(Credit: Georg Zeppenfeld) The Wiener Staatsoper has announced that bass René Pape will not be appearing in the role of Gurnemanz in the run of Wagner’s “Parsifal.” As a result, German bass Georg Zeppenfeld will take over the role. Zeppenfeld joins a cast that includes Wolfgang Koch, Anja Kampe, Nikolay Sidorenko, Artyom Wasnetsov, Carlos Osuna, Erik Van Heyningen, Patricia Nolz, {…}
(Credit: Royal Opera House official website) The Royal Opera House has announced multiple cast changes for its upcoming productions of Puccini’s “Tosca,” Wagner’s “Lohengrin,” and Donizetti’s “Don Pasquale.” Per an official press release, Oksana Lyniv will conduct the full run of Tosca in 2021, replacing Francesco Ivan Ciampa who was due to conduct the performances on Dec. 11, 14 & {…}
(Credit: Wiener Staatsoper official website) The Wiener Staatsoper has announced the slate of operas that it will be presenting on its streaming platform over the next week. Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin” from 2020 kicks off the slate. The opera spotlights Helene Schneiderman, Nicole Car, Anna Goryachova, Larissa Diadkova, Andrè Schuen, Bogdan Volkov, Dimitry Ivashchenko, Dan Paul Dumitrescu, Mykola Erdyk, and Johanna {…}
(Credit: © Wiener Staatsoper / Michael Pöhn) The Wiener Staatsoper has announced the slate of operas that it will be presenting on its streaming platform over the next week. Wagner’s “Der Ring des Nibelungen” from 2016 will be streamed initially. Adam Fischer conducts a production by Sven-Eric Bechtolf. First up is “Das Rheingold” with Tomasz Konieczny, Norbert Ernst, Michaela Schuster, {…}
(Credit: Opera Online) The Oper Leipzig has announced the cancellation of all performances between Nov. 22 and Dec. 12, 2021. Per the latest order of the Government of Saxony, all theaters and opera houses must remain closed until Dec. 12, 2021. The opera house did manage to complete its run of performing David Pountney’s production of Wagner’s “Die Meistersinger von {…}
(Credit: Wiener Staatsoper official website) The Wiener Staatsoper has announced that soprano Anja Kampe will not be appearing in the role of Senta in Wagner’s “Der Fliegende Holländer” for the performances on Nov. 21 & 24, 2021. As a result, well-known dramatic soprano Ricarda Merbeth will take over the role. Merbeth has already stepped in for Kampe for the performance {…}
Alan Gilbert is set to lead a new production of Wagner’s “Die Walküre” at the Royal Swedish Opera on Nov. 20, 2021. The showcase, which represents Gilbert’s first stage production as the company’s Music Director, will be staged by Staffan Valdemar Holm. Audiences will hear Ingela Brimberg and Iréne Theorin alternating in the role of Brünnhilde with Cornelia Beskow as {…}
(Credit: Mirko Joerg Kellner) The Wiener Staatsoper has announced that soprano Anja Kampe will not be appearing in the role of Senta in Wagner’s “Der Fliegende Holländer” for the Nov. 17, 2021 performance. As a result, soprano Ricarda Merbeth will take over the role. Merbeth is a well-known dramatic soprano who has performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Bayerische Staatsoper, {…}
(Credit: Richard Termine) For this edition of the Opera Quiz we turn to one of Wagner’s greatest (and longest) operas, “Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.” Past editions of the quiz focused on musical or dramatic questions about the operas in question. But we are focusing even more acutely in this edition – by literally testing your knowledge of the mastersingers themselves. {…}
(Credits: ORF / Lalo Jodlbauer) The Wiener Staatsoper and Osterfestspiele Salzburg have announced that they will cooperate on a new production of Wagner’s “Lohengrin.” In a joint press statement, the two companies noted that a new production of Wagner’s romantic opera would be performed at the Wiener Staatsoper in the 2023-24 season, after the premiere at the Osterfestspiele Salzburg in April {…}
(Credit: Bernd Uhlig) The Deutsche Oper Berlin has announced its upcoming performances of Wagner’s iconic “Der Ring des Nibelungen.” Wagner’s tetralogy will star number of renowned Wagnerian singers, including Brandon Jovanovich as Siegmund; Elisabeth Teige as Sieglinde; Nina Stemme in the role of Brünnhilde; Clay Hilley as Siegfried; Derek Welton as Wotan in “Das Rheingold”; Iain Paterson as Wotan/Der Wanderer; {…}