(Credit: Karen Almond / Met Opera) A man speaks out against a tyrant and gets dragged off to jail. That’s at the core of the plot of “Fidelio.” Unsurprisingly, as the Met Opera was reviving Beethoven’s lone operatic work, this very script played out in a different theatrical arena – the U.S. Congress – hours after the “leader of the {…}
The Bayreuth Festival has unveiled its 2025 season. The season opens with “Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg” starring Michael Spyres, Georg Zeppenfeld, Christina Nilsson, Christa Mayer, and Matthias Stier. Daniele Gatti conducts and Matthias Davids directs. Performance Dates: July 25 – August 22, 2025 Valentin Schwarz’s “Das Rheingold” will be conducted by Simone Young and features Tomas Konieczny, Olafur Sigurdarson, Daniele Behle, {…}
(Photo: Krzysztof Mystkowski) The journey to Opera Lesna – literally translated as Forest Opera – is an experience in itself. From Gdansk by car, bike or bus, you arrive in the parking lot of the forest and have to make a a short pilgrimage to the site – yes, there is an unintended resemblance to approaching the hallowed halls of {…}
(Photo: Krzysztof Mystkowski) What do you expect to find in a Polish forest? Chanterelles or blueberries, deer or foxes perhaps. But opera? That’s how it is in the forest of the seaside resort of Sopot, not far from Gdansk, on the shores of the Baltic Sea. And has been since 1909! Not continuously, but over and over, so much so {…}
The Bayreuth Festival has announced a cast change for “Der Fliegende Holländer” for the performance on August 8, 2024. The company said, “Due to an injury, Michael Volle will not be able to sing the title role in “Der Fliegende Holländer” on August 8th. We are very grateful to Tomasz Konieczny for taking over at short notice.” Konieczny is well-known {…}
The Kosciuszko Foundation has announced details of the 2024 Marcella Sembrich International Voice Competition. This year’s competition is open to singers of all voice types and nationalities between the ages of 20 and 32. The jury panel includes conductor Daniele Callegari and bass-baritone Tomasz Konieczny. Under the artistic direction of Thomas Lausmann, Director of Music Administration at the Metropolitan Opera, {…}
The Staatstheater Wiesbaden has announced its 2024-25 Season. Premieres Ligeti’s “Le Grand Macabre” will be conducted by GMD Leo McFall with Pınar Karabulut directing. Seth Carico, Cornel Frey, Galina Benevich, Josefine Mindus, Sion Goronwy, Ariana Lucas, Aaron Cawley, Hovhannes Karapetyan, Inna Fedorii, Fleuranne Brockway, Wooseok Shim, James Young, and Fabian-Jakob Balkhausen starring. Premiere Date: Sept. 28, 2024 Christian Rohrbach conducts {…}
(Photo credit: LA Opera, Karpati&Zarewicz) The Baltic Opera Festival has announced its 2024 season lineup. Liudmyla Monastyrska and Rafał Siwek perform the lead roles in “Turandot.” Keri-Lynn Wilson conducts the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra. Waldemar Zawodziński directs. Performance Dates: July 20 & 25, 2024 (Forest Opera in Sopot) Natalia Babińska’s production of Engelbert Humperdinck, “Hansel and Gretel” is next. The cast {…}
The Dutch National Opera has announced its 2024-25 season. Opera René Barbera, Roman Burdenko, Aigul Khismatullina, Alexander Köpeczi, and Maya Gour Star in a revival of Verdi’s “Rigoletto.” Yi-Chen Lin conducts. Performance Dates: Sept. 2-29, 2024 Britten’s “Peter Grimes” will get a new production by Barbora Horáková. Lorenzo Viotti conducts a cast that includes Issachah Savage, Johanni van Oostrum, and {…}
Staatsoper Hamburg has announced its 2024-25 season. Premieres First up is Carl Orff’s “Trionfi.” Calixto Bieito directs a cast starring Nicole Chevalier, Florian Panzieri, Sandra Hamaoui, and Oleksiy Palchykov, among others. Kent Nagano conducts. Performance Dates: Sept. 21 – Oct. 12, 2024 “Der Freischütz” stars Andrzej Dobber, Hubert Kowalczyk, Julia Kleiter, Alina Wunderlin, and Johan Reuter. Yoel Gamzou conducts and Andreas {…}
The Wiener Staatsoper has announced two new cast changes. The company said that Leonardo Neiva will sing the role of Michele in “Il Tabarro” on Oct. 23 replacing Michael Volle. Meanwhile, Tomasz Konieczny will sing the role of the Barak in “Die Frau ohne Schatten” on Oct. 24, also stepping in for Michael Volle. These are the latest performances that Michael {…}