San Francisco 2018: Vienna 2010. Connection? “Arabella,” Richard Strauss’s opera with a libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, their sixth and last operatic collaboration. Opening in a new production, the San Francisco Opera production is from Tim Albery, making his San Francisco debut. Albery designed it first for Santa Fe Opera in 2012. This was followed by a staging in 2013 {…}
Strauss’ “Elektra” will hit small screens around the globe as part of the Vienna State Opera’s live stream series this Friday, Oct. 19, 2018. The performance will be led by conductor Michael Boder and will star Waltraud Meier as Klytämnestra, Lise Lindstrom in the title role, Anna Gabler as Chrisothemis, Herbert Lippert as Aegisth, and René Pape as Orest. This {…}
The Vienna State Opera’s continues its hugely popular live stream series with Strauss’ “Ariadne Auf Naxos.” Two days after its “Der Freischutz” showcase, the company will present the final performance of “Ariadne auf Naxos” on Sept. 13, 2018. The cast includes such stars as Peter Matic, Stephen Gould, Daniela Fally, Adrianne Pieczonka, Sophie Koch, and Jochen Schmeckenbecher. Peter Lange conducts. {…}
On Sept. 1, 2018, the Teatro Julio Mario Santo Domingo will make history as it gives Strauss’ “Der Rosenkavalier” its Colombian premiere. No that was not a joke. Or fake news. One of the seminal masterpieces in opera history, composed and premiered in the early 1900s, is making its way to the South American country for the first time in {…}
The last time Strauss’ “Ariadne auf Naxos” was seen at Santa Fe Opera in 1999, the world was on the brink of a new millennium. Nineteen years later, this masterpiece finally saw a brilliant return to the Crosby Theater, in a new production by director Tim Albery and set and costume designer Tobias Hoheisel. Though “Ariadne auf Naxos” is now considered one {…}
For 68 summers, Northwest Arkansas has been an opera haven for young singers. High atop the Rock Candy Mountain at Inspiration Point in Eureka Springs, amid lush forests and vistas of a golden horizon, Opera in the Ozarks serves as an artist colony for performers from across the United States. The experience culminates in a month-long opera festival — by {…}
Of Richard Strauss’ 15 completed operas, his last opus “Capriccio” is arguably the most abstruse. For a start, it isn’t even called an opera but a “Conversation Piece for Music.” Many Strauss scholars are baffled by this highly cerebral, seemingly escapist bagatelle composed in the midst of the mayhem of World War II. It was as if Strauss and librettist {…}
James King, born on May 22, 1925, would go onto a prolific career as a heldentenor. But it took him a long way to get there. In fact, he didn’t make his debut as a tenor until 1961 when he was in his mid-30s. The reason for this is that his initial studies had led him down the path of {…}
This Thursday, May 24, 2018, the Vienna State Opera showcases a production of Strauss’ late work “Capriccio” via its famed live streaming service. Per the official website, the showcase stars Anna Gabler, Markus Eiche, Michael Schade, Adrian Eröd, Wolfgang Bankl, and Angelika Kirchschlager among its cast members with Michael Boder conducting the performance. The performance kicks off at 7 p.m. {…}
Kentucky-born soprano Judith Blegen, born on April 27, 1941, made a successful career dominated by her association with the Metropolitan Opera. She actually kicked off her career studying violin before switching over to voice at the Curtis Institute of Music and then went to Rome to continue her vocal studies. She would eventually kick off her career in Germany and {…}
The Music Academy of the West has announced its 71st season which is set for June 11, 2018. The festival will run through August 11, 2018, and will star some of the greatest artists in the world of opera and classical music. As has been the case for these season announcements, the focus will be solely on opera and vocal {…}