The London Philharmonic Orchestra has canceled its upcoming Ring Cycle. The orchestra announced that “Götterdämmerung” will be programmed at the earliest time possible in order to complete the Orchestra’s first-ever Ring Cycle with Maestro Vladimir Jurowski. David Burke, Chief Executive of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, announced the news stating, “With deep regret and heartfelt sadness I must inform you that {…}
(Credit: Emelie Kroon) When COVID-19 struck a few months back, one of the final “live” performances to take the stage was a rendition of Wagner’s “Die Walküre” in Sweden. Among the performers in that production was dramatic soprano Elisabet Strid, who took on the role of Sieglinde. Strid, who has performed in such opera houses as the Teatro Real, Lyric {…}
(Credits: Stefan Vinke / Iona MacPherson / Vitalij Kowaljow official website) Opera Australia has announced new dates for its production of Richard Wagner’s Ring cycle. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the opera house was forced to postpone the production for 2021. Wagner’s acclaimed masterwork was originally been scheduled for November 2020. Per the new schedule, the season will now {…}
Opera Australia has announced that it will be postponing its hotly anticipated production of “Der Ring des Nibelungen” until 2021 due to continued concerns over COVID-19. The production, which was originally scheduled for November 2020, will be directed by Chen Shi-Zheng and was to be the first fully digital staging of the famed tetralogy. “As disheartening as this news is, {…}
(Credit: Fay Fox / Dan Steinberg) Los Angeles Opera has announced its latest set of performances as part of its LAO at Home series. Kicking things off will be a living room recital featuring tenor Russell Thomas. The famed interpreter of such works as “Norma,” “Otello,” “La Clemenza di Tito,” and “Tosca,” will work together with pianist Kyung-mi Kim on {…}
(Credit: Studio Ghibli / Ken Howard / Metropolitan Opera) “Opera Meets Film” is a feature dedicated to exploring the way that opera has been employed in cinema. We will select a film section or a film in its entirety and highlight the impact that utilizing the operatic form or sections from an opera can alter our perception of a film {…}
Queen City Opera is joining the ranks of opera companies around the world who are giving audiences a chance to check out a past production online. The Cincinnati-based company is now its complete history of production available for free online via its QueenCityOpera.org and on YouTube. Among the offerings are three Mozart operas including “Don Giovanni,” “Zaide,” and “Bastien und {…}
The GAFA Arts Collective, London and Europe’s first Samoan arts collective, is set to showcase the concert “Siegfried the Wagner Blade” at St. Marys in Putney on Nov. 23, 2019. The cast features three Samoan artists including Sani Muliaumaseali’i, a tenor, who will take on the title role alongside his brother, bass-baritone Toto Muliaumaseali’i, in the role of the Wanderer. {…}
August 16 and 17, 1876 featured the world premieres of “Siegfried” and “Götterdämmerung,” respectively. Those two operas have remained, along with the other two Ring operas, major fixtures of the opera repertory. In fact, the creation of the works, their history, and legacy, is legendary, especially among major Wagnerites. And it is precisely them that we challenge with this quiz {…}
Richard Wagner, born on May 22, 1813, is arguably opera’s most famed revolutionary. His music creates a wide range of emotional reactions from his audiences. Some people are completely obsessed with his music and can’t really consider anyone near his level. Other enjoy it in bits and pieces but might find the lengths of his works challenging. Others still outright {…}
Another big season at the Metropolitan Opera has come and gone. The 2018-19 was a rather fascinating one from a repertory perspective, offering up a wide range of music from some of the greatest composers. The year wound up being a mixed bag of sorts from a quality standpoint with the best performances arguably taking place once the calendar turned {…}