Credit: Meg Goldman Verdi’s “Rigoletto” was staged by Regina Opera Company in Brooklyn, New York, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help on Nov. 18, 2023. Impressive vocalists in the cast included Peter Hakjoon Kim in the title role, Veronica Mak as Gilda, and Christopher Trapani as the Duke of Mantua. Scott Jackson Wiley was on the podium, conducting the Regina {…}
IN Series will present “The Promised End,” a unique exploration of Shakespeare’s “King Lear” and Verdi’s Requiem. The production is set for Nov. 18-Dec. 10 at the Source Theatre and Dec. 15-17, 2023 at the Baltimore Theatre Project. The work, which originally opened in 2018, will feature eight vocal artists, including Teresa Ferrara, Natalie Conte, Elizabeth Mondragon, Gayssie Lugo, Brian {…}
The Amman Opera Festival has postponed its previously announced production of “Aida.” Per the company’s official social media, “As most of you who we have had the chance to reach out to so far for a while now, know we have postponed the event, considering the unfortunate and extremely sad incidents that have been continuously occurring causing the death and {…}
North Carolina Opera is set to present “La Traviata” on Oct. 27 and 29, 2023. The production, which kicks off the 2023-24 season, will be conducted by Joseph Mechavich and directed by John Hoomes. The opera will star Vanessa Vasquez as Violetta with Jonathan Johnson as Alfredo. Andrew Manea will take on the role of Giorgio Germont. Rounding out the {…}
(© Laura Scaccabarozzi) When you talk about Verdi baritones in the modern era, few singers fit the bill quite like Amartuvshin Enkhbat. The Mongolian baritone possesses a potent voice with a confident upper range that can then transform into the most gentle of vocal caresses. His vast vocal palette has made him a go-to in the Italian composer’s iconic roles. {…}
The Belle Mehus Auditorium in Bismarck, North Dakota is set to present the “Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezín” on Oct. 20 and 21, 2023. The concert-drama, which commemorates Jewish prisoners of Theresienstadt Concentration Camp during World War II, will feature a performance of Verdi’s Requiem” interspersed with historic film and testimony from survivors. It showcases the Bismark-Mandan Symphony Orchestra under {…}
(Photo: Amati Bacciardi) Soprano Anastasia Bartoli is a rising star on the Italian and European opera scene. Over the course of this year alone, she has received a string of glowing reviews including her performance as Cristina in “Eduardo e Cristina” at the Rossini Opera Festival. In October she will be performing Lucrezia in Verdi’s “I Due Foscari” at Venice’s {…}
The Ravenna Festival is set to present “a trilogy according to Riccardo Muti.” From Dec. 16 to 22, Muti will lead his Cherubini Orchestra in the semi-staged performances of “Norma” and “Nabucco” and in an all-Verdi gala at the 19th-century Alighieri Theatre. On Dec. 16 and 19, Muti will conduct Bellini’s “Norma” with Klodjan Kaçani, Vittorio De Campo, Monica Conesa, {…}
The forces behind the Dutch label Pentatone are deserving of every accolade for producing beautifully engineered recordings. This is especially important considering that heavy hitters like Warner and Sony only hesitatingly, and with big marketing efforts, venture into the operatic realm, knowing that its share of profitability has long become a calculated and somewhat unwanted risk. Critics will surely remember {…}
(Photo © Rikimaru Hotta) When he was 10-years-old, Kazushi Ōno went to the opera for the first time. What opera did he witness? “La Traviata.” He was hooked. This led him to study at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music before he headed off to Germany to study as a scholar of the Japanese Ministry of Culture {…}
Credit: Vincent Beaume When Pierre Audi, the director of Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, announced that Jonas Kaufmann and Ludovic Tézier would sing in a one-night-only concert version of “Otello,” tickets sold out in a minute. Even admittance for critics was scarce, and the festival gave seats out only when audience members turned in their tickets. Ill in London, Kaufmann canceled. This reviewer’s {…}