The Korean National Opera will present “Tannhäuser” starting on Oct. 17, 2024. The performances will take place at the Seoul Arts Center Opera Theater and run through Oct. 20, 2024. This represents the first time that Korean audiences will see the opera performed in its original language; it was previously showcased 45 years ago in in a Korean translation. For {…}
(Credit; Evan Zimmerman) “No Opera on a Dead Planet.” In the middle of Act two of the opening night of “Tannhäuser” as Wolfram delivered his “Blick ich umher in diesem edlen Kreise,” specifically as he sang that “love is a spring to be drunk from,” an audience member started shouting from the rafters of the Met Opera auditorium. The first {…}
Wagner’s “Tannhäuser” returns to the Metropolitan Opera for eight performances. The opera will open on Nov. 30 and will be performed through Dec. 23, 2023 with a cast that includes Austrian tenor Andreas Schager, South African soprano Elza van den Heever as Elisabeth, and Russian mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Gubanova as Venus. The cast will be rounded out by German baritone Christian Gerhaher {…}
(Credit: © Studioline Photography) Legendary heldentenor Peter Seiffert has withdrawn from the performances of Wagner’s romantic opera “Tannhäuser” at the Deutsche Oper Berlin on Feb. 12 and 20, 2022. As a result, Stephen Gould and Klaus Florian Vogt will take over the title role. Gould and Vogt join a cast that includes Camilla Nylund as Elisabeth and Venus, and Tobias {…}
(Credit: Devon Cass) The Vallejo Center for the Arts has announced that the Empress Theatre will reopen after two-year long hiatus due to COVID-19 pandemic with a special concert featuring Canadian American dramatic soprano Othalie Graham. The concert, which will take place on Jan. 15, 2022, will be dedicated to the great German composer Richard Wagner. Graham will perform dramatic {…}
The Bayerische Staatsoper has announced that baritone Christian Gerhaher will not be singing the role of Wolfram von Eschenbach for the performance of Wagner’s “Tannhäuser” on July 11, 2021. As a result, Sir Simon Keenlyside will take over the role. The company also announced that Elena Pankratova will replace Daniela Sindram in the role of Venus. Keenlyside recently performed at {…}
(Credit: Hilbert Artists Management official website) The Wiener Staatsoper has announced that mezzo-soprano Daniela Sindram will take over the role of Octavian for performances of Strauss‘ “Der Rosenkavalier” on June 13, 16 & 20, 2021. Sindram will join a cast that includes Albert Pesendorfer as Baron Ochs, Louise Alder as Sophie, and Marlis Petersen as Die Feldmarschallin. The cast is rounded {…}
(Credit: Ray Burmiston) Soprano Lise Davidsen will perform the concert at the Teatro alla Scala on May 10, 2021. The concert will be streamed on Raiplay from May 11, 2021 from 12 p.m. CET for a period of one week. The concert will be open to the audience within the limits of current Italian government’s COVID-19 legislation. Davidsen will present {…}
(Photo credit: Frances Marshall) What’s opera about? Passion? Drama? Politics? Sex? All the above, of course, and it’s been that way since 1597, even in the face of censorship. Yet, the prohibitions around taboo topics such as politics and sex caused composers and librettists to get creative when including such material in their operas. Opera critic, author, and historian par {…}
“At Home With… ” is a series collaboration between OperaWire and photographer Frances Marshall of Marshall Light Studio, combining original photography with insightful interviews. In this third installment, OperaWire spoke with mezzo-soprano Taxiarchoula Kanati. Greek mezzo-soprano Taxiarchoula Kanati was at the very cusp of moving into the next phase of her career when COVID-19 brought the world and the industry {…}
(Credit: Wilfried Hösl) The Bayerische Staatsoper has announced that it has canceled the presentations of “Judith,” a concert for orchestra coupled with Béla Bartók’s “Bluebeard’s Castle” on March 5, 8 & 11, 2021. The performances were supposed to star Nina Stemme and John Lundgren, with Oksana Lyniv conducting the production by Katie Mitchell. Additionally, the opera house has canceled performances {…}