Hudson Hall at the historic Hudson Opera House in New York will present Händel’s “Rodelinda” this October. The production, which will be directed by R.B. Schlather, will star soprano Keely Futterer, mezzo-soprano Sun-Ly Pierce, tenor Karim Sulayman, mezzo-soprano Teresa Buchholz, bass-baritone Douglas Williams, and countertenor Brennan Hall. The opera will be presented in a re-orchestration by Schlather and features the {…}
(Credit: Ken Howard) This is a review of the March 11th, 2022 performance, the Opening night of this production’s 3rd revival since 2004. “Rodelinda: Regina De’Longobardi” is old, nearly 300-years old, which is advanced in age even by operatic standards. That being said, following the rise of the early music movement of the 20th century, scholars and performers alike have {…}
Sasha Cooke has joined the Metropolitan Opera’s revival of “Rodelinda.” Cooke will replace Jamie Barton in the role of Eduige. Barton recently withdrew from the production as she will sing the company’s new staging of “Don Carlos,” replacing Elina Garanca. Cooke made her Met debut in 2007 in a production of “Iphigénie en Tauride” and is set to take on {…}
(Photo: Alciro Theodore da Silva) The relationship of art to society is a complex and ever-changing one. At times it is used to support the dominant values of the elite as was the case with the 17th and 18th century baroque, whilst during other periods, it sets itself up in opposition to society, underpinned by varying degrees of revolutionary intent. {…}
This week audiences can two Handel operas performed by some of the greatest baroque specialists. There is also a new recoding of Bizet’s “Carmen” featuring one of great interpreters of her generation. Rodelinda Handel’s 1725 hit opera is released with The English Concert and artistic director Harry Bicket. Lucy Crowe and Iestyn Davies are the devoted partners Rodelinda and Bertarido, {…}
(Credit: Studioline Photography / Xavier Sabata official website / Ascolta Artists official website) The Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España has announced that it will perform a version of Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana” for two pianos and the percussion on Feb. 12-14, 2021. The showcase will be presented by the Coro Nacional, and the percussion section of the Orquesta Nacional {…}
“Opera Meets Film” is a feature dedicated to exploring the way that opera has been employed in cinema. We will select a section or a film in its entirety, highlighting the impact that utilizing the operatic form or sections from an opera can alter our perception of a film that we are viewing. This week’s installment features Joon-Ho Bong’s “Parasite.” In reviewing “Parasite,” Indiewire’s David Ehrlich has previously stated that director Joon-Ho Bong is a genre unto himself. This very film starts off as a comedy of sorts as it follows a family of four slowly con themselves into jobs with a wealthier family. But then the film takes a turn into a darker drama that eventually {…}
(Photo: Monika Rittershaus) Murderous political machinations and pandemic debauchery in the Kingdom of Lombardy in the 7th century were as rampant as any episode of “Game of Thrones” over a millennium later. A neophyte watching the latest series of the Westeros saga without any prior knowledge of its protagonists would find it similarly challenging to work out who is trying {…}
Even by usual standards of patently implausible baroque opera plots, “Rodelinda” reaches new heights of Delphic abstruseness. William Hartston in the London Express described Handel’s 19th opera as “everyone wanting to marry or kill everyone else.” Regardless of Hartston’s hyperbole, confusion certainly abounds. A Penelope-esque wife erroneously thinks her husband is dead not once, but twice. The two principal protagonists {…}
On March 31, the Teatro Real and Medici.tv will present Handel’s “Rodelinda” on the live stream platform. The performance will feature the new production by Claus Guth, which the director noted was inspired by a house in London in which Mike Jagger lived in. Guth also noted that he didn’t want to use a specific time period because the story of the opera {…}
Counter Tenor David Daniels will be cancelling his performances of his December run of “Rodelinda” at the Bolshoi Theatre due to illness. The announcement was made on the singer’s website Sunday. “He hopes to find the earliest opportunity to participate in another production at the Bolshoi Theatre. David sends his sincere thanks for the understanding of his colleagues and cast-mates, {…}