Welcome back for this week’s look at the latest CD and DVD releases in the opera world. This week, audiences get the second part of a CD series, solo albums, including a debut album, and some rarely performed works. Longing – A Love Across The Ages In the tradition of great “art song” composers, such as Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, {…}
Reputedly, music is the medicine for sorrow and the companion to joy—“laetitia comes,” as the Latin has it. What’s more, it has the miraculous ability not only to make time stand still but to conjure, simultaneously, rapid flights of emotion. Music, in short, lays bare our humanity, distilled to its finest. Such is the theme—more or less—of Will Liverman’s “Dunbar/Moore {…}
The Santa Fe Opera has announced its 2026 season. Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” will open the season with a revival production directed by Melanie Bacaling. The cast will include Karen Chia-ling Ho, Stephen Costello, Jonathan Burton, Jarrett Ott, and Sun-Ly Pierce. John Fiore conducts. Performance Dates: July 3-29, 2026 Harry Bicket conducts Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” in a production by Christopher Luscombe. Josh Lovell, Joélle Harvey, Rainelle {…}
San Francisco Opera’s 2025 Summer Season is set to open with Puccini’s “La Bohème.” The company will revive the production by John Caird, and Ramón Tebar will conduct the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. The company will showcase two different casts. The first will showcase Pene Pati as Rodolfo, Karen Chia-ling Ho as Mimì, Andrea Carroll as Musetta, and Lucas Meachem {…}
The Washington National Opera has announced its 2025-26 season. Mainstage Productions The season opens with Verdi’s “Aida” in Francesca Zambello’s production. Kwamé Ryan conducts with Jennifer Rowley starring in the leading role. She is joined by Adam Smith, Raehann Bryce-Davis, Agnieszka Rehlis, Shenyang, and Morris Robinson. Amber R. Monroe and Robert Watson also star in the lead roles. Performance Dates: {…}
The Staatsorchester Hamburg has announced its 2025-26 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances. Mahler’s “Lieder aus Des Knaben Wunderhorn” will be conducted by Adam Fischer and star Annika Schlicht and Benjamin Appl. The concert will also include Bartok’s Konzert für Orchester. Performance Dates: Nov. 23 & 24, 2025 Omer Meir Wellber conducts the Silverkonzert with Hila Baggio {…}
(Photo credit: Martin Schalk) The Philharmonie de Paris in collaboration with the French Ministry of Culture presents “2025 Boulez Year.” This selection of events will celebrate the centenary of the birth of composer and conductor Pierre Boulez. Soprano Sarah Aristidou performs in Boulez’s “Pli selon pli, portrait de Mallarmé” with Les Siècles led by conductor Franck Ollu. Performance Dates: January {…}
(Photos: © Met Opera) This holiday season’s production of Metropolitan Opera’s “The Magic Flute” brings joy and grandiosity to Met Opera’s stage, and audience members of all ages. Julie Taymor’s beloved production is a nostalgic showcase of thoughtful set designs, costume designs, and dancing. This is the abridged, English adapted version of Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte” designed to run in under {…}
The Grammy nominations have been announced. For this article, we will focus on the vocal and operatic nominations. The Best Opera Recording nominees are “Adams: Girls Of The Golden West” featuring John Adams, Paul Appleby, Julia Bullock, Hye Jung Lee, Daniela Mack, Elliot Madore, Ryan McKinny, and Davóne Tines, Dmitriy Lipay, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Los Angeles Master Chorale, “Catán: Florencia {…}
New York Festival of Song, led by Artistic Director Steven Blier, is set to open its mainstage season with “My Brother’s Keeper” on Nov. 19, 2024 at Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center. Conceived by baritone Justin Austin, the program tells a story of brotherly love, caretaking, and community among Black men in America through art song, soul, gospel, and {…}
(Credit: Dessoff Choir) The Dessoff Choirs is set to open its 100th anniversary season with Brahms’ German Requiem. The performance, which will be led by Music Director Malcolm J. Merriweather will be held on Nov. 2, 2024, at The Town Hall. According to the ensemble, this program holds special significance as Brahms and Otto Dessoff were friends. Brahms provided Dessoff {…}
