(Photo: Agnese Zeltiņa | Files.fm.) I’m not generally given to elaborating on opera plots; preferring for the audience to discover them for themselves, even where the outline of the tale is fairly well known. Alas, I feel somewhat compelled to at least superficially proffer some brief abridgement of “Salome,” if only to illustrate and accentuate the bizarre, outlandish and frequently {…}
(Photo: Brescia e Amisano © Teatro all Scala) Austrian writer Hugo von Hofmannsthal confessed that he drew inspiration for “Der Rosenkavalier’s” libretto from Molière’s comedies, weaving them together with the roles of Italian commedia dell’arte. He wrote, “The characters were there, performing right in front of us: the Buffoon, the Old Man, the Young Man, the Lady, the Cherubino… Each {…}
(Photo credit: © ROH 2024/Tristram Kenton) Had a family bust-up over the holidays? Don’t worry – it could be worse. Richard Strauss’ “Elektra,” with a libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal from his 1903 play of the same, took a dysfunctional family of the opera stage to new extremes, boiling up Sophocles’ tale of matricide in the Freudian pressure cooker of {…}
(Photo: Tamara Cerna SofiG) Immediately after the curtain came down on Brno National Theater’s excellent production of Richard Strauss’ “Salome,” OperaWire nipped around to the stage door for an interview appointment with Slovakian soprano Linda Ballová, who had just produced a stunning performance in the titular role. It is unlikely that many opera-goers in Western countries will have heard the {…}
(Photo: Marek Olbryzmek) Richard Strauss’ “Salome” is one of those operas that lives or dies through the performance of one singer. In this case, it is the soprano cast in the title role. If she cannot hold the audience’s attention, either because she is unable to bring the necessary energy and expressivity to her singing or because she does {…}
The Curtis Symphony Orchestra and members of the Curtis Opera Theatre will open the 2023–24 season on October 22 at 7 p.m. at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Cultural Campus, with a tribute to composer Richard Strauss entitled ‘Spectacular Strauss.’ Curtis’ young musicians will showcase their talent, led by conductors Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Micah Gleason. Nézet-Séguin holds the position of music director {…}
On Sept. 17, Oper Köln will kick off its 2023-24 season with the premiere of R. Strauss and Von Hoffmansthal’s “Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman Without a Shadow).” Considered exceptionally demanding, and requiring a massive orchestra, the opera is a fairy tale that Strauss believed was his most important work. The story relates the tale of an ethereal Empress {…}
Credit: San Francisco Opera On June 4, a Sunday afternoon, everyone was high with anticipation. David Hockney‘s production of R. Strauss’ “Die Frau ohne Schatten” was opening at San Francisco Opera. Since its American premiere in 1959, the work had only been rarely mounted in San Francisco (five times since 1959), or in other houses, in Paris or Vienna, or {…}
Music Director Carl St. Clair will lead the Pacific Symphony & Pacific Chorale in “Cathedral of Sound” on June 15 – 17, 2023 as part of the Hal and Jeanette Segerstrom Family Foundation Classical Series. The program will feature Gregorio Allegri’s “Miserere mei, Deus,” Richard Strauss‘ “Death and Transfiguration,” and the world premiere of Sir James MacMillan’s “Fiat Lux,” featuring {…}
The American Symphony Orchestra is set to continue its 2022-23 season with two special performances at St. Bartholomew’s Church in New York City. First off, the orchestra will present “Organ + Orchestra,” a concert featuring Paul Brodignon and the Bard Festival Chorale. Leon Botstein conducts a program featuring Camille Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 78 and Dame {…}
The Prague National Theatre is set to premiere a new production of “Der Rosenkavalier.” Opening on Nov. 24 and running through Dec. 29 at the State Opera, the opera will star Petra Alvarez Simková as the Marschallin with Arnheiour Eiríksdóttir as Octavian, Martin Bárta as Faninal, Vera Talerko as Sophie, Lucie Hájková as Marianne, and Timo Riihonen as Baron Ochs. {…}