The Salzburg Festival has announced it 2019 season with five new productions, two revivals, and two concert operas. Here is a look at what audiences can expect this season. Productions The 2019 Salzburg Festival opens with Mozart’s “Idomeneo.” Teodor Currentzis and Peter Sellars team up again after “La Clemenza di Tito” with a cast that includes Russell Thomas (Idomeneo), Paula Murrihy {…}
René Pape is one of the supreme basses in all of opera history. Born on Sept. 4, 1964 in Dresden, Pape’s had interest in music from a young age, studying with the Dresdener Kreuzchor. In 1988, he made his debut with the Berlin Staatsoper Unter den Linden, where he would go on to have tremendous success thereafter. In the early {…}
“Parsifal. Parsifal.” Real? Dreamed? Which? In the opening of the Bayerische Staatsoper Opernfest 2018, we couldn’t tell. The new production by Pierre Audi and Georg Baselitz, which featured Jonas Kaufmann, René Pape, Christian Gerhahar, Nina Stemme, Wolfgang Koch, and conductor Kirill Petrenko, took us to a world far-beyond the drizzly night outside the doors, and watched a human and sacred {…}
The Bayerische Staatsoper will live stream its new production of Wagner’s “Parsifal” on Sunday, July 8, 2018. The production, directed by Pierre Audi, will be led by Music director Kirill Petrenko and star Jonas Kaufmann, Christian Gerhaher, René Pape, Wolfgang Koch, and Nina Stemme. The stream kicks off at 5 p.m. local time. That’s around 12 p.m. EDT and 9 {…}
It’s a star-studded weekend. Anna Netrebko, Jonas Kaufmann, Sonya Yoncheva, Angela Gheorghiu, and many others perform around the world. Here is a look at what you cannot miss this weekend. Nabucco – Prague National Theatre, Czech Republic Jose Cura directs a new production of Verdi’s early work with Anda-Louise Bogza in the role of Abigaille and Miguelangelo Cavalcanti in the title {…}
The 2017-18 season comes to an end and in comes festival season. So where are the big stars and what are interesting works being discovered this year? With a ton of selections to be sure, we whittled it down to the 10 Must-See productions (as we did with the U.S.) that cannot be missed this summer. 10. Tristan und Isolde – {…}
The Vienna State Opera has announced the 2018-19 season, which is incidentally the company’s 150-anniversary year. The season will include six new productions, including a world premiere production. Here is a breakdown of what’s to come. New Productions (In Order of Opening) Berlioz’s “Les Troyens” will be the first new production, starting on Oct. 14, 2018. David McVicar directs while {…}
The Mozarteum in Salzburg has announced its programming for Mozart week in 2019. It will feature a wide range of music including theatrical, vocal, orchestral, and chamber music. As has been our policy with other season announcements, OperaWire will stick to the vocal performances only in this article. The company will kick things off with a production of “T.H.A.M.O.S.,” a {…}
The Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin has announced its 2018-19 Season, featuring numerous new productions and revivals featuring some of today’s most popular artists and conductors. Here is a look at what to expect next season. New Productions (in alphabetical order by title) Sonya Yoncheva headlines a new production of Cherubini’s “Medea” with Andrea Breth directing. Daniel Barenboim conducts the star-studded cast, {…}
The world is divided into men and women. And only the unification of these two sides, through mutual understanding and respect can bridge the gap and bring about a new world full of equality. Sounds familiar right? It was what François Girard saw prior to 2013, and his vision remains ever true to this day. Perhaps even more prevalent. It {…}
René Pape, opera’s most iconic bass had an eventful 2017 and is kicking off the New Year in tremendous style. For those who want a recap – the bass sang in 14 productions throughout the year, mostly in Wagner operas and then ended 2017 by releasing a rubber duck in his image, the famed “Papeduck.” And now he’s back for {…}
