“The voice must be heard.” For the last two years, this has been the calling card for the Metropolitan Opera’s marketing department, a call to just come and listen to opera as it is intended to be. An invitation to experience something that can’t be experienced anywhere. For many, that tagline has been particularly emblematic of the vocal wizardry that {…}
Another week and more fun stuff on Instagram. One, in particular, has the internet won over. Ailyn Pérez wants everyone to be excited about her upcoming “Thaïs” at the Metropolitan Opera. J’ai trop hâte de finalement devenir Thaïs ce samedi! Ces costumes et cette musique sont d’une beauté exceptionnelle 😌💕✨ . . @geraldfinleyofficial you rock!! What a wonderful colleague to {…}
This Saturday afternoon, Ailyn Pérez becomes just the sixth soprano in Metropolitan Opera history to take on the role of Massenet’s “Thaïs.” The opera doesn’t have a particularly massive history, sung just 73 times with the company in 100 years, the first performance coming all the way back in February 1917. Here is a look at all the other major {…}
Massenet’s “Thaïs” is a beautiful feat of musical drama. The opera, which premiered on March 16, 1894, is rich in its character development and Massenet’s own development as a dramatist. While the work is filled with glorious musical writing, there is no doubt that the single most iconic moment of the work is the dramatic midpoint – Thaïs’ meditation. Played {…}
Often when we react to a flood of news, like a new opera season, it is easy to dwell on some of the negatives, such as which of your favorites are now showing up or which operas got the boot for yet another season. But the beauty of a new season is ultimately the gems that we will get to {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced its 2017-18 season and as promised, it contains a lot of hotly anticipated productions and performances. Here is a quick rundown with OperaWire set to include additional content throughout the day. The New Productions The Metropolitan Opera season will feature five new productions. David McVicar’s new production of Bellini’s “Norma” will open the season on {…}
The Minnesota Opera has announced its 2017-18 season, a celebration for the company’s 55th anniversary. The season opens with Donizetti’s “Don Pasquale” on Oct. 7 and runs through the 15. It will be followed in November with a new production of Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro.” The opera will premier on Nov. 11 and will run through the 19. The 2018 {…}
French soprano Géori Boué passed away on Thursday at the age of 98. The singer was born on October 16, 1918 in Toulouse and managed an exemplary career in her native country. She studied at the Music Conservatory in Touluse, taking on voice with Claude Jean, piano and harp. She made her debut in Toulouse in 1938 and rose to fame {…}