(Photo: Semperoper/Ludwig Olah) The almost 800-year-old conflict on the Iberian Peninsular between the Spanish and the Moorish invaders gave rise to many stories of heroism, love and bloodshed. While some were based on fact, others were simply romantic embellishments or complete fabrications. One such tale of questionable authenticity concerns Rahel, the Jewish mistress of the King of Castile, Alfonso VIII. {…}
(Photo: © Ruth Walz) A couple of weeks ago, I had a lovely conversation with one of the dramaturgists of Salzburg Festival’s production of Verdi’s “Falstaff.” He pinpointed how strange it is for a dramaturg to hear that the staging for this production did not work, but the music did. To him, music and theater are part of the same {…}
(Credit: Johannes Ifkovits) Polish bass-baritone Tomasz Konieczny will replace Sir Bryn Terfel in the title role of Wagner‘s “Der Fliegende Holländer” at the Bayerische Staatsoper’s Opera Festival on July 7, 2021. No immediate reason was given for the cancellation. However, current arrivals from United Kingdom to Germany have been banned except for the German nationals and residents due to the {…}
(Credits: Bernard Martinez / Cory Weaver / Kirsten Nijhof / In Art Management official website) Opéra de Lyon has announced its 2021-22 season. Here is the full slate. Operas A concert version of Massenet‘s “Manon” will showcase Saimir Pirgu as Le Chevalier des Grieux, Artur Ruciński as Lescaut, and Patricia Petibon in the title role. The cast will be rounded {…}
(Credits: © Dario Acosta / Charles Castronovo official website / Deutsche Oper am Rhein official website / Kristian Schuller/Decca) The Salzburg Festival has announced its 2021 edition, featuring 8 operas and numerous concert performances. Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” will feature Mika Kares as Il Commendatore, Nadezhda Pavlova as Donna Anna, Michael Spyres in the role of Don Ottavio, Federica Lombardi as {…}
We are deep into the summer, but opera has not stopped. We are getting live performances throughout Europe and still getting full slates of online opera offerings. So for this week’s recommendations, we are looking at a wide range of options, including a few classic works, a recital from two major opera stars, and a lot of new operas. As {…}
(Credit: Dario Acosta NY) German mezzo-soprano Tanja Ariane Baumgartner is one of the most sought-after opera singers of our time. Baumgartner has been a member of the ensemble at Oper Frankfurt since the 2009-10 season. During her time in Frankfurt, Tanja Baumgartner made appearances in numerous operas including “Carmen,” “Giulio Cesare in Egitto,” “Don Carlo,” “Medea,” “Die Frau ohne Schatten,” {…}
(Credit: Anne Zeuner / Salzburg Festival) Strauss’ opera “Elektra” will open this year’s Festival in Salzburg, in quite unique circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Conductor Franz Welser-Möst and stage director Krzysztof Warlikowski discussed their views of the production in a recent press release from the Salzburg Festival. “The danger of becoming inebriated with the opulence of sound and losing {…}
(Credit: Official Website Aušrinė Stundytė / P Gasiunas) The Salzburg Festival has announced that it will record its production of Strauss’ “Elektra“ via ORF, 3sat, ZDF/ARTE and UNITEL in collaboration with the Vienna Philharmonic and the Salzburg Festival and will be broadcast as followed. The company will then stream the production over the course of several days via some a {…}
(Image Source / Credit: Askonas Holt / Dario Acosta / Cecilia Bartoli Official Website) The Salzburg Festival has announced its revised edition. Here is a look at the vocal performances. Opera Franz Welser-Möst Conducts R. Strauss’ “Elektra“ in a production by Krzysztof Warlikowski. The production stars Tanja Ariane Baumgartner, Aušrine Stundyte, Asmik Grigorian, Michael Laurenz Aegisth, and Derek Welton. Performance Dates: August 1- {…}
The Grand Théâtre de Genève, Switzerland has announced its 2020-21 season featuring a number of opera performances and recitals. Ingela Brimberg stars in the title role of Puccini’s “Turandot” with Aleksey Tikhomirov, Teodor Ilincai, Martin Muehle, and Elena Guseva. Antonino Fogliani conducts Daniel Kramer’s production. Performance Dates: Sept. 15-26, 2020 Marc Minkowski conducts Robert Wilson’s production of Handel’s “Messiah” with Elena {…}