Giordano’s “Andrea Chénier” is in many ways a sibling of Puccini’s “Tosca.” Both were sired by librettist Luigi Illica and both share the staple verismo ingredients of sex, politics, romantic obsession, frustrated baritones, and a grim end for the protagonists. There is also the common factor of youth in all its sanguine exuberance. Cavaradossi and Chénier are idealists with fatal {…}
Stage designer Johan Engels had a massive career in the opera world before his untimely death in 2014. He worked with such companies as the Vienna State Opera, Opéra de Marseille, National Theatre of Norway, Bregenzer Festspiele, throughout his career in addition to numerous Broadway shows and the Royal Shakespeare Company, among others. In honor of what would have been {…}
Jonas Kaufmann brings his famed interpretation of Giordano’s “Andrea Chénier” to the Vienna State Opera in a production that will be live streamed online as part of the company’s season-long series. The showcase on April 29 will be the tenor’s second production of the opera in just a few weeks. He performed the title role in Barcelona a few weeks {…}
The Vienna State Opera has announced the 2018-19 season, which is incidentally the company’s 150-anniversary year. The season will include six new productions, including a world premiere production. Here is a breakdown of what’s to come. New Productions (In Order of Opening) Berlioz’s “Les Troyens” will be the first new production, starting on Oct. 14, 2018. David McVicar directs while {…}
Puccini’s “Turandot” hits the web this week from the Vienna State Opera as part of its live stream series throughout the season. The showcase on April 20 is set to star Lise Lindstrom in the title role of the icy princess while Roberto Alagna plays Calaf and his wife Aleksandra Kurzak takes on the role of Liù. Frédéric Chaslin conducts {…}
Wagner’s “Ring Cycle” will continue to take over Vienna State Opera’s live stream service this week with two major performances. The cycle’s third installment, “Siegfried” gets the spotlight on Wednesday, April 11, 2018, at 5:30 p.m. local time. The performance is slated to run until around 10 p.m. That’s around 12:30 p.m. EDT and 9:30 a.m. PST for the start {…}
Richard Wagner was a 19th century micro-manager in music long before the pejorative appellation appeared in MBA curricula. As his own librettist, casting director, set designer, costume conceptualist, lighting Loge and Dirigent, there was rarely any aspect of his music dramas which Wagner was prepared to relinquish to lesser talents. No composition was more tightly controlled than his ultimate opus “Parsifal,” which {…}
Wagner’s “Ring Cycle” will take over Vienna State Opera’s live stream service this week with two major performances. The cycle begins with “Das Rheingold” on Wednesday, April 4, 2018 at 7 p.m. local time. The performance is slated to run until around 9:30 p.m. That’s around 2 p.m. EDT and 11 a.m. PST for the start time. The cast for {…}
Gottfried von Einem’s “Dantons Tod” will be showcased on Vienna State Opera’s live stream service on March 24, 2018. The rare work will feature Wolfgang Koch, Herbert Lippert, Jörg Schneider, Thomas Ebenstein, and Olga Bezsmertna under the musical direction of Susanna Malkki. The new production will be directed by Josef Ernst Köpplinger. The stream kicks off at 7 p.m. local {…}
Verdi’s “Otello” takes over the Vienna State Opera’s streaming service on March 18, 2018. The final tragic masterwork of its creator will feature Roberto Alagna in the title role with his real-life wife Aleksandra Kurzak playing the ill-fated Desdemona. Dalibor Jenis portrays Jago and Alexandru Moisiuc as Lodovico. Dan Ettinger conducts. The stream kicks off at 6:30 p.m. local time {…}
An alien orchestra playing in the illustrious Wiener Staatsoper is about as rare as a running of the bulls on the Ringstrasse. Apart from a one-night swap with the La Scala orchestra in 2011, in recent years only Les Musiciens du Louvre, Les Talens Lyriques, and the Freiburger Barockorchester have been granted such a privilege. The latest member of this {…}