Glyndebourne Opera Festival 2024 Review: Tristan und Isolde

(Photo credit: Glyndebourne’s own official trailer highlights its festival as “No Ordinary Opera”. Certainly, the staging for “Tristan und Isolde” is far from ordinary, courtesy of a visually entrancing setting by Ronald Aeschlimann. The performers are basically encased in an elliptical vortex-type form of concentric circles, which I interpreted to be a depiction of some portal-like presence intended to illustrate {…}

Aigul Akhmetshina, Danielle de Niese & Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen Lead Glyndebourne Festival’s 2024 Season

The 2024 Glyndebourne Festival has been announced celebrating its 90th season. The season will open with a new production of Bizet’s “Carmen,” directed by Diane Paulus in her Glyndebourne directorial debut. Music Director Robin Ticciati and conductor Anja Bihlmaier will share conducting duties with two casts. The first cast will include mezzo-soprano Rihab Chaieb in the role of Carmen and {…}

Karen Cargill, Simon Keenlyside, Danielle De Niese & Ludovic Tézier Lead London Philharmonic’s 2022-23 Season

The London Philharmonic has announced its 2022-23 season. Here is a look at the vocal highlights. Edward Gardner conducts Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder with Lise Lindstrom, Karen Cargill, David Butt Philip, Robert Murray, and James Creswell. Performance Date: Sept. 24, 2022 Edward Gardner and soprano Jennifer France team up for Tchaikovsky, Dutilleux, Walker, and Dvořák. Performance Date: Sept. 28, 2022 Vaughan Williams’s {…}

Renée Fleming, Bryn Terfel, Roderick Williams, Shenyang, Sophie Bevan Headline London Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2021-22 Season

The London Philharmonic Orchestra has unveiled its 2021-22 London season. For the purposes of this article, our focus will be on vocal and operatic works. The season kicked off with Tippett’s “The Midsummer Marriage” starring Robert Murray, Sophie Bevan, Ashley Riches, Jennifer France, Toby Spence. Edward Gardner conducted. Performance Date: Sept. 25, 2021 Next up is “In Bluebeard’s Castle.” The {…}

Glyndebourne Festival 2021 Review: Tristan und Isolde

(Credit: © Glyndebourne Productions Ltd. Photo: Bill Cooper) Glyndebourne’s final production of this year’s festival is a semi-staged realization of Richard Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde,” conceived by Daniel Dooner and featuring Glyndebourne music director Robin Ticciati in the pit, accompanied by their resident orchestra the London Philharmonic Orchestra. It’s a production that boldly sets out several role debuts, in Simon {…}

J’Nai Bridges, Golda Schultz & Gabriella Reyes Lead LA Philharmonic’s 2021-22 Season

(Credit: Dario Acosta) The LA Philharmonic has announced its star-studded and diverse 2021-22 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances to be offered throughout the season. Gustavo Dudamel conducts Golda Schultz in Strauss’ Four Last Songs. The program also includes the composer’s Death and Transfiguration and Schoenberg’s Transfigured Night. Performance Dates: Oct. 14-17, 2021 Gustavo Dudamel will conduct {…}

Jonas Kaufmann, Sondra Radvanovsky & Javier Camarena Lead Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia’s 2021-22 Season

(Credit: © Gregor Hohenberg / Sony Classical/Michael Cooper/Dario Acosta) Rome’s Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia has announced its 2021-22 season featuring concert performances with some of the greatest stars in the world. For the purposes of this article, we will focus on vocal performances only. Concerts Jakub Hrůša conducts Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with Rachel Willis-Sørensen and Wiebke Lehmkuhl. Performance {…}

Shenyang, Brian Jagde, Jennifer Johnston Headline Shanghai Symphony Orchestra’s 2020-21 Season

The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Long Yu have announced the 2020-21 season. For the purposes of this article, we will focus primarily on vocal and operatic performances. Long Yu will conduct Fauré’s “Requiem” in a performance starring Soprano Ying Huang and Baritone Liao Changyong. The concert will also feature Huang Ruo’s “A Dust in Time” and Chopin’s “Andante {…}

Elīna Garanča, Ekaterina Semenchuk & Olga Peretyatko Highlight Berlin Philharmonic’s 2020-21 Season

Credit: Alexey Kostromin/Dario Acosta/Paul Schirnhofer-DG The Berlin Philharmonic has announced its 2020-21 season featuring a number of tours, vocal performances and world famous stars. For the purposes of this article we will only concentrate on vocal performances. The season opens with Musikfest, which was announced previously. Click here for more details. Philharmonie  Daniel Harding conducts countertenor Andrew Watts in music {…}