It is a very rare and no less fortunate occurrence for two of the leading sopranos in America to release, within months from each other, their respective take on one of the most dangerously underestimated roles in all of opera: Violetta Valéry for whom, so the saying goes, three voices are needed to match the transition from the melismatic first {…}
On November 4, 2022, the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra will launch their 48th season with back-to-back performances of Verdi’s “Requiem.” The performances will feature more than 60 students and alumni of the UMass Lowell University Choir and Chamber Singers, under the direction of CSO Music Director Cynthia Woods. This performance will be the largest for the students of UMass since the {…}
The Washington National Opera kicks off its season with a new production of “Il Trovatore” starting on October 22, 2022. The famed Verdi opera will receive a newly conceived period production by director Brenna Corner, with sets by Erhard Rom, a finalist of the International Opera Prize. There will also be wardrobe by Martin Pakledinaz. The cast will be led {…}
The National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying) in Taiwan is set to present Verdi’s “Don Carlo” starting on Oct. 27, 2022. The opera, which will run through Oct. 30, 2022 for a total of four performances, will be conducted by Wen-pin Chien. The production by Stefano Mazzonis Di Pralafera (Gianni Santucci will be the revival director) will star Irakli {…}
Credit: Michele Monasta Over the past years, María José Siri’s status in the opera world has grown due to her historical performances all around the world. At the Ópera de Palmas, she became the first soprano to encore with the company. She subsequently became the first soprano in the Arena di Verona’s history to perform both roles in “Cavalleria Rusticana” {…}
Shot by Italian director Dario Argento in 1987, and praised for its creative gore and dramatic use of tension, the giallo (Italian mystery thriller) film “Opera” recounts the bloody escapades of a masked killer as he stalks an operatic soprano during a production of Verdi’s Macbeth at an opera house. Shot on-scene, and with fourth-wall defying actors and singers playing {…}
(Credit: Ken howard) PBS has announced that it will start broadcasting the Metropolitan Opera’s performance of “Don Carlos” on Sunday, August 7, 2022. The Verdi opera stars Sonya Yoncheva, Jamie Barton, Matthew Polenzani, Eric Owens, John Relyea, and Étienne Dupuis. Of the production, OperaWire’s Francisco Salazar noted that while the production did not really present the “original” French version of the {…}
This review is from the third performance, on the 8th of July. The Teatro Real closed its 2021-22 season with 15 performances of what is probably Verdi’s most famous early opera: “Nabucco.” With four baritones sharing the titular role, three sopranos, and three basses, this production promised to be one of the highlights of the season. But despite having such {…}
Photo credit: Jeff Busby It has occasionally been observed that audiences for musical theater in recent times often applaud the sets and costumes. The audience for this revival by Constantine Costi of the late Elijah Moshinsky’s 1994 production of “La Traviata,” part of Opera Australia’s winter 2022 season at Sydney Opera House, would have been justified to applaud the designs. {…}
A petition has been started by Alessandro Bonato, an Italian conductor, in order to save Villa Verdi, which is set to be auctioned, ending a dispute between the Verdi’s descendants. In the petition, the conductor states that the Villa represents the life of Maestro Verdi, where many valuables of the composer are stored. He goes on to add that the {…}
Opera Columbus has announced that it will present a unique take on Verdi’s “La Traviata.” The production, which is made in conjunction with Out of the Box Opera and helmed by David Lefkowich and Julia Noulin-Mérat, will feature audience members as guests of Violetta’s party to kick off the opera. “My passion is bringing opera closer to the audience. There’s {…}