On July 18, the Bayerische Staatsoper will open a new production of Fauré’s rarely performed work “Penelope.” Based on the famed Homer epic poem, The “Odyssey,” the work, will receive a new production by Andrea Berth and will star the rising mezzo-soprano Victoria Karkacheva. The Russian will not only make her role debut in the title role, but she will {…}
The Canadian Opera Company has announced its 2025-26 season. The company opens its new season with Gounod’s “Romeo et Juliette” starring Bekhzod Davronov and Kseniia Proshina. The cast also includes Robert Pomakov, Gordon Bintner, Korin-Thomas Smith, Owen McCausland, Alex Halliday, and Alex Hetherington. Yves Abel conducts Amy Lane’s production. Performance Dates: Sept. 27-Oct. 18, 2025 Robert Carsen’s production of Gluck’s {…}
(Photo: © Javier del Real /Teatro Real de Madrid) The Teatro Real’s recent staging of Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin” offers a profound and intimate exploration of love, regret, and honor, brought to life by a stellar cast. Ukrainian baritone Iurii Samoilov delivers a convincing portrayal of Eugene Onegin, capturing the character’s evolution from detached arrogance to profound remorse. His performance is {…}
(Credit: W. Hoesl) Lise Davidsen as the headliner in Tchaikovsky’s “Pique Dame” at the Munich Opera Festival is an apt addition. It is a production full of theatrical effects created by Benedict Andrews with full-screen projections of Lisa in various enticing poses, including cars serving as platforms for singers and chorus-women, a bleacher-filled chorus partially masked, and G-string quasi-strippers. There {…}
(Credit: Teatro alla Scala / Brescia – Amisano) The Teatro alla Scala is set to stream Massenet’s “Werther” on June 27, 2024. The company will showcase the opera on La Scala TV which will be conducted by Alain Altinoglu and directed by Christof Loy. Benjamin Bernheim leads a cast that includes Jean Sébastien Bou, Victoria Karkacheva, and Francesca Pia Vitale. {…}
The Bayerische Staatsoper has announced its 2024-25 season. Premieres Tobias Krazter directs a new production of Wagner’s “Das Rheingold” with Nicholas Brownlee, Milan Siljanov, Sean Panikkar, Markus Brück, Matthias Klink, Matthew Rose, Timo Riihonen, Ekaterina Gubanova, Mirjam Mesak, and Wiebke Lehmkuhl. Vladimir Jurowski conducts. Performance Dates: Oct. 27, 2024-July 31, 2025 Damiano Michieletto directs Donizetti’s “La Fille du Régiment” with {…}
Mezzo-soprano Victoria Karkacheva has joined Tact Artists for General management. Winner of the First and Birgit Nilsson Prizes in Operalia 2021, Karkacheva is set to make her debut at the Teatro alla Scala as Charlotte in “Werther,” and perform the title role of “Carmen” with Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona as Olga {…}
(Credit: Algirdas Bakas) The Berliner Philharmoniker has announced that soprano Sonya Yoncheva has canceled her participation in the title role in Tchaikovsky’s “Iolanta” for concert performances of the opera on Jan. 12, 14 & 15, 2022 due to flu. As a result, soprano Asmik Grigorian will take over the role, making her Berliner Philharmoniker house debut. Grigorian joins a cast {…}
(Credit: Fay Fox/Jaclyn Simpson/Lynn Lane) It’s been a tough 2021. After some hope settled into the opera world with the reopening of most companies around the globe, the end of the year seemed to revert to what we saw for much of 2020 – more lockdowns, more COVID, more cancelations. But despite what seems like a dark ending to the {…}
(Credits: Michael Cooper / Boston Symphony Orchestra official website / Jiyang Chen / Fay Fox OperaVision has announced, in collaboration with Opera Europa, Opera America, Ópera Latinoamérica, and Opera For Peace, the final program for the big World Opera Day Celebration concert on Oct. 25, 2020. The concert is structured in four acts, in four different time zones. The first {…}