This point was always going to be reached! The Naïve label’s ambitious and highly commendable mission to record the entire Vivaldi catalogue held by the Italian National Library in Turin at some point was going to come to an end, or, more accurately, a series of endings. With these two recordings “Arie e cantate per contralto,” and “Musica sacra per {…}
(Photo: Clive Barda) There is certainly something of a Vivaldi revival going on in the opera world at the moment. In less than seven days, I managed to catch Irish National Opera’s splendid presentation of “Griselda,” the first ever production of a Vivaldi opera in Ireland, followed by Wexford Festival Opera’s production of “Dorilla in Tempe.” They employed two very {…}
(Photo: Patrick Redmond) The Irish National Opera continues to develop apace. Having been going for less than two years, the company has managed to produce a diverse range of operas that is able to shame more established companies. It could have been excused for playing safe in sticking with popular operas, but it has done no such thing: yes, it {…}
(Photo: Giulia Papetti) Last summer, the Vivaldi Edition, devoted to recording the entire Foà and Giordano Collection of nearly 450 Vivaldi manuscripts, released two recordings. Both discs, one of sacred music and the other of secular music, are for the contralto voice. The soloist on both discs is Delphine Galou, the French baroque specialist whose distinctive voice has drawn high {…}
Pinchgut Opera is set to present the first Australian performances of Vivaldi’s “Farnace.” Performances are set for Dec. 4-10, 2019 at the City Recital Hall Sydney. The cast will include Christopher Lowrey, Helen Sherman, Jacqueline Dark, Taryn Fiebig, and Max Riebl, among others. Erin Helyard will conduct a production directed by Mark Gaal. “‘Farnace’ is characterized by women who make moral {…}
(Credit:Miodrag Guberinic) The Heartbeat Opera has announced its sixth annual Halloween Drag Extravaganza at Roulette in Brooklyn, New York. There are three performances slated for both Oct. 30 and 31. This year’s event, titled “HOT MAMA: Sinigng Gays Saving Gaia” will center on climate collapse. It will feature music of Bernstein, Delibes, Handel, Vaughan Williams, Vivaldi, Wagner, and Cole Porter. {…}
Third Coast Baroque, an early music ensemble from Chicago, has unveiled its 2019-20 season. For the purposes of this article, we will only focus on concerts related to opera and vocal performances. It all kicks off with “Wonder Women: Female Strength in Handel’s Cantatas.” The concert will star Nathalie Colas, Kaitlin Foley, Erica Schuller, and the TCB Chamber Ensemble. The {…}
(Photo: Alan Neilson) Bologna’s Palazzo Fava is running an exhibition entitled, “Vivaldi: My Life, My Music,” which might lead some to conclude that this a presentation by the composer himself, and they would not be entirely wrong. For sure, Vivaldi, has long since departed this world, but the exhibition has resurrected him as a guide, employed to takes us through {…}
(Credit: Henning Ross, Sony Classical) Countertenor Valer Sabadus will be performing in Australia for the first time in collaboration with Pinchgut Opera on August 25, 2019. The recital will take place at the City Recital Hall in Sydney and will feature the Orchestra of Antipodes under the musical direction of Erin Heylard. It will feature music by Handel, Caldara, Hasse, {…}
Cecilia Bartoli’s latest album, “Antonio Vivaldi” (2018) comes almost twenty years after her historic recording, “The Vivaldi Album,” which was released in 1999 to wide critical acclaim and incredible popular success. The 1999 album sparked a renewed interest in Vivaldi’s operatic works and positioned Bartoli as a champion of neglected or forgotten music. It also showcased Bartoli’s talents as a {…}
Twenty years ago, mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli released “The Vivaldi Album,” which redefined her as an artist in the eyes of many around the opera world. Now she has returned to that original well of inspiration with her latest album, “Antonio Vivaldi.” This new album will feature the mezzo in collaboration with the French baroque orchestra Ensemble Matheus under Jean-Christophe Spinosi. {…}