(Credit: Valeri Guérguiev) Valery Gergiev is set to return to Parma for the first time in 19 years as part of the Verdi Festival. The famed conductor will conduct the Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna on Oct. 2 at the Teatro Regio di Parma in a concert featuring music by Verdi, Rossini, and Mendelssohn. Gergiev will conduct Rossini’s “Guillaume {…}
(Credit: Ken Howard / Metropolitan Opera) The Metropolitan Opera’s new production of “Der Fliegende Holländer” will be streamed on PBS’ Great Performances at the Met on July 5, 2020. The performance stars Evgeny Nikitin in the title role with Anja Kampe as Senta, Franz-Josef Selig as Daland, and Sergey Skorokhodov as Erik. Valery Gergiev conducts with Lisette Oropesa hosting. The {…}
(Credit: Dario Acosta/Deutsche Grammophon/Jiyang Chen) The Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg has announce its 2020-21 season. As always we are highlighting the vocal performances of the season. Mikhail Petrenko and Behzod Abduraimov perform works by Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky. Performance Date: Sept. 16, 2020 Ottavio Dantone conducts Vivaldi’s “Il Tamerlano” with the Accademia Bizantina and Gesangssolisten. Performance Date: Sept. 29, 2020 Beethoven’s “Leonore” {…}
(Credit: Valeri Guérguiev) The Mariinsky Orchestra is set to appear in Bogotá, Colombia at the Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo on Monday, March 9, 2020. The orchestra, which will be led by maestro Valery Gergiev, will feature Russian tenor Sergey Skorokhodov and Hungarian violnist Kristóf Baráti as the soloists. The orchestra will perform Debussy’s “Prélude à l’Après-midi d’un faune” {…}
(Credit: Ken Howard / Metropolitan Opera) For its final new production of the 2019-20 season, the Metropolitan Opera turned to Wagner’s “Der Fliegende Holländer” in a production by François Girard, whose previous work with the company is an iconic “Parsifal” production. The beauty of that production is how it illuminates one of the most complex and philosophically dense operas ever {…}
Valery Gergiev has canceled the August 13, 2019 performance of Wagner’s “Tannhäuser” at the Bayreuth Festival. The festival announced that due to a family bereavement, Gergiev would not be able to conduct the opera. Gergiev was booed during the opening night of the festival and has received mixed reviews for his conducting of the work. As a result, Christian Thielemann will {…}
(Photo: Diane Deschenaux) With Europe once again baking under unpleasantly high temperatures thanks to our lack of interest in dealing with the problems of global warming, what better place to go than high up in the Swiss Alps. Verbier at an altitude 1,500 meters would seem to be ideal. An alpine ski resort, set on a south-facing terrace with splendid {…}
The Vienna State Opera will present Wagner’s final masterpiece “Parsifal” on April 21, 2019. Those not able to make it to Vienna can still check out the performance via the company’s live stream service. Simon O’Neill will appear as the title character with René Pape in his signature role of Gurnemanz. Meanwhile Matthias Goerne, Boaz Daniel, and Elena Zhidkova will {…}
La Filarmónica has announced its 2019-20 season featuring numerous concerts. For this article we will only focus on choral and operatic events. Karl-Heinz Steffens conducts the Prague Opera Orchestra in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto. Soloists will be announced at a later time. Performance Date: Nov. 19, 2019 María Espada and Carlos Mena sing Pergolesi’s “Stabat Mater” {…}
(Photo: Brescia/Amisano – Teatro alla Scala) Defeated by the Tsar, the Old Believers gather together, for a final act of defiance as they prepare for their mass suicide. Led by the monk, Dosifey, they crowd the stage and invoke the name of the Lord, in preparation for their deaths. The Moon, slowly moving towards the Earth, explodes into flames and {…}
The Verbier Festival has announced the programming for its 26th edition. While there are undeniably a plethora of incredible performances of all kinds to be found throughout the many weeks of this famed festival, the aim of this article will be to focus mainly on vocal and operatic performances. Baritone Thomas Quasthoff will appear alongside guitarist Wolfgang Meyer and Trombonist {…}