(Credit: Ray Burmiston/Decca Classics) “I hope that we will be more grateful for the fact that we get to do what we do, that we can sit next to each other in a concert hall and have some more respect for others when they’re not feeling great or are down. We need to come out of this pandemic more supportive {…}
(Credit: Deutsche Oper Berlin official website) Deutsche Oper Berlin has announced that bass Andrew Harris will take over the role of Hunding in the upcoming performances of Wagner’s “Die Walküre,” replacing Tobias Kehrer. Harris has performed the roles of Don Basilio in Rossini’s “Il Barbiere di Siviglia,” Sparafucile in Verdi’s “Rigoletto,” Masetto in Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” and Stefano Colonna in {…}
(Credit: Royal Philharmonic Society official website) The Royal Philharmonic Society has announced that it has awarded its Honorary Membership to the celebrated British mezzo-soprano Dame Sarah Connolly. The Honorary Membership was presented to Dame Sarah Connolly by John Gilhooly OBE, Chair of the Royal Philharmonic Society and Director of the Wigmore Hall. The ceremony took place during Dame Connolly’s performance {…}
(Credit: Deutsche Oper Berlin / Klaus Frahm) The Deutsche Oper Berlin has announced new plans for its big premieres during the incoming 2020-21 season. In an official statement, Berlin’s largest opera house said that productions of Verdi’s “Simon Boccanegra” and Beethoven’s “Fidelio” had been postponed until the 2022-23 season, due to the far-reaching consequences of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The {…}
(Credit: Boris Streubel) The famed German mezzo-soprano Doris Soffel will appear in the role of Klytämnestra in Richard Strauss’ opera “Elektra” at the Wiener Staatsoper on September 8, 2020. Doris Soffel is one of the leading Wagnerian and Straussian singers, having taken on such roles as Kundry in “Parsifal,” Ortrud in “Lohengrin,” and Fricka and Erda in the composer’s iconic {…}
(Credits: Oper Leipzig official website / Emelie Kroon / Den Norske Opera official website) A concert performance of the first Act of Wagner’s epic opera “Die Walküre” will take place at Den Norske Opera in Oslo, on September 10 & 13, 2020. The concert will star tenor Michael Weinius in the role of Siegmund, soprano Elisabet Strid as Sieglinde, and {…}
(Credit: Emelie Kroon) When COVID-19 struck a few months back, one of the final “live” performances to take the stage was a rendition of Wagner’s “Die Walküre” in Sweden. Among the performers in that production was dramatic soprano Elisabet Strid, who took on the role of Sieglinde. Strid, who has performed in such opera houses as the Teatro Real, Lyric {…}
(Credits: Daniil Rabovsky / Gisela Schenker / Monteverdi Choir & Orchestras official website) The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra will be returning to the stage on August 28, 2020. The Orchestra has announced its fall season which will last until December 23, 2020. For the purpose of this article, we will focus only on the vocal works. Mezzo-soprano Ann Hallenberg will perform {…}
(Credits: Stefan Vinke / Iona MacPherson / Vitalij Kowaljow official website) Opera Australia has announced new dates for its production of Richard Wagner’s Ring cycle. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the opera house was forced to postpone the production for 2021. Wagner’s acclaimed masterwork was originally been scheduled for November 2020. Per the new schedule, the season will now {…}
Thirty years ago, in June 1990, opera lovers were glued to their television screens for four consecutive weekday evenings as they experienced what Richard Wagner always intended: a consecutive-evening presentation of “Der Ring des Nibelungen.” Of course, his wish for four nights in a row was not realistic for the stage, given the demands it would place on musicians and {…}
(Credit: © Gregor Hohenberg / Sony Classical) Cinema screenings of Jonas Kaufmann’s “My Vienna” have been rescheduled and will be taking place at selected European venues. Cinemas in the UK, Ireland and Finland will screen the event on September 1, which will be followed by screenings in Spain on September 20, 2020. Jonas Kaufmann’s “My Vienna” is a personal tribute {…}