(Photo: Clemens Manser) In 1637, the San Cassiano theatre opened its doors for the first time with a performance of Francesco Minelli’s “L’Andromeda,” an event that took opera out of the palazzi and drawing rooms of the aristocracy and into the public arena. Within a matter of only a few years, the city was awash with opera houses. Composers and {…}
Carl Heinrich Graun’s “Adriano in Siria”—set to a libretto by Pietro Metastasio—is a compelling example of mid-18th-century opera seria, a genre that once dominated the European stage. First performed in Berlin in 1746, Graun’s setting was one of more than seventy opera settings of Metastasio’s libretto between 1732 and 1828, attesting to its immense popularity. This new live recording from {…}
The National Moravian-Silesian Theatre is set to present “Giulio Cesare in Egitto” this summer. First up is a series of performances at the Antonín Dvořák Theatre starting on June 19, with subsequent shows set for June 21-26. Then the production heads to the Znojmo Music Festival from July 10-13, 2025. The cast stars Andreas Scholl, Valer Sabadus, Franko Klisović, Doubravka Novotná, {…}
(Photo credit: Stefan Gloede) The world premiere recording of Carl Heinrich Graun’s opera, “Adriano in Siria” is set to be released on June 13. “Adriano in Siria” was presented in a production by the Musikfestspiele Potsdam Sanssouci and recorded in June 2024. The cast features the countertenor trio of Valer Sabadus, Bruno de Sá, and Federico Fiorio, alongside sopranos Roberta Mameli {…}
La Cité Bleue announces its 2025-26 season. For the purpose of this article only classical voice performances are included. Max Emanuel Cenčić takes on the title role in Cavalli’s “Pompeo Magno.” The concert version also features Logan Lopez Gonzalez, Valerio Contaldo, Mariana Flores, Alois Mülhbacher, Kacper Szelążek, Victor Sicard, Pierre-Antoine Chaumien, Lucía Martín Cartón, Valer Săbăduș, Jorge Navarro Colorado, Marcel {…}
Bayreuth Baroque has announced its 2023 festival slate. The company announced that it will kick off with Händel’s “Flavio, Re de’ Longobardi.” The opera will be directed by Max Emanuel Cencic and conducted by Benjamin Bayl. It will star Max Emanuel Cencic, Julia Lezhneva, Sreten Manojlovic, Rémy Brès-Feullet, Sonka Runje, and Yuriy Mynenko. Performance Dates: Sept. 7 – 17, 2023 {…}
(Credit: Innsbruck Festival of Early Music official website) The Innsbruck Festival of Early Music has announced its 2022 season, featuring three operas and a number of concerts. For the purpose of this article we will focus on the vocal works. Here is a full slate. Operas Carl Heinrich Graun’s opera “Silla” spotlights Bejun Mehta, Eleonora Bellocci, Valer Sabadus, Roberta Invernizzi, {…}
(Credits: RibaltaLuce Studio / © Christine Schneider / Michal Novak) The Festival of baroque and sacred music in Froville, France has announced its 2021 edition. The festival will take place from May 28 until July 6, 2021. For the purposes of this article, we will focus only on vocal performances. Here is the look. Mezzo-soprano Vivica Genaux will perform works {…}
(Credit: Henning Ross, Sony Classical) Countertenor Valer Sabadus will be performing in Australia for the first time in collaboration with Pinchgut Opera on August 25, 2019. The recital will take place at the City Recital Hall in Sydney and will feature the Orchestra of Antipodes under the musical direction of Erin Heylard. It will feature music by Handel, Caldara, Hasse, {…}