After “Il Turco in Italia” premiered in New York in 1826, the work has rarely been performed with some productions at the New York City Opera and the Juilliard School. However, in Europe it has been revived to great acclaim at many of the most prestigious theaters in the world including the Teatro alla Scala, Royal Opera House, and Teatro {…}
(Credit: Steven Pisano) It takes a ton of courage to present one of the staples of the opera repertoire and offer a unique take on it, especially when that work is “Don Giovanni.” Mozart and Da Ponte’s dramma giocosa is an emblem of the art form, one of the great operas that has been dissected, reimagined, and directed to death {…}
The Teatro Nuovo has announced its eighth season of Bel Canto revivals. The season will open with Mozart’s “Il Don Giovanni” starring Ricardo José Rivera, Martin Luther Clark, Kevin Spooner, Elizabeth Novella, Sedona Libero, Simona Genga, and Daniel Mobbs. Geoffrey Loff will lead the orchestra from the keyboard. Performance Dates: July 11, 3:00 pm at Alexander Kasser Theater, Montclair State {…}
Verdi’s “Macbeth” is a pillar of the standard repertory, beloved for the composer’s ability to capture the spirit of one of the bard’s great plays. If “Macbeth” never captures the raw power of “Otello” or the immaculate precision and robustness of “Falstaff,” it is merely because of his three Shakespeare adaptations, this is the earliest in his oeuvre. And yet, {…}
The Teatro Nuovo has announced its 2025 Bel Canto Festival. Verdi’s “Macbeth” will be presented in its original 1847 version. The production will star Ricardo José Rivera, Alexandra Loutsion, and Martin Luther Clark. Jakob Lehmann conducts and directors. Performance Dates: July 19, 2025 at Alexander Kasser Theater, Montclair State University & July 23, 2025 at New York City Center Bellini’s “La Sonnambula” {…}
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 {…}