roberto Tagliavini, and Ema Nikolovska. A second cast will include Benjamin Bernheim, Regina Koncz, Siobhan Stagg, Clara Nadeshdin, Alex Esposito, and Samantha Hankey. Pierre Dumoussaud conducts. Performance {…}
(Credit: Karen Almond / Met Opera) A man speaks out against a tyrant and gets dragged off to jail. That’s at the core of the plot of “Fidelio.” Unsurprisingly, as the Met Opera was reviving Beethoven’s lone operatic work, this very script played out in a different theatrical arena – the U.S. Congress – hours after the “leader of the {…}
The Metropolitan Opera’s 2024–25 Live in HD season will continue with Beethoven’s “Fidelio.” The production will be shown in more than 700 theaters nationwide on Saturday, March 15, 2025. Soprano Lise Davidsen sings the role of Leonore, a role she has sung to great acclaim at the Royal Opera House. She will be joined by David Butt Philip as Florestan, {…}
(Credit: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera) The Metropolitan Opera is set to perform Beethoven’s “Fidelio” reviving its Jürgen Flimm production. Last revived in 2017, the production features set designer Robert Israel, costume designer Florence von Gerkan, and lighting designer Duane Schuler. The cast will include Lise Davidsen in her Metropolitan Opera role debut as Leonora. The soprano has performed the role to {…}
The Staatsoper Unter den Linden has announced its 2024-25 season. Premieres Luca Salsi and Anna Netrebko team up for Verdi’s “Nabucco.” Ivan Magrì, Marina Prudenskaya, and René Pape join them. Anastasia Bartoli also performs. Bertrand de Billy conducts the new production by Emma Dante. Performance Dates: Oct. 2-26, 2024 Gounod’s “Roméo et Juliette” receives a new production featuring multiple casts. {…}
The Tiroler Festspiele Erl has announced its 2024-25 season. Fall Nikola Hillebrand performs alongside Simply Quartet and Musicbanda Franui. Performance Date: Oct. 4, 2024 Winter J. S. Bach’s “Das Weihnachtsoratorium” will be conducted by Vinzenz Praxmarer and will star Anna El-Kashem, Stefanie Irányi, Martin Mitterrutzner, and Wilhelm Schwinghammer. Performance Date: Dec. 8, 2024 Asher Fisch conducts a new production of Puccini’s “La {…}
The Bayerische Staatsoper has announced its 2024-25 season. Premieres Tobias Krazter directs a new production of Wagner’s “Das Rheingold” with Nicholas Brownlee, Milan Siljanov, Sean Panikkar, Markus Brück, Matthias Klink, Matthew Rose, Timo Riihonen, Ekaterina Gubanova, Mirjam Mesak, and Wiebke Lehmkuhl. Vladimir Jurowski conducts. Performance Dates: Oct. 27, 2024-July 31, 2025 Damiano Michieletto directs Donizetti’s “La Fille du Régiment” with {…}
The Teatro alla Scala is set to open its 2023-24 season with Verdi’s “Don Carlo,” a work associated with the company’s history. The opera has been performed by such conductors as Tullio Serafin, Arturo Toscanini, Claudio Abbado, and Riccardo Muti. Now Riccardo Chailly is conducting a new production by Lluís Pasqual, a director who has made a reflection on the {…}
The Wiener Konzerthaus is set to present a gala entitled “O Sole Nostro” on Nov. 11, 2023. The gala will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Ristorante Sole and the concert will benefit the St. Anna children’s cancer research. The evening will showcase some of the greatest opera singers in the world including Anna Netrebko, Antonino Siragusa, Boris Pinkhasovich, Camilla Nylund, Clemens Unterreiner, Dmitry Korchak, Fabio Armiliato, {…}
