Even before the curtain rose on this Los Angeles Opera production of Mozart’s “La Clemenza di Tito” which I saw on March 7th, 2019, I was excited by what I had read in the program booklet. LA Opera Music Director James Conlon’s article, “Clemency, Forgiveness and Love” with its emphasis on Titus’s closing message that “I know everything, absolve everyone {…}
The Canadian Opera Company has announced its 2019-20 season with six productions, including two new ones for the company. Here is a look at what to expect. Carlo Rizzi conducts a new production of Puccini’s “Turandot” by Robert Wilson. Tamara Wilson and Marjorie Owens share the title role with Sergey Skorokhodov and Kamen Chanev alternating the role of Calaf. Joyce El-Khoury and {…}
The Houston Grand Opera has announced its 2019-20 season which includes seven operas, including five new productions, one world premiere, and one company premiere. The season kicks off with Verdi’s “Rigoletto” in a new production by Tomer Zvulun. The famed Italian work will feature Brian Mulligan in the title role and Mané Galoyan and Arturo Chacón-Cruz as Gilda and the {…}
Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” is an audience favorite and a timeless classic and seeing Sir David McVicar’s revival currently playing at the Lyric Opera of Chicago is like a step back into time. The action is pushed forward a few centuries to Spain in the 19th with a dark and murky Goya-themed setting as the fitting backdrop for a tale of {…}
The Salzburg Festival has announced it 2019 season with five new productions, two revivals, and two concert operas. Here is a look at what audiences can expect this season. Productions The 2019 Salzburg Festival opens with Mozart’s “Idomeneo.” Teodor Currentzis and Peter Sellars team up again after “La Clemenza di Tito” with a cast that includes Russell Thomas (Idomeneo), Paula Murrihy {…}
“I saw the Queen of England weep!” It is true, at least in the brilliant portrayal of Elizabeth I by soprano, Sondra Radvanovsky, in the San Francisco Opera’s production of “Roberto Devereaux.” In Donizetti’s third and most popular Tudor Queen opera (“Anna Bolena” and “Maria Stuarda” being the other two), Radvanovsky sings with moving beauty as she dramatized the role {…}
Last year, rising Verdi star Russell Thomas spoke to OperaWire about his strategy for easing into such a titanic role the title role in Verdi’s “Otello.” “I always thought if I would try to take on such a monumental task, the first outing would have to be in concert so I can focus only on the singing and not have to {…}
It’s somewhat of a cliché for Golden Age thinking to creep into the dialogue of the opera world. How many times have you heard someone make the claim that they don’t make great voices the way they used to? The obvious answer is that they don’t because the world has changed and so have tastes. But sometimes, you’ll find those {…}
This Saturday, March 3, 2018, the Washington National Opera will be staging a four-act version of “Don Carlo” with a superstar cast. While many might turn to the likes of Leah Crocetto, Jamie Barton, or Eric Owens, for the star power, tenor Russell Thomas is poised to have a big night in his Washington National Opera debut. Thomas recently spoke {…}
The 2018-19 season at the Lyric Opera of Chicago is going to be a lot of fun. The company will be showcasing quite a number of new productions and bringing in some major stars for returns or debuts with the company. Let’s look at the top five performers that excite us most in this upcoming season. Anna Netrebko The Russian {…}
The Lyric Opera of Chicago has announced its 2018-19 season with a number of the greatest stars performing in new productions. The season will also include two important recitals from two of the world’s greatest sopranos. Recitals & Concerts Anna Netrebko returns to Chicago for the first time since 2013 when she performed “La Bohème.” This time she performs some {…}