ORF III is set to broadcast Puccini’s “Tosca” on August 22 from the Graz Schloßbergbühne Kasematten. The broadcast will star Jonas Kaufmann, Kristīne Opolais, and Sir Bryn Terfel, who will be joined by the Grazer Philharmoniker, the Grazer Opernchor, and the Singschul of the Graz Opera. Marcus Merkel will conduct the semi-staged production. In a statement, Grazer Spielstätten Managing Director {…}
Paco Azorín is one of today’s most prolific artists in Spain. In a 25 years, he has participated in more than 300 productions in theater and opera. Recently his 2014 “Tosca” debuted at the Teatro Real de Madrid for the very first time and with it audiences got to see three different casts with the likes of Anna Netrebko, Sondra {…}
(Credit: Walter Hill/Chris Singer/Jiyang Chen) San Francisco Opera is set to inaugurate its 99th season and first under the baton of Caroline H. Hume Music Director Eun Sun Kim, with “Tosca.” The company will present five performances of Giacomo Puccini’s masterpiece and it will represent the first opera staged in the War Memorial Opera House since the pandemic shutdown. The {…}
(Credit: Javier del Real) The Teatro Real de Madrid closed its season with 16 performances of “Tosca” and an incredible cast of three sopranos: Sondra Radvanovsky, Maria Agresta and Anna Netrebko; and four tenors: Joshep Calleja, Michael Fabiano, Jonas Kaufmann and Yusif Eyvazov. Kaufmann joined the cast alongside Radvanovsky and Carlos Álvarez for two performances. The expectations for the German {…}
It has been 16 years since Spanish barotine Carlos Álvarez last sang at the Teatro Real de Madrid, a theater where he had success early on. Sixteen years! A long time for any artist, but particularly notable when you considered that Álvarez is a renowned Spaniard who is among the best singers in the world. The baritone has, however, continued {…}
(Credit: Javier del Real) Jonas Kaufmann and Sondra Radvanovsky have made Teatro Real history. During the July 19 performance, the two singers sang encores of their respective arias, “Vissi d’arte” and “E Lucevan le Stelle.” It is the first time in the theater’s history where two arias are encored in the same performance. Radvanovsky had already made history during the {…}
(Credit: Javier del Real) This review was written after the performance on the 3d of July, the first performance of cast B. I usually leave my opinion about the conductor for the end of the review, but in this case, since it affects the performances of the singers drastically, I have opted to give that opinion first. Nicola Luisotti’s reading {…}
Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja is considered one of the great voices of his generation. Sometimes noted as the “Golden Voice,” he has gone on to perform diverse repertoire around the world, while recording five solo recital albums, and appearing several HD performances. Over the past years, he has started to move in the dramatic repertoire and is currently making his {…}
On July 10, the Teatro Real de Madrid will broadcast a new production of Puccini’s “Tosca.” The production by Paco Azorín will stream at 7 p.m. Madrid time on MyOperaPlayer, the Teatro Real’s YouTube channel and RTVE, who is co-producing the transmission. The evening will also be shown on outdoor screens and audiences can also watch the production on TVE {…}
Sondra Radvanovsky made history at the Teatro Real de Madrid on July 4, 2021 when she sang an encore of the iconic “Vissi d’arte” in Puccini’s “Tosca.” This moment made the American-Canadian soprano the first female singer to give an encore at the opening night of an opera at the Teatro Real in Spain’s capital. The performance includes performances by {…}
The Latvian National Opera has announced the first part of its 2021-22 season. The season opens with Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” starring Sonora Vaice and Dana Bramane as Cio-Cio San, Raimonds Bramanis and Andris Ludvigs as Pinkerton, Ilona Bagele and Laura Grecka as Suzuki, and Jānis Apeinis and Armands Siliņš as Sharpless. Mārtiņš Ozoliņš and Normunds Vaicis conduct. Performance Dates: Sept. 17 & 19, {…}