The Teatro Real in Madrid is experiencing an outbreak of COVID-19 cases. According to Beckmesser, during “Peter Grimes” rehearsals 20 members of the production caught the virus. While the Teatro Real has yet to confirm the news, Intermezzo which represents the chorus has confirmed that four of the 12 soloists in the production have caught the virus while nine chorus {…}
“Norma” has probably been the only Bellini work that has always been present in the operatic repertoire since it premiered at the Teatro alla Scala in 1831. After its failure on opening night it turned out to be a real success following its second performance and quickly went on to be performed throughout Europe and North America. It became the {…}
(Credit: Silvia Lelli) The Teatro Real de Madrid is one of the few theaters in the world that is currently performing for live audiences. The company has worked with performers and audiences to ensure the safety of everyone and still be able to bring culture in a socially distanced fashion. Annalisa Stroppa is one of the performers who is currently {…}
The Teatro Real de Madrid has announced a cast change for its upcoming “Norma” production. The Spanish theater announced that Maurizio Benini has had to cancel his participation in the production due to personal reasons. As a result, Marco Armiliato will conduct the opera. Armiliato is well known around the world and has conducted at the Metropolitan Opera, Arena di {…}
(Credit: Studioline Photography / Xavier Sabata official website / Ascolta Artists official website) The Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España has announced that it will perform a version of Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana” for two pianos and the percussion on Feb. 12-14, 2021. The showcase will be presented by the Coro Nacional, and the percussion section of the Orquesta Nacional {…}
(Photo: Jon Tyson) Every Friday, Polina Lyapustina delivers a short essay on some of the most sensitive topics in the industry with the intent of establishing a dialogue about the opera world and its future. This week, I tried to flee from the grave feelings I experienced last week working on my piece about the situation with the Met Orchestra {…}
Credit: Marica Rosengard Celebrated Finnish soprano Karita Mattila has been awarded the Order of the Lion of Finland, First Class Commander Badge. The Order of the Lion of Finland is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty and the Order of the White Rose of Finland. The famed Finnish soprano has {…}
The Teatro Real de Madrid has announced that its current production of “Rusalka” will be streamed on Mezzo.tv. The company will stream the performance on Nov. 25 with Ivor Bolton conducting and Christof Loy directing the production. Asmik Grigorian sings the title role with a cast that includes Eric Cutler as the Prince, Karita Mattila as the Foreign Princess, Maxim Kuzmin-Karavaev as {…}
(Credit: Tatiana Vlasova) Soprano Marina Rebeka will give a recital at the Teatro alla Scala on Oct. 20, 2020, with Giulio Zappa accompanying at the piano. The program for the concert includes Verdi’s “In solitaria stanza,” “Ave Maria,” and the famed “Brindisi” in its original version; Francesco Paolo Tosti’s “Vorrei” and “Visione”; Respighi’s “Notte,” “Pioggia,” and “Nebbie”; Cesar’ Kjui’s “La {…}
(Credit: Michael Cooper) “People are craving music and all the healing, soothing, and bonding elements it provides.” American-Canadian soprano superstar Sondra Radvanovsky was in Rio de Janeiro on March 13, 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world in full force. Radvanovsky was slated to perform at the Theatro Municipal, but the performance ended up being canceled. Faced with a {…}
(Photo Credit: Lizelle de Wit) The COVID-19 pandemic had a huge impact for many opera singers and companies all over the world. Not only were performances canceled left and right, but there were concerns over when and how singers might be able to get back on the operatic stage. As the months passed by, we saw online performances, socially distanced {…}