The Hungarian State Opera is set to present “War & Peace” starting on Jan. 28, 2023. The Prokofiev opera will be presented in a production by Calixto Bieito; the staging is co-produced with the Grant Théâtre de Genève. There will be 28 singers taking on 45 roles. Among them are Csaba Szegedi (Andrei Bolkonsky), Andrea Brassói-Jőrös (Natasha Rostova), and Szabolcs {…}
The Gran Teatre del Liceu has announced a series of upcoming productions. The company revealed that it would be presenting new showcases of “War and Peace” and “Giulio Cesare.” The Prokofiev opera will arrive in the next few seasons and will be featured in a co-production with the Bayerische Staatsoper, where it will premiere in March of 2023. Dmitri Tcherniakov {…}
On his deathbed, Sergei Prokofiev talked of his hope that “War and Peace,” the opera he considered to be his greatest composition for the stage, would eventually become known the world over in its definitive version. In Russia and other Slavic countries this has largely been achieved, but in the West, performances have been rare indeed. Welsh National Opera’s decision {…}
When Dorothy arrived in Oz, she made the memorable comment “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas any more.” Mega diva Joyce DiDonato’s first glimpse of the superb 6th century church of Aya Irini in the gardens of the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul may well have elicited the same response. The operatic career of the former Joyce Flaherty from Prairie {…}
The last few years have been difficult for baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky and his beloved opera fans, including yours truly. A brilliant actor with a rich and layered voice, Hvorostovsky is a consummate artist if there ever was one. Even on days when his voice is not at its peak (as was the case at the recent Metropolitan Opera gala), he {…}
It is the month of revolutions with a number of major countries acquiring their respective independence in the month of July. Just to list some – the United States, France, Algeria, Colombia, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Peru, Slovakia, Rwanda, Somalia, and Venezuela. All of these nations and many more claim their independence day during this month. Independence didn’t come for free {…}
Sergei Prokofiev’s operatic output isn’t all that well-known. While small bits from many of his works have made it into the mainstream via different means (a violin transcription of the March from “The Love for Three Oranges, for example), only one opera has passed the test of time, his adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s “War and Peace.” The opera, which premiered {…}