Bellini’s “I Capuleti e I Montecchi” has long been ignored in the New York tri-state area. Even though the work has had several performances in New York City, first in 1848, then in 1958 in Carnegie Hall, and later in 1999 with the Opera Orchestra of New York, the work has remained absent from major theaters like the Metropolitan Opera. {…}
In the ongoing conversation about the future opera is a desire to move forward toward new works and the continued evolution of the work in contrast to the “canon.” But it’s rare for part of that conversation to encompass a reconsideration of forgotten works as a means of enriching our understanding of the art form. At least this is often {…}
Teatro Nuovo, the innovative company at the leading edge of the Bel Canto revival, has announced its 2024 summer season. The company will present first present “Anna di Resburgo,” the opera by Carolina Uccelli. This will mark the modern restoration of a forgotten milestone. The cast includes soprano Chelsea Lehnea as Anna, tenor Santiago Ballerini as her exiled husband Edemondo, {…}
Teatro Nuovo is joining the Maria Callas Centenary Celebration with “CALLAS: PAST AND FUTURE.” The day-long event, scheduled for Dec. 2 at El Museo del Barrio in New York will feature numerous events spotlighting the famed opera icon. “Teatro Nuovo, like all performers and fans of Bel Canto, owes everything to Callas,” said company director Will Crutchfield in an official {…}
Photo credit: Steve Pisano Teatro Nuovo is an opera company solely dedicated to the discovery and rediscovery of Italian music specifically from the Bel Canto period. In fact, they are the only opera company in the world dedicated to doing this right now. And, they are doing it exceedingly well. The Naples brothers Federico and Luigi Ricci’s “Crispino e la {…}
Santiago Ballerini as Poliuto. Credit: Steve Pisano Donizetti’s opera “Poliuto” is an odd duck with an intriguing history. Although completed in 1838, it did not premiere until ten years later, on November 30, 1848, at Teatro San Carlo. The delay resulted from disapproval from royal Neapolitan censors, who gave a big thumbs down to portraying a saint as a jealous {…}
Photo: Suzanne Vinnik Santiago Ballerini, Liz Culpepper, & Chelsea Lehnea will lead Teatro Nuovo’s 2023 Bel Canto season. Audiences will hear bel canto operas with period instruments and enjoy a concert dedicated to Maria Callas. Gaetano Donizetti’s drama “Poliuto” features Ballerini in the title role. He is joined by Lehnea, Ricardo José Rivera, Hans Tashjian, Krishna Raman, Robert Kleinertz, James {…}
Teatro Nuovo has announced that it will present “Maometto Secondo” on Nov. 2 at the Rose Theater in New York City. The opera was set for performances earlier this summer in July at the Rose Theater at the Kasser Theater in Montclair, NY, but was postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak. “We are thrilled to be back at work with {…}
Teatro Nuovo has postponed its performances of “Maometto Secondo” and “La Sonnambula.” Per an official press statement, the company announced that the postponement was due to a surge of COVID-19 cases within the company. “We are heartbroken for our performers, who worked right up to the cusp of dress rehearsals, and terribly sorry to disappoint our ticket-holders but safety comes {…}
Teatro Nuovo has announced its 2022 season featuring two operas. The company will also resume its renowned training program, giving an immersive course in Bel Canto style and technique to 22 elite young singers who will serve as the understudies and chorus of the two operas. The season will open with Rossini’s “Maometto Secondo” with bass Hans Tashjian in the {…}
Photos: Steven Pisano This review is of the July 27, 2021 performance. Opera is back in New York City, and it returned not as a big-budget production with gargantuan sets, light shows, animals, and all the trappings of grand opera but as a humble outdoor, semi-staged presentation of Rossini’s beloved comedy, “The Barber of Seville,” put on by Teatro Nuovo, {…}