(Credit: Marco Borggreve) The Mayor of Granada and President of the Granada Consortium for Music Luis Salvador has announced that he conductor and oboist Lucas Macías Navarro has been appointed the new Artistic Director of Orquesta Ciudad de Granada. Lucas Macías Navarro holds the position of Principal Conductor of the Orquesta Oviedo Filarmonía. Macías Navarro has performed with such orchestras {…}
The Vienna State Opera will live stream Verdi’s “Simon Boccanegra” on Oct. 26, 2019. The middle-period Verdi work will be conducted by Paolo Carignani with Simone Piazzola in the title role. Marina Rebeka will star as his daughter Amelia with Fabio Sartori as Gabriele Adorno and Ferruccio Furlanetto in his signature role of Fiesco. The stream kicks off at 6 {…}
“Simon Boccanegra” is one of Verdi’s most divisive operas. Many consider it among his greatest works, while others find it a major bore. The opera had its world premiere on March 12, 1857, in a version that was received very poorly. The original reaction was so negative that the opera was quickly forgotten. But Verdi endured and before working with {…}
During its 350th anniversary season, the Opéra National de Paris presented a new production of one of the most difficult and controversial Verdi’s operas, “Simon Boccanegra.” With a solid cast and no boundaries of interpretation, Calixto Bieito decided to tell a recklessly modernized story, with characters seemed prohibited from interacting with one another and simply had to ignore each other {…}
Suspension of disbelief is crucial in the opera-going world – its characters being frequently endowed with childlike minds that have no sense of time or fear of consequence. With its apparently ageless characters and scarcely tenable premise, Verdi’s tale of “Simon Boccanegra” – the 14th century’s first Doge of Genoa – has few laurels on which it can rest. Encompassing {…}
Lawrence Tibbett was one of the shining stars of the Metropolitan Opera in the pre-World War II era. The baritone, born on Nov. 16, 1896, would sing over 600 performances with the company between his debut on Nov. 24, 1923 and his final performance on March 24, 1950. Interestingly, he began his Met career as a bit role in “Boris {…}
The last time I saw Plácido Domingo up close was the first time: “Andrea Chénier,” San Francisco, 1975. He was a dashing superstar and a tenor. On Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018, he was General Director of the Los Angeles Opera, overseer of Operalia, The World Opera Competition, which he founded in 1993, conductor, divo, and baritone. What also changed was {…}
Tenor Riccardo Massi will make his role debut as Gabriele Adorno in “Simon Boccanegra” at the Opéra de Marseille on Oct. 2, marking a major dream come true for the artist. The tenor will appear in a production directed by legendary baritone Leo Nucci with conductor Paolo Arrivabeni at the podium. Over the course of four performances, Massi will work {…}
The Vienna State Opera’s live stream series resumes this Sunday, May 13, 2018, when the company showcases Verdi’s middle period masterwork “Simon Boccanegra.” Per the official website, the Peter Stein production will be conducted by Evelino Pidò and stars Thomas Hampson in his iconic signature interpretation of the conflicted Doge. Dmitry Belosselskiy, coming off a successful run of “Luisa Miller” {…}
The Opéra National de Paris has announced its cinema season for the 2018-19 season. Here is a look at the works that you can expect to see on the silver screen. Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots (Oct. 4, 2018): The season begins with Meyerbeer’s grand opera starring Bryan Hymel, Diana Damrau, Ermonela Jaho, and Nicolas Testé. Michele Mariotti conducts Andreas Kriegenburg’s new production. Verdi’s {…}
Leonard Warren, born on April 21, 1911, was one of the greatest American baritones in opera history. He is also widely remembered for one of the most tragic deaths in the artform. Warren grew up in the Bronx and worked in his father’s fur business early in his life. At 24, he joined the chorus of the Radio City Music {…}
