Bulgarian soprano Sonya Yoncheva has withdrawn from the final three performances of Verdi’s “La Traviata” at Teatro alla Scala on March 12, 14, & 17, 2019, according to the company’s website. Yoncheva will be replaced in the role of Violetta by soprano Angel Blue. Blue has recently sung the role with both the Royal Opera House and Manitoba Opera. Other {…}
Mirella Freni, born on Feb. 27, 1935, would go on to become one of the renowned Italian sopranos of her generation. Freni’s musical talent was recognized from an early age as she performed “Un bel dì vedremo” on a radio competition. She made her opera debut in her hometown on March 3, 1955 in “Carmen,” taking on the role of {…}
“La Forza del Destino” is one of Verdi’s most unusual works. It had its world premiere on Nov. 10, 1862 in St. Petersburg, but the revised version (which is the one largely performed these days) had its premiere on Feb. 27, 1869 in Milan. The opera’s first version is radically different from a narrative standpoint, the ending less hopeful and {…}
This review is for the performance on Feb. 22, 2019. The month of February might be the Met’s best in 2018-19. Just a few weeks ago, the company revived Donizetti’s “La Fille du Régiment” and it proved to be one of its great successes of the season. Propped up by star performances and a brilliant production, it has kept audiences {…}
On Feb. 19, 2019, a number of opera companies in Buenos Aires came together to present a performance of arias by Puccini and announce collaborations together throughout 2019. The showcase featured such companies as Magna Lírica and its director Mariana Carnovali; Ensamble Lírico Orquesta and its leader Cecilia Layseca; Compañía Lírica Verdi and its manager Adriana Segal; and Espacio Victorium, {…}
There has been a major cast upheaval for the Opéra Royal de Wallonie. Per the original season announcement, the production was set to feature Serena Farnocchia, Nino Surguladze, Marianne Cornetti, Lionel Lhote, and Gianluca Terranova with Speranza Scappucci in the podium. Lhote, Surguladze, Cornetti, and Scappucci remain scheduled, but there has been a plethora of changes across the board. The title role {…}
Germany’s Theater Magdeburg announced on its social media that it had to cancel its premiere of Verdi’s “Otello” on Feb. 16, 2019, due to the illness of both leading performers, Aldo Di Toro (Otello) and Raffaela Lintl (Desdemona). The theatre performed Puccini’s “La Bohème,” directed by Karen Stone, in its place. Baritone Gocha Abuladze, who was set to perform as {…}
On February 12, 2019, the Metropolitan Opera opened this season’s run of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Rigoletto.” Michael Mayer’s production transports this tragedy to 1960s Las Vegas, a setting which merges together the glamor of high society with its seedy underbelly, just as many of the characters exhibit traits of both nobility as well as depravity. Despite the connections one can rightfully {…}
On February 10, 2019, celebrated tenor Andrea Bocelli returned to the Metropolitan Opera for the first performance of his concert, titled “Three Centuries of Love.” This encompassing program featured selections from composers such as Massenet, Verdi, Rossini, Donizetti, Delibes, Gounod, and Puccini; joining Bocelli were sopranos Nadine Sierra and Aida Garifullina, along with mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard. This sold-out concert had {…}
Soprano Gilda Cruz-Romo is one of the great Mexican opera singers to enjoy an international career. Born on Feb. 12, 1940, Cruz-Romo would study at the Mexico City Conservatory before making her debut at in Mexico City in 1962. Seven years later she appeared at the New York City, which would lead directly to a Met debut a year later. {…}
Leontyne Price is one of the greatest sopranos of the 20th century. Born on Feb. 10, 1927 in Mississippi, she began piano lessons with a local teacher. She slowly built up some recognition in town for her musical skills, though she seemed destined for a teaching career early on. However, at the Wilberforce College, she was encouraged to study voice {…}
