Véronique Gens, Helen Charlston, Cyrille Dubois Among Major Gramophone Classical Music Award 2023 Winners

Photo credit: Colin Miller Winners of the Gramophone Classical Music Awards 2023 have been announced. This article only features winners of vocal-related works. Soprano Dame Felicity Lott took home the Lifetime Achievement Award, honoring her performance career and discography of more than 100 recordings. French soprano Véronique Gens was awarded Artist of the Year and the won the Voice and Ensemble {…}

Jun 13, 2023

Thomas Hampson & Jennifer Holloway Lead New CD/DVD Releases

This week audiences will get to hear rarely performed works. Here is a look at this week’s new releases. A Fine Agitation Navona Records releases Michael J. Evans’ work which is an eight-part stage work based on Susan B. Anthony’s letters during her infamous voting trial. The recording features the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava, conductor Stanislav Vavřínek, the National Moravian-Silesian Theater {…}

May 10, 2023

Anna Catarina Antonacci, Roberta Mantegna, Jacquelyn Wagner & Andrè Schuen Lead Theater an der Wien’s 2023-24 Season

The Theater an der Wien has announced its 2023-24 season featuring opera productions and opera in concert. Opera Jérémie Rhorer conducts Donizetti’s “Les Martyrs” with Cezary Tomaszewski directing. Roberta Mantegna and John Osborn lead the cast, which also includes Mattia Olivieri, David Steffens, Nicolò Donini, and Patrick Kabongo. Performance Date: Sept. 18-28, 2023 Philip Venables’s “Denis & Katya” will star {…}

May 3, 2023

Michael Spyres, Véronique Gens, Paula Murrihy, Jakub Josef Orlinski, Francesca Aspromonte Headline Château de Versailles Spectacles’ 2023-24 Season

The Château de Versailles Spectacles has announced its 2023-24 season. For the purposes of this article, our focus will be solely on vocal performances. John Eliot Gardiner will lead the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique in Berlioz’s “Les Troyens.” The opera stars Michael Spyres, Paula Murrihy, and Alice Coote, among others. Performance Dates: August 29, 2023 Soprano Marie Perbost will join {…}

Apr 5, 2023

Théâtre de Champs-Élysées 2023 Review: Médée

Nowadays, there is much discussion about a singer’s fach, or, in more mundane terms: does a singer have “the” proper voice for a certain role? Although this discussion has its merits, it usurps the space of the more important question of how singers inhabit their characters through their acting personalities. Especially in less-performed repertoire—such as baroque and classical operas—it is {…}

Apr 2, 2023

Véronique Gens, Katarina Bradić, Gaëlle Arquez, Stéphane Degout, Ambroisine Bré Headline Opéra Comique’s 2023-24 Season

The Opéra Comique has announced its 2023-24 season. First up is Charles Lecocq’s “La Fille de Angot.” Hervé Niquet will conduct a production by Richard Brunel. The opera will star Hélène Guilmette, Véronique Gens, Pierre Derhet, Julien Behr, Matthieu Lécroart, and Geoffrey Carey. Performance Dates: Sept. 27 – Oct. 5, 2023 For “Macbeth Underworld,” audiences will see Franck Ollu conduct {…}

Mar 29, 2023

Marianne Crebassa, Brian Jagde, Christian Van Horn & Franco Fagioli Lead Théâtre des Champs-Elysées’ 2023-24 Season

The Théâtre des Champs-Elysées has announced its 2023-24 season featuring opera, opera in concert, and recitals. Here is a look at the vocal performances of the season. Opera Thomas Hengelbrock conducts Rossini’s “La Cenerentola” in a production by Damiano Michieletto. Marina Viotti, Levy Sekgapane, Edward Nelson, and Peter Kálmán. Performance Dates: Oct. 9-19, 2023 Mozary’s “Die Zauberflöte” will be conducted {…}

Mar 23, 2023

Sarah Connolly, Mark Padmore, Louise Alder, Véronique Gens, Kate Royal Headline Leeds Lieder Festival 2023

The Leeds Lieder Festival 2023 has been announced. The season opens with a gala featuring tenor Mark Padmore and pianist Ana Manastireanu. They will perform music by Schumann, Britten, Finzi, Clarke, Tippett, and Gurney, among others. Performance Date: June 9, 2023 Soprano Louise Alder and pianist Joseph Middleton will perform music by Schubert, Schumann, and Mozart, among others. Performance Date: {…}

Jan 23, 2023

Rolando Villazón, Bruno de Sá, Véronique Gens, Valer Sabadus, Julia Lezhneva Headline Bayreuth Baroque’s 2023 Season

Bayreuth Baroque has announced its 2023 festival slate. The company announced that it will kick off with Händel’s “Flavio, Re de’ Longobardi.” The opera will be directed by Max Emanuel Cencic and conducted by Benjamin Bayl. It will star Max Emanuel Cencic, Julia Lezhneva, Sreten Manojlovic, Rémy Brès-Feullet, Sonka Runje, and Yuriy Mynenko. Performance Dates: Sept. 7 – 17, 2023 {…}

Dec 30, 2022

Diana Damrau, Michael Spyres & Véronique Gens Lead New CD/DVD Releases

With the year coming to an end, we bring you the last releases of 2022. Audiences will get a chance to hear a monodrama, a Christmas album, a solo album and rarities. Eternal Heaven Long-time musical partners Lea Desandre and Iestyn Davies present Thomas Dunford’s complete Handel program recorded with Ensemble Jupiter. Featuring Dunford on the lute, the new album {…}

Nov 15, 2022

Opéra Comique 2022-23 Review: Armide

The main achievement of Opéra-Comique’s “Armide” production is to blend the staging with the performers’ own personas. That mixture resulted in an elevation of Gluck’s music and Quinault’s text through the performers’ engagement. Don’t get me wrong: Lilo Baur’s staging had some problems and did not aim as high as it could. The opera, however, shone, because its performers brought {…}

Veronique Gens