Sir Simon Rattle is retiring from the Berlin Philharmonic. Saturday night at the Waldbuehne, Berlin, was one of the farewell concerts. This one included his wife as guest artist – the superb mezzo-soprano, Magdalena Kozena. Despite the rain that drizzled on the 20,000+ people armed with blankets and ponchos, and its proximity to the concrete tower left over from the {…}
The Philharmonie de Paris has announced its 2018-19 season filled with numerous concerts and operatic selections. The season will see a number of international stars and orchestras as guest artists to this important Parisian hall. Here is a look at the vocal highlights. Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra continue their exploration of the Ring Cycle with “Siegfried.” The opera {…}
On April 17, Puccini’s “Tosca” will be transmitted on Arte.tv. The production from the Baden-Baden Festival will star Kristine Opolais and Marcelo Alvarez in the lead roles while Evgeny Nikitin will star as Scarpia. Sir Simon Rattle conducts the Berlin Philharmonic in Philipp Himmelman’s new production. Opolais is best known for her work in Puccini and is one of the {…}
On April 7, The Baden-Baden Osterfestpiele will open with a new production of Puccini’s “Tosca.” The production will be directed by Philipp Himmelmann, who is best known for his work in Verdi’s “Don Carlo” in Berlin and Puccini’s “Tosca” at the Bregenz festival. Sir Simon Rattle returns to conducting duties after leading Baden-Baden’s production of Puccini’s “Manon Lescaut” in 2014. {…}