(Photo: Bernd Uhlig) Matthias Pintscher’s new opera, “Das kalte Herz” (The Cold Heart), with a libretto by Daniel Arkadij Gerzenberg, is not a retelling of German author Wilhelm Hauff’s famous fairy tale from 1827—that text written in the spirit of the Biedermeier period, which can be read as a subtle critique of early industrialization and unbridled capitalism—but rather its condensation {…}
The Deutsche Oper am Rhein has announced its 2025-26 season. Premiere Jacquelyn Wagner, John Matthew Myers, Simon Neal, Hans-Peter König, Anna Sophia Theil, Lavinia Dames, Riccardo Romeo, Henry Ross, Luke Stoker, and Žilvinas Miškinis star in Beethoven’s “Fidelio.” Vitali Alekseenok and Harry Ogg conduct the concert performances. Performance Dates: Sept. 10-Oct. 24, 2025 Antonino Fogliani conducts Donizetti’s “Prima La Mamma” {…}
The Scottish Opera has announced its 2025-26 season. The season opens with a double bill of Ravel’s “L’heure espagnole” and Walton’s “The Bear.” Alexandra Cravero conducts the production by Jacopo Spirei. Lea Shaw, Jamie MacDougall, Daniel Barrett, Edward Jowle, and Luvo Maranti star in Ravel’s production, and Chloe Harris, Daniel Barrett, and Edward Jowle star in Walton’s opera. Performance Dates: {…}
(Photo: Marc Brenner) Mark-Anthony Turnage is among the front rank of living British opera composers. With “Festen”, which opened at The Royal Opera last week, he now has five to his name, with a sixth to follow at Glyndebourne this autumn in the form of “The Railway Children” – a less harrowing subject than this adaptation of Thomas Vinterberg’s 1995 {…}
(Credit: OWL Artists) The Royal Opera House has announced a cast change for its upcoming world premiere “Festen.” The company said that the role of Else will be sung by Rosie Aldridge who replaces Eva-Maria Westbroek. Aldridge made her Royal Opera debut in the 2016-17 season as Praskovya Osipovna/Vendor in “The Nose” and has returned as Mrs Sedley in “Peter {…}
The Opéra national de Lorraine has announced its 2024-25 season. Opera The season opens with “Heroine” featuring three major works. The evening begins with Hindemith’s “Sancta Susanna” followed by Bartók’s “Bluebeard’s Castle” and will conclude with Honegger’s “Danse des morts.” Anthony Almeida directs the three works. Hindemith’s opera will star Anaïk Morel, Rosie Aldridge, Apolline Rai-Westphal, Yannis François, and Soloist of the Opera Chorus while {…}
This week Rosie Aldridge made her debut at the Berlin State Opera in the role of Kostelnička in Leoš Janáček’s opera “Jenůfa.” It is a role that she recently debuted in Stuttgart and later performs it this season at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein. Looking at her debut, OperaWire had a chance to do a mini-interview with Aldridge. Here is {…}
The Opéra National de Paris is set to showcase “Peter Grimes,” opening on January 26, 2023. The opera is directed by Deborah Warner, whose production premiered at the Teatro Real de Madrid in 2021. Conductor Alexander Soddy, who worked as the music director at the Nationaltheater Mannheim between 2016-22, will make his Paris Opera debut in the pit. Headlining the {…}
(Credit: ROH 2022 (c) Yasuko Kageyam) Benjamin Britten’s “Peter Grimes,” an opera of community disaster, has lately belonged in London to Edward Gardner in the pit and Stuart Skelton in the title role, both searingly brilliant. Deborah Warner’s new production, headed by tenor Allan Clayton, offers a vivid and contemporary alternative vision of the work that deserves to run and {…}
Staatsoper Stuttgart is set to premiere a new production of “Hänsel and Gretel” starting on Feb. 6, 2022. The production will star soprano Rosie Aldridge as the witch with Josefin Feiler and Ida Ränzlöv in the title roles; the roles will be reprised by Natalie Karl, Esther Dierkes, and Diana Haller later in the run. Other cast members include Shigeo {…}
(Credits: Linda Rabisch / Bethany Davis / Gerard Collett) The Glyndebourne Festival has announced its fall tour 2021 that will take place from October 8 – Dec. 12, 2021. Here is the full slate. Ludwig van Beethoven‘s only opera “Fidelio” will star Clay Hilley as Don Florestan, Callum Thorpe in the role of Rocco, Carrie-Ann Williams as Marzelline, Gavan Ring {…}
