With Bellini’s “I Puritani” one steps into the heartland of Italian bel canto: The ensembles are mesmerizingly beautiful, the vocal lines infinitely refined, and the orchestration – with its mood painting role – proves a proto-dramatic foundation to the unfolding of the Romantic intrigue, prone to inspiring the operatic vocabulary of subsequent generations, and of Verdi in particular. Needless to {…}
(Credit: Maggio Musicale Fiorentino) The Maggio Musicale Fiorentino has announced its 2025 season. Stefano Ranzani conducts a production of Verdi’s “Rigoletto” by Davide Livermore. Celso Albelo, Daniel Luis de Vicente, Leon Kim, Olga Peretyatko, Alessio Cacciamani, and Eleonora Filipponi star. Performance Dates: Feb. 16-23, 2025 Michele Spotti conducts Bellini’s “Norma” in a production by Moshe Leisier and Patrice Caurier. Jessica Pratt, {…}
(Credit: Teatro alla Scala / Brescia – Amisano) Lisette Oropesa is recording Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor.” The Soprano took to social media to announce the upcoming album and noted that the opera will be recorded in Sicily. The cast will include Stefan Pop as Edgardo, Mattia Olivieri as Enrico, and Riccardo Zanellato as Raimondo. Maestro Fabrizio Maria Carminati will conduct. Oropesa {…}
The Teatri di Reggio Emilia has announced its 2024-25 season. The season opens with Rossini’s “Mosé in Egitto,” which will star Riccardo Zanellato, Dave Monaco, Mariam Battistelli, Toni Nezic, Aida Pascu, Angela Schisano, Andrea Galli, and Matteo Mezzaro. Giovanni Di Stefano conducts the production by Pier Francesco Maestrini. Performance Dates: Nov. 15 & 17, 2024 Annalisa Stroppa, Caterina Sala, Matteo Falcier, Matteo Guerzè, {…}
(Photo: Khalid Al-Busaidi) On October 14th, 2011, the Royal Opera House Muscat (ROHM) opened its doors for its inaugural season with a production of Puccini’s “Turandot,” with the aim of establishing itself as a “centre of excellence in global cultural engagement.” It is a noble and ambitious aim, for sure, but for a country without a tradition of opera, it {…}
The Teatro Regio di Torino has announced its 2024-25 season. “Manon” Renato Palumbo conducts Puccini’s “Manon Lescaut” with Arnaud Bernard directing. The cast will include Erika Grimaldi, Dinara Alieva, Andeka Gorrotxategui, Carlo Ventre, Carlo Lepore, and Alessandro Luongo. Performance Dates: Oct. 1-26, 2024 Massenet’s “Manon” wil star Ekaterina Bakanova, Martina Russomanno, Bjorn Burger Maxim Lisiin, Atalla Ayan, Andrei Danilov, Roberto {…}
I will never die. But when if I do—certainly after 2300—, I want to be mourned with Verdi’s “Requiem.” No discussion. Few musical moments are more rewarding than the first tenor “Kyrie,” breaking into the orchestral mass, abashing any feelings that are not of heroic repentance. I simply love it. However, such strong personal preference creates rigid expectations of how {…}
Benedetta Torre is set to open the 2023-24 season performing two special concerts that close the “Viva Verdi” series, which was created in order to build awareness and save the composer’s famed house which is also a museum. Riccardo Muti will conduct the concerts on Sept. 8 at the Teatro Municipale di Piacenza and Sept. 9 at the Teatro Donizetti {…}
The Vicenza in Lirica has announced its 10th anniversary season. The season opens with the concerto “Finale” del Concorso lirico Tullio Serafin. Performance Date: June 7, 2023 The festival will present a Concerto Benefico in honor of Assi Gulliver. Performance Date: June 10, 2023 Next up is the rarely performed opera Malipiero’s “Ecuba.” The Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto {…}
On Oct. 14, the Festival Verdi concluded its performances of Verdi’s “Simon Boccanegra.” The occasion was special as the festival brought back the original 1857 version which is rarely heard (there are very few recordings available as well). So for most opera lovers, much of the music was new and different. A Refreshing Look When Verdi premiered the work at {…}
The XXII Festival Verdi has announced its 2022 programing. Here is a look at what the world-famous festival will offer Verdi lovers. The season opens with a new production of Verdi’s “La Forza del Destino.” Roberto Abbado conducts the 1869 Milano Critical edition with Anna Pirozzi, Gregory Kunde, Amartuvshin Enkhbat, Marko Mimica, Roberto de Candia, Annalisa Stroppa, and Andrea Giovannini. {…}