The Deutsche Oper Berlin has announced a major cast change for its production of “Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.” The company stated via social media that Sir Donald Runnicles was forced to withdraw from the production due to an “acute shoulder illness.” In his stead, audiences will see and hear conductor Markus Stenz at the podium. He will join a production {…}
The Hungarian State Opera is set to present a new production of Wagner’s “Götterdämmerung” starting on May 15, 2022. The new production will be directed by Géza M. Tóth and will be conducted by Balázs Kocsár. The production will continue Tóth’s criticism of consumer society and will feature projected animations by KEDD Animation Studio and set designs by Gergely Zöldy {…}
(Credit: Alain Hanel) On April 26th the Opéra de Monte-Carlo presented Sir Bryn Terfel in recital, marking the legendary bass-baritone’s first return to the Monaco stage since 2016, as his recital planned for February 2021 had been cancelled due to COVID travel restrictions. If one had to choose a single word to sum up Terfel’s recital, it would be generous. {…}
On Saturday, April 9, 2022, San Francisco Performances presented renowned German baritone Matthias Goerne and notable prize-winning young Korean pianist Seong-Jin Cho in an extraordinary concert. The performance was like being at a mountain retreat on a distant planet, drinking distilled ambrosia while hearing rare melodies in an exotic language. Clapping nearly seemed irrelevant; how do we applaud such a {…}
OperaVision has announced the four streams for April which will feature German operas by Richard Wagner and Kurt Weill. The month will begin with “The Seven Deadly Sins Weill” from Opera North. Weill’s shimmering “sung ballet” will star soprano Wallis Giunta and dancer Shelley Eva Haden. Streaming Date: April 8, 2022 Wagner’s “Parsifal” will be streamed from the Hungarian State {…}
(Credit: Mathias Leidgschwendne) The Staatsoper Stuttgart has announced a unique new production for Wagner’s “Die Walküre.” In an official press statement, the company revealed that three different directors would be taking on the opera, one director per act. Taking on Act one will be Dutch theatre collective Hotel Modern. Light designer Urs Schönebaum will take over Act two while visual {…}
(Credit: Bernd Uhlig) Starting on May 13, 2022, Marquee TV will present Deutsche Oper Berlin’s new production of Wagner’s epic Ring Cycle. This new interpretation is said to utilize the journeys of individual characters to reflect the values of our society, reintroducing the cycle for a 21st century audience. Directed by Stefan Herheim and conducted by leading Wagnerian expert Sir {…}
Opera Maine is set to present Wagner’s “The Flying Dutchman” starting on July 27, 2022. The opera, which will be the centerpiece of the company’s new season, will be presented at the Merrill Auditorium in Portland, Main and will be conducted by Israel Gursky. Dona D. Vaughn will direct the opera which will be headlined by Mark Delavan, Felicia Moore, {…}
Teatro Real concludes Wagner’s epic tetralogy “Der Ring des Nibelungen” with nine performances of the fourth title, “Götterdämmerung,” after having presented one opera per season, beginning with “Das Rheingold” in 2019. Unfortunately, the production of this fourth opera, directed by Robert Carsen and Patrick Kinmonth, turned out to be repetitive, meaningless, and plain. Dull & Meaningless One of the main {…}
(Credit: © Studioline Photography) Legendary heldentenor Peter Seiffert has withdrawn from the performances of Wagner’s romantic opera “Tannhäuser” at the Deutsche Oper Berlin on Feb. 12 and 20, 2022. As a result, Stephen Gould and Klaus Florian Vogt will take over the title role. Gould and Vogt join a cast that includes Camilla Nylund as Elisabeth and Venus, and Tobias {…}
In a 2019 article, Lynn René Bayley castigated modern opera for its “bastardization” of its sacred origins. She declared that the post-modernist operatic aesthetic relies too much on brazen sexuality and enigmatic “shock-value,” with such dependencies producing nothing but “gutter trash” performances that are poisoning the artform’s contemporary credibility. After having expressed her disgust at Hans Neuenfels’ laboratory-themed take on Wagner’s {…}