This article is a joint collaboration between David & Francisco Salazar. Yesterday we gave you the finest female performers of the Metropolitan Opera’s 2016-17 season. Now we turn toward the men that truly brought down the house. Remember that these picks are mere favorites based purely on personal preference. Since there were so many incredible performers this season, here is {…}
The Metropolitan Opera 50th anniversary Gala promised to be a night filled with glamour and star power that reunited some of opera’s greatest singers on the same stage. It was a night that included some of the most popular pieces in the repertoire as well as some lesser known music that highlighted the Met’s growing and diverse repertoire. On many {…}
It has been three years since Vittorio Grigòlo has released an album. But after a long wait, one of the most popular tenors in the opera world will finally be releasing his first CD in years. Entitled “Verissimo,” the tenor hinted at his new release on Facebook in a video that featured him and bass Danilo Rigosa. They would not {…}
The Easter and Passover holidays seem to have frozen up the opera world this weekend with only a handful of performances featured around the country. It’s a major turnaround from last weekend when a dozen companies were putting on a show. The Metropolitan Opera continues its unstoppable season with three performances. Friday is the final hurrah for Willy Decker’s production {…}
Diana Damrau and Vittorio Grigolo are major favorites right now in the opera world, the two joining forces for a beloved run of “Roméo et Juliette” in New York this past winter before continuing their run of strong performances together in Los Angeles Opera’s production of “Les Contes d’Hoffmann.” Now the duo will give fans more reasons to love them {…}
No opera house has more superstars on the roster next season than the Bayerische Staatsoper. Anna Netrebko and Jonas Kaufmann, arguably the two biggest stars in the opera world, will both appear in Munich in 2017-18, albeit in limited runs. Their appearances in America are limited to a total of eight shows between the two of them. In Munich, that {…}
It’s the beginning of Spring and that means the stars are out and about preparing new roles, sporting new fashion and enjoying the weather. David Portillo enjoyed an evening at the LoftOpera watching the company’s acclaimed production of Rossini’s “Otello.” Inspiring performance today of Rossini’s Otello in Brooklyn. #loftopera #tenors #desdemona @loftopera A post shared by David Portillo (@porttenor) on {…}
A number of major operas premiere new productions this weekend. Here are the major highlights of the weekend. The New York City Opera is back in action this weekend with a rare performance of Resphigi’s “La Campana Sommersa.” The rarely performed opera stars Fabio Armiliato and will be showcased on March 31 and April 1 with subsequent performances during the {…}
Diana Damrau, Vittorio Grigolo, and Plácido Domingo will take the opera world by storm this weekend when they join forces for Offenbach’s “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” at the Los Angeles Opera. The first performance of the six-show run takes place this Saturday evening. Damrau was originally scheduled to sing all four heroines but has since rescinded this commitment, opting for only {…}
The well-reviewed “Roméo et Juliette” from the Metropolitan Opera will be showcased on PBS on Friday, April 14 starting at 9 P.M. EDT. The opera, which featured Diana Damrau and Vittorio Grigolo in the lead roles, is an adaptation of the famous Shakespeare play. The performance that will be showcased on PBS took place on Jan. 21, 2017 as part {…}
Diana Damrau is no longer singing all four heroines in Offenbach’s “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” in Los Angeles this week. The soprano was originally slated to take on all four characters, a feat that is growing rarer and rarer these days, but recent casting details established that the German soprano will only take on Antonia and Stella in her LA Debut. {…}