Q & A: Tenor Airam Hernández On ‘Caruso a Cuba’ & His Upcoming Role Debut As Fenton In ‘Falstaff’

Earlier this season, Spanish tenor Airam Hernández took on the role of legendary tenor Enrico Caruso in the world premiere of Dutch composer Micha Hamel’s new opera “Caruso a Cuba.” Following his success in Amsterdam, the tenor will make his highly anticipated U.S. debut and role debut with the Dallas Opera as Fenton in Lee Blakely’s production of Verdi’s beloved comedy “Falstaff.” Hernández recently spoke with OperaWire about his {…}

Apr 25, 2019

Opera Meets Film: How ‘Happy As Lazzaro’ Sets Up Tragic Disappointment With Bellini & Verdi’s Memorable Melodies

“Opera Meets Film” is a feature dedicated to exploring the way that opera has been employed in cinema. We will select a section or a film in its entirety, highlighting the impact that utilizing the operatic form or sections from an opera can alter our perception of a film that we are viewing. This week’s installment features Alice Rohrwacher’s “Happy {…}

Apr 22, 2019

Metropolitan Opera 2018-19 Season Review: La Traviata

On April 20, 2019, audiences gathered at the Metropolitan Opera for one of the last few performances of this season’s run of Giuseppe Verdi’s “La Traviata.” The nearly-full auditorium was abuzz and for a number of reasons. This new production by Michael Mayer opened in December to mixed reception, resuming its run in the beginning of April. Despite the gorgeous {…}

Apr 18, 2019

Sean Panikkar, Anne Sofie von Otter & Leonardo Capalbo Lead Komische Oper Berlin’s 2019-20 Season

Komische Oper Berlin has announced its 2019-20 season. This season will celebrate Dionysus, the forefather and protagonist of Greek theatre, with new productions reflecting the entire spectrum of musical theatre. Chief Director Barrie Kosky comments, “. . . [O]nce we believe in the power of theatre and music, believe in their intoxicating, seductive, physical, emotional, and ultimately community-building impacts, once {…}

Apr 18, 2019

Opera Meets Film: Why Susanne Bier’s ‘After The Wedding’ Would Make For A Perfect Opera

A few months back we took a look at some of the Oscar nominees that could potentially make for strong opera adaptations. Opera has been an artform that has often taken its greatest stories from other artforms. For a while, artists adapted their works from plays or myths. In more recent years, we have seen the development of operas based {…}

Apr 15, 2019

Pentatone Announces Michael Fabiano’s First Solo Album

Pentatone has announced Michael Fabiano‘s first solo album. The company revealed that the tenor’s first solo album will feature music by Donizetti and Verdi. In a press release the company announced that the album will reveal “the strong ties between these two composers.” Among the operas featured on the CD will be Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor,” “Poliuto” and “Maria di {…}

Apr 14, 2019

Artist Profile: Aprile Millo, A Great Verdi Soprano

Aprile Millo is one of the great spinto sopranos of the late 20th century. Born in New York City to two singers on April 14, 1958, she became interested in music from an early age. She was invited to the San Diego Opera Center as an apprentice upon graduating from highly school and it was here that she started her {…}

Apr 10, 2019

The Orchestra Now 2018-19 Review: Verdi’s Requiem

The Verdi “Requiem” is an interesting work in the canon of both Verdi and choral music, for a number of reasons. It would certainly seem an unusual piece for the notoriously non-religious Verdi, who might even seem anti-clerical. Add to that the fact that the “requiem” — a hit, if you will, performed globally by Verdi, from Milan to Paris {…}

Apr 7, 2019

Opera Quiz: Time To Prove That You Are A True Opera History Buff? (Part 2)

A year ago, we released a quiz dedicated to opera history. Obviously, there was no way to summarize all the information into just 10 trivia questions. We knew the day would come when we would be able to incorporate some other fun information in the form of another quiz. And that day has now come. Behold another trivia quiz made {…}

Apr 1, 2019

Royal Opera House 2019 Live Cinema Preview: Anna Netrebko & Jonas Kaufmann Hit the Silver Screen In ‘La Forza del Destino’

On April 2, 2019, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden will showcase its new production of “La Forza del Destino” in cinemas. The production, which is directed by Christof Loy stars Anna Netrebko and Jonas Kaufmann as the tragic lovers of Verdi’s epic opera. Alongside them will be Ludovic Tézier and Ferruccio Furlanetto. The production is conducted by Antonio Pappano. {…}