How do you engage a new generation of opera lovers or excite your current fans for the new season? For the Wiener Staatsoper, the key is its annual “Tag der offenen Tur” or open day program. The weekend before opening night, the Wiener Staatsoper opens its doors to the general public for free with a ticket audiences pick up at {…}
The Wiener Staatsoper has announced a cast change for their revival production of Offenbach’s “Les Contes d’Hoffmann.” The company announced that Dmitry Korchak will sing the title role of Hoffmann instead of Yosep Kang. Korchak sang the title role of Hoffmann with the New National Theatre in Tokyo for the first time. This will mark his second production in the title role. He {…}
Karine Babajanyan stepped in for Nina Stemme at the Wiener Staatsoper’s performance of “Tosca,” making her house debut. The Armenian soprano was called last minute to step in for an ailing Stemme. As a result, the soprano traveled from Hannover with minimal rehearsal prep to sing the demanding title role. The soprano joined Piotr Beczala and Carlos Alvarez in the {…}
(Credit: Michael Pohn/Wiener Staatsoper) Polish tenor Piotr Beczała, currently starring as Cavaradossi in Puccini’s “Tosca” at the Wiener Staatsoper, will receive the title of Kammersänger. According to Salzburger Nachrichten, the ceremony will take place on Jun. 23, 2019 following the final performance of “Tosca,” which will be broadcast live on Herbert von Karajan-Platz as part of “Oper live am Platz.” {…}
Camilla Nylund has received the Kammersängerin distinction at the Wiener Staatsoper. The Finnish soprano was awarded the distinction on June 6 following a performance of R. Strauss’ “Die Frau Ohne Schatten.” The award was handed to Nylund by Dominque Meyer, the Staatsoper’s general director, and Stephen Gould, who is currently performing alongside Nylund. Nylund made her Vienna debut in 2005 in {…}
Jonas Kaufmann is out of the Wiener Staatsoper’s 150th-anniversary concert. The company announced that “that due to medical reasons he will not be performing the next two weeks. Thus he has canceled his participation in the Jubilee concert of the Wiener Staatsoper on May 26, 2019. In his place, Roberto Alagna will sing the “Juive” -Arie.” Kaufmann has already canceled {…}
Marco Vratogna was let go by the Wiener Staatsoper in the upcoming revival of “Andrea Chénier.” According to Vratogna’s manager, the baritone was written out of Friday’s big-screen broadcast of “Andrea Chénier” for turning up late for rehearsal while the company noted that the baritone never turned up. According to Vratogna’s team, the baritone notified the company that he would {…}
The Wiener Staatsoper is set to broadcast Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor” on Orf 2. The production by Laurent Pelly, which premiered last week, is set to star Olga Peretyatko and Juan Diego Flórez in the leading roles. George Petean and Jongmin Park also star as Enrico and Raimondo. Evelino Pidò conducts the production, which features a critical edition and a new cadenza {…}
Polish bass-baritone Tomasz Konieczny was granted the honorary title of Kammersänger, or “chamber singer,” on stage following his Jan. 16 performance as The Wanderer in Wagner’s “Siegfried.” The performance also featured KS Stephen Gould as Siegfried, Iréne Theorin as Brünnhilde, Jochen Schmeckenbecher as Alberich, KS Herwig Pecoraro as Mime, Monika Bohinec as Erda, and Sorin Coliban as Fafner. The ensemble {…}
René Pape has been given the honor of Kammersänger at the Wiener Staatsoper. The bass announced via social media that he was given the honor during his performance of “The Magic Flute.” He stated, “I am incredibly honored to have been awarded the title of ‘Österreichischer Kammersänger’ after my performance of ‘The Magic Flute’ at the Wiener Staatsoper last night. {…}