(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. {…}
Photo credit: ROH Salome © Tristram Kenton David McVicar’s production of Richard Strauss’ “Salome”, designed by Es Devlin, was first seen in 2008, and is receiving its fourth revival at Covent Garden with Bárbara Lluch at the helm. It opened the night following the death of Queen Elizabeth II – “Don Giovanni” the night before was cancelled in the circumstances {…}
Brandon Vermont’s BARN OPERA has announced a new production of R. Strauss’ comedic opera, “Ariadne auf Naxos,” set to be staged on Sept. 16 and 17, 2022, at The BARN OPERA House in Brandon, Vermont. The show marks the return of live performances for the company. Artistic Director Joshua Collier’s innovative production keeps with the company’s inventive takes on opera {…}
Photo: Bernd Uhlig Ingo Metzmacher, the conductor for this year’s Aix-en-Provence festival’s production of Strauss’ “Salome” stressed time and again throughout his program notes the need for a cool head, for orchestral restraint and calm, for sobriety and balance. His stated aim was to ensure the orchestra does not predominate, does not get carried away, is not too loud, but {…}
On Saturday, April 9, 2022, San Francisco Performances presented renowned German baritone Matthias Goerne and notable prize-winning young Korean pianist Seong-Jin Cho in an extraordinary concert. The performance was like being at a mountain retreat on a distant planet, drinking distilled ambrosia while hearing rare melodies in an exotic language. Clapping nearly seemed irrelevant; how do we applaud such a {…}