(Photo: Amati Bacciardi) In 1822, Rossini’s opera “Zelmira” premiered at Naples’ Teatro San Carlo to widespread acclaim and was quickly taken up by theaters across Europe, including Vienna, London and Paris. However, like most of the composer’s works, it quickly fell by the wayside and had to wait for over 100 years to be revived, with a performance in 1965 {…}
(Photo: Amati Bacciardi) This summer’s Rossini Opera Festival’s imaginative and fast-moving production of the composer’s 1813 comic opera, “L’Italiana in Algeri,” hit the mark in so many ways: it was funny, colorful and energetic; the cast were fully engaged with their characters, which they hammed up brilliantly for laughs; the underlying dynamics of the narrative were expertly handled by the {…}
The Festival della Valle d’Itria is set to inaugurate with Rossini’s “Tancredi” on July 18, 2025. The performance will take place at the Palazzo Ducale di Martina Franca and will also be presented on July 26, 29, and August 2. Sesto Quatrini will conduct a production by Andrea Bernard and will star Dave Monaco, Yulia Vakula, Adolfo Corrado, Francesca Pia Vitale, Hinano Yorimitsu, Marcela Vidra, and {…}
Druid City Opera has announced the cast for its upcoming production of “Il Barbiere di Siviglia.” The company, which is in its fourth season in Tuscaloosa, will showcase the Rossini work with Scott Purcell in the title role. He will be joined by Nicholas Simpson as Count Almaviva, Arianna Paz Ritaccio as Rosina, Peter Morgan as Bartolo, and Joseph Baunoch {…}
Opera in the Pines will world premiere “The Barber of the Cape” on May 16, 2025. The showcase, set to take place at Cape Neddick Lobster Pound in Maine, is an adaptation of Rossini’s famed “Il Barbiere di Siviglia.” In this version, Rosie, a waitress, falls for a visitor from Manhattan. In order to find her happy ending, she must {…}
Hurn Court Opera is set to present “La Cenerentola” from April 14-18, 2025 at the Theatre Royal Winchester. For this production, the company teamed up with costume students at Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) to create “Bridgerton Style dresses.” “This was a fantastic opportunity for our Costume students. To get real-life experience, to make these stunning Regency dresses for the prestigious {…}
(Photo: Armati Bacciardi) Over the next few months, OperaWire will be reviewing a number of productions at a variety of festivals across the globe. One name that keeps cropping up, at least in Europe, is that of Rosetta Cucchi. Blessed with a never-ending supply of energy and ideas, she always has one project on the go with others in the {…}
(Photo: Felix Grünschloß) OperaWire was fortunate to be present at The International Händel Festspiele in Karlsruhe earlier this month in which we caught a splendid production of the composer’s 1731 opera, “Rinaldo.” Fortunately, we managed a very quick interview with one of its star performers, mezzosoprano Valeria Girardello. OperaWire: What was the first opera you saw? Valeria Girardello: “L’Italiana in {…}
(Photo: Luca Del Pia) With its wonderful arias, sparkling ensembles and a score that pops and fizzes underpinned by its easy-to-follow, fast-moving narrative, full of energy and comedy, fronted by Figaro, a character known to many people that have never even set foot in an opera house, “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” still has the pulling power it did over 200 {…}
(Photo Credit : ©Simon Gosselin) Opéra de Nancy, in co-production with Théâtre de la Ville de Luxembourg, Opéra de Reims and Théâtre de Caen, presents Rossini’s “La Cenerentola.” A youthful opera – the composer was only twenty-five years old when he wrote it – this dramma giocoso is reminiscent of opera seria in its moral ending and, as is often {…}
(Photo: “The Barber of Seville” debuted just over 200 years ago in Rome. The opera played to a jeering audience, a staged event where adherents of the composer Giovanni Paisiello – whose own version of the opera, “Il barbiere di Siviglia, ovvero La precauzione inutile” had pleased operagoers 20 years earlier – packed the house and catcalled throughout the premiere {…}
