(Photo: Ruth Walz) Like other fairytales, Richard Strauss’ opera, “Die Frau ohne Shatten,” with its cast of human and supernatural beings, otherworldly locations and a magical plot, makes use of symbols and metaphor to carry deeper messages and thus opens itself up to a wide range of interpretations. Katie Mitchell, the director for Dutch National Opera’s recent production, certainly took {…}
Theater Basel has announced its 2025-26 season. Premieres Kurt Weill’s “Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny” will be directed by Benedikt von Peter. Jasmin Jorias Etezadzadeh, Ronan Caillet, Andrew Murphy, Solenn’ Lavanant Linke, Rolf Romei, Ervin Ahmeti, Elliott Carlton Hines, and Marius Aron star. Stefan Klingele and Thomas Wise conduct. Performance Dates: August 28-Oct. 26, 2025 David Oller, Carmen Artaza, {…}
(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 {…}
The Des Moines Metro Opera has announced its 2025 Festival Season. “The 2025 Festival Season builds on the company’s reputation for curating a daring collection of works. These three fascinating pieces—legends, myths and parables—are drawn from far-flung corners of the operatic repertory and each elevates the intrinsic appeal of the other in beautiful ways,” said Linda Koehn General and Artistic {…}
The Bayerische Staatsoper has announced a cast change for Liegti’s “Le Grande Macabre.” The company noted that Sam Carl will sing the role of Astradamors replacing the previously announced Brindley Sherratt. Carl is currently rehearsing a new production of “Il trittico” at the Dutch National Opera. This summer he is set to perform in the Glyndebourne Festival’s production of “Giulio Cesare. {…}
© Glyndebourne Productions Ltd. Photo: Richard Hubert Smith Trigger warning: Mozart aficionados, look away now. One might think Wolfgang Amadeus to be somewhat overrated, and the fact that he was hugely prolific, widely acknowledged to be a prodigy and is almost globally asserted to have been a genius, does little by way of endearing his music to my ear. I {…}
Glyndebourne has unveiled its fall 2023 slate. Here is a rundown of the opera and vocal performances. First up is “L’Elisir d’amore.” The opera wills tar Mariam Battistelli, Filipe Manu, Theodore Platt, and Tiziano Bracci. Adam Hickox conducts the production, which will be directed by Annabel Arden. Performance Dates: Nov. 11 – Dec. 1, 2023 Also on the slate is “Don {…}
The Grand Theatre del Liceu has announced a cast change for its production of “Eugene Onegin.” The company said that Sam Carl will replace Andrea Mastroni in the role of Prince Gremin. The company said that Mastroni was forced to cancel due to personal reasons. Carl has previously appeared with the Glyndebourne Festival, Dutch National Opera, Opéra national de Lorraine, Concertgebouw {…}
(Photo credit: © Glyndebourne Productions Ltd. Richard Hubert Smith) John Cox and David Hockney’s production of “The Rake’s Progress” for Glyndebourne can surely lay claim to being the longest-running staging in the UK. It is 48-years-young this season, and on its 12th revival between Festival and Tour, not to mention the numerous loans of the production to international houses of {…}
(Photo: Bart Grietens) Amsterdam’s Opera Forward Festival is dedicated to the exploration of new operas and music theatre alongside other experimental experiences, performances and talks centered on a specific theme. In this, the festival’s seventh edition, it considered questions of revolution and freedom and was headlined by three new operas, two of which, “Animal Farm” by Alexander Raskatov and “Perle {…}
If you’re looking for some classic operas, this week has quite a few of them in store. If new operas are more your thing, then get ready for a couple of world premieres. But if all you want is some concerts featuring operatic superstars, then you can be content with some of the offerings this week as well. So without {…}