On Sept. 21, 2017, the Vienna State Opera will present Richard Strauss’ early masterwork “Salome” as part of its live streaming service. The performance kicks off at 8 p.m. local time and runs through 9:45 p.m. with no intermissions. The work will feature Gun-Brit Barkmin in the title role while Zeljko Lucic will play her obsession Jochanaan. As Herodias, audiences {…}
San Francisco Opera’s “Elektra” is a powerhouse! From the minute the curtain rises on the “Museum Elektra,” filled with the artifacts of the Greek age and styled with an array of modern visitors, complete with cell phones and baseball caps, one strange dark-haired woman skulking around from this case to that, defying the Guards who monitor the whole scene until {…}
From start to finish, Strauss’s “Elektra” pulls us into the dark night of the soul and its tormented landscape. There Electra does with us what she does to herself – rages, grieves, strains, plots and plans, and violates any chance she has for peace of mind or human freedom. If she thinks that such a prospect will grant her ease, {…}
The Verbier Festival will be live streaming a performance of Richard Strauss’ “Salome” on July 21, 2017. The opera will be a concert version of the famed work featuring Charles Dutoit as the conductor of the Verbier Festival Orchestra. Soprano Gun-Brit Barkmin will lead a cast that also includes Jane Henschel, Egils Silins and Gerhard Siegel, who recently performed the {…}
***Update: Eric Owens Will Be Singing the role of Oreste instead of Hampson, who has canceled. The Verbier Festival will livestream Strauss’ “Elektra” on Medici.tv on July 27, 2017. The opera will star Lise Lindstrom in the title role alongside Ingela Brimberg as Chrysothemis, Anna Larsson as Klytaemnestra and Thomas Hampson as Orest. Esa-Pekka Salonen will conduct the Verbier Festival {…}
During the first half of the 20th century, Kirsten Flagstad was THE Wagner soprano, her interpretations of the repertoire among the most famous of all time. Flagstad, for all her greatness, did not leave a lot of opera recordings, a true shame, especially considering the plethora of options available to singers shortly after her prime. The Metropolitan Opera did preserve {…}
Starting on Friday, June 16 at 7:30 p.m., EDT, Apotheosis Opera presents Strauss’ “Capriccio,” with a follow-up performance on Sunday, June 18 at 3:00 p.m. EDT. The last opera by the great German composer allows the audience to get a glimpse of what happens behind the scenes in theater while positing important philosophical questions about the relationship between music and {…}
Richard Strauss, born on June 11, 1864, is one of opera’s greatest composers. And many of his operas, including “Elektra,” “Salome,” “Der Rosenkavalier,” “Die Frau ohne Schatten,” and “Ariadne auf Naxos,” are major repertoire staples. Others still get occasional performances, including “Arabella,” “Capriccio,” and “The Egyptian Helen.” But there are still others that for whatever reason simply never made the cut {…}
Take a look at the global box office for a moment. At number 10, below such films as “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “The Fate of the Furious,” “The Circle” and “Beauty and the Beast,” all featuring some of Hollywood’s most notable actors, is “Der Rosenkavalier.” That is the worldwide box office. Take that in for a second. The Met’s Live {…}
When she steps on stage this Thursday to take her final run of Richard Strauss’ “Der Rosenkavalier,” Renée Fleming will have closed a door to one of the roles that was at the core of her legacy at the Metropolitan Opera. The new Robert Carsen Production has a star-studded cast with the likes of Elina Garanca, Matthew Polenzani, Erin Morley {…}
Elina Garanča has been hailed as one of the great mezzos of her time and one can see why the moment she steps on stage. She is an imposing actress who personifies each of her characters to perfection and has a luscious and expressive voice. This week she returns to the Metropolitan Opera to end one phase of her career. The talk {…}