The Vienna State Opera will live stream Verdi’s “Simon Boccanegra” on Oct. 26, 2019. The middle-period Verdi work will be conducted by Paolo Carignani with Simone Piazzola in the title role. Marina Rebeka will star as his daughter Amelia with Fabio Sartori as Gabriele Adorno and Ferruccio Furlanetto in his signature role of Fiesco. The stream kicks off at 6 {…}
With the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s current production of “Luisa Miller” underway, local audiences will get a chance to check out a fascinating experience related to the famed work at the Siskel Center on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019. The event in question is a screening of “In the Mouth of the Wolf,” a unique “lost” documentary that follows the 1963 {…}
Opera composers are among the most admired artists of all time. All of them had unique personalities and letters and quotes gathered throughout the years have illuminated us about who they were and how they thoughts. So for this week’s quiz we will take a look at some of the iconic quotes from some of those great composers. Some quotes {…}
(Credit: Lana Mullen) Sarasota Opera is set to open its 2019-20 season with Verdi’s “Rigoletto” starting on Nov. 1, 2019. The production, which will run for six shows through Nov. 17, will feature baritone Marco Nisiticò in the title role with tenor William Davenport as the villainous Duke of Mantua and Hanna Brammer as Gilda. Young Bok Kim will play {…}
Giuseppe Verdi is undeniably one of the greatest composers in the history of opera with such works as “La Traviata,” “Aida,” “Rigoletto,” ubiquitous with the artform. Verdi’s genius is often associated with his melodic vibrancy and muscularity, but the greatest strength of his art is his ability to embed his characters with deep humanity, even in the most absurd of {…}
Since Sept. 6, 2019, the Morgan Library & Museum in New York City has been holding an exhibition that details the development and creation of Verdi’s final two operas. The exhibition, entitled “Verdi: Creating ‘Otello’ and ‘Falstaff’” and curated by Gabriele Dotto, presents a wide range of materials courtesy of the Bertelsmann-owned Ricordi Archive, all organized as to give the {…}
(Credit: Javier del Real) The Teatro Real opened its season on the Sept. 18, 2019 with Verdi’s “Don Carlo,” an opera inspired in the old monarchy of Spain. Present at the big event were the King and Queen of Spain, as well as famous figures from the world of politics and arts. “Don Carlo” is a massive endeavor for any {…}
(Credit: Bernd Uhlig) The Deutsche Oper Berlin’s current “Nabucco” is a production by Keith Warner, first presented in 2013. It’s not an unconventional production, at least by Berlin standards. Where Berlin opera is often characterized by the most provocative nontraditional productions—Frank Castorf’s recent “Forza” premiere, for instance, provoked a near-riot among its Deutsche Oper audiences—Warner’s “Nabucco,” by contrast, feels tame. {…}
Verdi’s birthday is this coming week, which means this week’s quiz is all about the famed Italian composer and his work. For this edition of the quiz, we will either show you an image or a prompt and it will be your task to determine the opera that best fits. As always, have fun!
(Credit: Ken Howard / Metropolitan Opera) It was supposed to be the hottest ticket in town. It was the first time Anna Netrebko and Plácido Domingo would grace the Metropolitan Opera together in a production. But we all know how that turned out. For weeks, Met audiences had no clue what to expect. The company said nothing as it awaited {…}
(Photo by Vladimir Shirokov) On Sept. 25, 2019, the Vienna State Opera will live stream “Il Trovatore” via its streaming service. The opera will star Yusif Eyvazov in the title role with Michelle Bradley as Leonora. Monika Bohinec will be Azucena, while Roberto Frontali will be the Conte di Luna. The production is conducted by Alberto Veronesi with Daniele Abbado {…}