The Salzburg Festival is donating 50,000 Euros to facilitate musical education for Syrian refugee children in Jordan over the next two years. The festival announced that the money being donated to MECI (Middle East Children’s Institute) was the net profit from ticket sales for the dress rehearsal of Verdi’s “Aida” performed on August 3, 2017. The performance starred Anna Netrebko, Francesco Meli, {…}
Mozart’s “La Clemenza di Tito” is slated to be live streamed on Medici.tv from the Salzburg Festival on August 4. Starring Russell Thomas as Tito Vespasiano, Golda Schultz as Vitellia and Marianne Crebassa as Sesto, the opera will be recorded by ORF/3Sat and UNITEL in collaboration with the Salzburg Festival. The opera will also be broadcast on August 4, 2017, on ORF 2 and later on August {…}
Ever since 2002, Anna Netrebko has been a mainstay at the Salzburg Festival, headlining some of the most acclaimed productions of the showcase. In fact, her productions have often drawn some of the biggest audiences due to her magnetic star power and brilliant stage presence. This week looks to be no different as the diva headlines another new production, Verdi’s {…}
There are a ton of Verdi tenors out there capable of dominating his major roles. But few are like Francesco Meli. The Italian tenor has made the works of the great Busetto genius his bread and better, performing such major works as “La Traviata,” “Il Trovatore,” “Rigoletto,” “Nabucco,” “Macbeth,” “Ernani,” “Don Carlo,” “Luisa Miller,” “Un Ballo in Maschera” and even some {…}
For Luca Salsi, there is no composer better than Verdi. No one. Salsi, the Italian baritone, who is slated to sing the role of Amonasro at the Salzburg Festival starting in early August, has repeatedly professed that no composer in the history of Italian opera was able to fuse music and text with the same level of conviction and depth. {…}
Swarovski will once again partner with the Salzburg Festival for the upcoming “Aida.” The glass manufacturer, which was responsible for Anna Netrebko’s dress for her concert performances of “Manon Lescaut” and the Cat suit in “Faust” last summer, will create jewels for Anna Netrebko and will use Swarovski crystals for many of the costumes worn by the principals. The idea for {…}
It’s been a summer of debuts for Russell Thomas and he is about to make yet another one on Thursday, July 27, when he takes on the title role in “La Clemenza di Tito” at the Salzburg Festival. This will be Thomas’ first time singing at the festival in a role that he has previously conquered. The American tenor took {…}
The Salzburg Festival’s new production of Verdi’s “Aida” is one of the most anticipated of the summer season as it will see Anna Netrebko make her role debut as the Ethiopian princess, all while reuniting her with Maestro Riccardo Muti. However, it will also be exciting as it will see visual artist Shirin Neshat direct it. In anticipation of the {…}
Maria Agresta has pulled out of two concert performances of Verdi’s “I Due Foscari” as she undergoes an operation. In her stead, audiences will hear Chinese soprano Guanqun Yu. Yu placed second in the 2012 Operalia Competition and has showcased her talents around the world. In 2017-18 she is slated to take on the role of Liù in “Turandot” at {…}
C Major has revealed that it will be recording a performance of “Aida” from this summer’s Salzburg Festival. The company put up the recording information for the production on its website. Why is this important? Because it hints at the possibility of the performance being released on DVD at a later date. And of course, these performances from Salzburg will {…}
Rolando Villazon has been named the artistic director of the Mozarteum Foundation’s Mozart Week. The foundation announced that Villazon will begin his position this year as he will plan programs dedicated to Mozart in what the festival calls Mozart Week. The first Mozart Week that will be entirely programmed by Villazón takes place in 2019 and his contract is expected {…}