Vegas City Opera is set to open its eleventh season with a new digital production of Richard Wagner’s “The Ring Cycle” on Dec. 12, 2020 and Jan. 2, 2021. More than 25 local artists from Las Vegas will be under the direction of Francisco Corredor, who will employ an unconventional approach that takes the audience to some iconic and familiar {…}
(Art by Zuleyka V. Benitez, used with permission from Haymarket Opera Company) Every Friday, Polina Lyapustina delivers a short essay on some of the most sensitive topics in the industry with the intent of establishing a dialogue about the opera world and its future. The choice of topics discussed, how they are researched, and how they are portrayed is conducted {…}
On November 14, 2020 Minnesota Opera will present Wagner’s “Das Rheingold” in a new, 3D format which will be available to stream online. This digital experience adapts the company’s 2016 production with the help of production company Sweet Sadie. “The sheer size and scope of ‘Das Rheingold’ presents a massive challenge for any opera company,” said President and General Director {…}
Dame Gwyneth Jones is one of the great Wagnerian sopranos in opera history. Her career, which is ongoing as of this writing, has spanned over half a century, with the soprano championing not only the great German operas by Wagner and Strauss but numerous Italian works by Verdi, among others. In recent years she has appeared in more modern operas {…}
With an election coming upon the U.S. and the world in general focusing on their nations’ leaders in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, we turn to a topic that we believe is at the core of opera: politics. On a very personal note, it’s been rather surprising to hear many comments about how opera and politics should not be “mixed {…}
(Credit: The Semperoper Dresden official website) The Semperoper Dresden has announced that Polish baritone Andrzej Dobber will sing the role of Scarpia in the Semper Essenz presentation of Puccini’s “Tosca” on Oct. 30 2020, replacing Alexey Markov. Dobber will join a cast that includes tenor Jonathan Tetelman in the role of Mario Cavaradossi, and soprano Elena Guseva in the title {…}
(Credit: Marco Borggreve) The Semperoper Dresden has announced that the Oct. 28, 2020 recital of German soprano Anja Harteros has been canceled. In a press release, the company stated, “in the view of the current COVID-19 situation in Germany, the soprano very much regrets having to cancel her appearance at the Semperoper out of caution.” Harteros is scheduled to return {…}
Pittsburgh Festival Opera in Pennsylvania has announced “Wicked Wagner Weekend,” a digital mini-festival featuring solo and duet performances from nine of Wagner’s operas across three nights. The festival, which will take place between Oct. 30 through Nov. 1, will be curated by Wagnerian expert Jane Eaglen, and Artistic Director Marianne Cornetti. The singers who have recorded from around the world {…}
“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 Nicholas {…}
(Credits: Andreas Schager official website / Polina Plotnikova) The Deutsche Oper Berlin has announced that heldentenor Andreas Schager and Russian bass Alexander Vinogradov will take part in the New Year Gala concert on Jan. 2, 2021. Schager and Vinogradov will join a cast that includes Sara Jakubiak, Anna Pirozzi, Aigul Akhmetshina, and Amartuvshin Enkhbat. The Australian-born Kapellmeister of the Deutsche {…}
(Credit: © Gregor Hohenberg / Sony Classical) Famed tenor Jonas Kaufmann will give an exclusive recital at the Teatro alla Scala on Oct. 22, 2020. For this occasion, Kaufmann will partner with his longtime collaborator, pianist Helmut Deutsch. The program reflects the tenor’s personal choice of repertoire, much of it has been featured on Kaufmann’s latest album Selige Stunde. The {…}
