Three major releases are set for this week including two major box sets from one important artist and another of a major work. The Jonas Kaufmann Collection Arthaus is set to release a collection of three DVDs starring Jonas Kaufmann. The box set will include performances of “Fidelio,” “Nina,” and “Il Ritorno d’Ulisse” from Opernhaus Zurich. Artists in the box {…}
The Dallas Opera has announced that American mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe has won its 2019 Maria Callas Debut Artist of the Year Award. The Maria Callas Award, established during the 1991-92 season, is “given to a single performer each season in recognition of a particularly memorable and outstanding company debut” – in this case, Blythe’s “saucy, scene-stealing portrayal of Mistress Quickly in {…}
The Resonant Bodies Festival will return to New York this fall with three unique concert experiences. First off, the festival will feature tenor Anthony Roth Costanzo alongside Charmaine Lee and Jane Sheldon. Costanzo will feature music for voice and piano while Sheldon will bring an original monodrama “Poem for a Dried Up River.” Lee will work with Conrad Tao on {…}
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 {…}
“Dialogues des Carmélites” returns to the Metropolitan Opera for what will be its 58th performance on Friday, May 3. The opera is one of the beloved in the canon, even if its performances have not been as common at the Met over the ages. The work first premiered with the company on Feb. 5, 1977 and has only seen one {…}
The Atlanta Opera is set to showcase “Stephanie Blythe & Friends” on May 18, 2019. The concert is set to take place at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center at City Springs and will feature the famed mezzo alongside baritone Jonathan Bryan, soprano Anna Koźlakiewicz, mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Sarian, and tenor Justin Stolz. Pianist Craig Terry will be music director and {…}
This review was written as a collaboration between David & Francisco Salazar for the performance on Feb. 7, 2019. Over the course of five months the Metropolitan Opera has shown everything from Verismo, French, Classical, Contemporary, Russian, Hungarian and German opera; there has also been a solid abundance of Verdi opera. What has sorely been missing are works that have {…}
Sparks & Wiry Cries is set to present its first ever songSLAM Festival this January. The event, which will take place between Jan. 17-20, 2019, aims to engage audiences in current conversations throught contemporary art song. There will be a competition that features 10-12 art song premieres by emerging composer/performer teams with audiences voting on their favorite new work and {…}
Bard College has announced the appointment of Stephanie Blythe as artistic director of the Bard College Conservatory of Music Graduate Vocal Arts Program. The mezzo-soprano, who will begin her post in July 2019, said in a press statement, “Life is full of extraordinary journeys. Some are planned, some are hoped for, and some are joyful surprises. My appointment to this wonderful {…}
Even before you stepped into the Metropolitan Opera on Friday, Nov. 23, 2018, you knew who the star of the night was destined to be. The entire marketing campaign run by the Metropolitan Opera in anticipation of “Il Trittico” had seemingly focused on one person and one person only. The company had announced a special ceremony would take place at {…}
Puccini’s “Il Trittico” returns to the Met Opera on Nov. 23, 2018, for seven performances. Despite being one of Puccini’s finest works, it has only been presented with the company on 74 occasions; by the end of this run, it will have 81 performances total. As is always the case with these operas, there are a ton of singers involved {…}