(Credit: Linda Rabisch) When COVID-19 struck in March 2020, one of the final “live” performances to take the stage was a production of Dvořák’s “Rusalka” in Krefeld, Germany with dramatic soprano Dorothea Herbert in the title role. For her, the experience was surreal. “We performed on that night in a totally empty theater. There was no audience, just the darkness {…}
(Credit: Opera Australia official website) Celebrated Australian opera director Elijah Moshinsky has died at the age of 75. Moshinsky graduated from the University of Melbourne and made his operatic debut in 1975 at the Royal Opera House with a production of Britten’s opera “Peter Grimes.” The famed director went on to stage a number of highly successful productions at the {…}
(Credit: Kevin Yatarola) Celebrated conductor Sir Simon Rattle has been appointed the new Chief Conductor of the Chor and Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks. Rattle will begin his five-year tenure in 2023. The famed conductor served as the Chief Conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker until 2018, and currently holds the position of Music Director of the London Symphony Orchestra. “Bayerischer Rundfunk {…}
(Credit: Gregor Hohenberg / Sony Classical) Famed tenor Jonas Kaufmann will give a recital at Teatro Real de Madrid on Jan. 14, 2021. For this occasion, Kaufmann will be accompanied by his long-term collaborator, pianist Helmut Deutsch. The program for the concert includes music by Schubert, Schumann, Strauss, Beethoven, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Mahler, and Dvořák, among others. The {…}
“Opera Meets Film” is a feature dedicated to exploring the way that opera has been employed in cinema. We will select a film section or a film in its entirety and highlight the impact that utilizing the operatic form or sections from an opera can alter our perception of a film that we are viewing. This week’s installment features Werner {…}
(Credits: Gregor Hohenberg SONY Classical) The Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège has announced that it has canceled concerts by Juan Diego Flórez and Jonas Kaufmann due to the COVID-19 measures imposed by the government of Belgium. Flórez was set to perform on Jan. 8, 2021, alongside Christopher Franklin, who was supposed to lead Orchestra of the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège. Meanwhile, {…}
Credits: Styriarte official website / Symphoniker Hamburg official website / Lena Kern / Nordic Artists Management France Musique will broadcast Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 on Jan. 6, 2021. The performance has been traditionally held as a celebration of the new year. The performance will spotlight soprano Chen Reiss, tenor Klaus Florian Vogt, bass Matthew Rose, and mezzo-soprano Tone Kummervold. Lahav {…}
(Credit: Csudai Sándor-Origo) Famed Hungarian baritone Sándor Sólyom-Nagy has died at the age of 79. Sólyom-Nagy graduated from the Franz Liszt Music Academy in Budapest in 1966. He became a member of the ensemble of the Hungarian State Opera, and quickly became one of the leading baritones. Sólyom-Nagy also performed on the stages of the Wiener Staatsoper and the Bayerische {…}
Credits: Groves Artists official website / John Batten / Julian Hargreaves The government of the United Kingdom has officially announced the list of New Year Honours 2021. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has awarded the honors to a number of persons for outstanding achievements across the country. Among those awarded is opera director Graham Vick, who was knighted for his {…}
(Credit: Fernando Sancho) Spanish conductor Pablo Heras-Casado will conduct the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo for the performances of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 on Dec. 23, 25 & 26, 2020. The famed “Choral” symphony will showcase soprano Eri Takahashi, mezzo-soprano Etsuko Kanoh, tenor Naoki Miyasato, and baritone Shin Taniguchi. The presentation will also feature New National Theatre Chorus. Heras-Casado recently {…}
(Credit: Palau de la Música Catalana official website) Famed Finnish conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen has received an Honorary Knighthood by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, for services to music and to relations between the United Kingdom and Finland. “This is a true personal honor, but more than that, it is meaningful to have artists honored at a national – at a {…}