Jessica Pratt, Carolina López Moreno, Brian Jagde, Corinne Winters, Francesco Meli, Asmik Grigorian & Luca Salsi Lead Maggio Musicale Fiorentino’s 2026 Season

The Maggio Musicale Fiorentino has announced its 2026 season. Michele Gamba conducts Massimo Popolizio’s production of Puccini’s “Tosca.” Chiara Isotton and Marta Mari sing the title role alongside Vincenzo Costanzo and Bror Magnus Tødenes as Cavaradossi and Alexey Markov and Claudio Sgura as Scarpia. Opening Date: Jan. 11, 2026 Robert Carsen directs “Cavalleria Rusticana” and “Pagliacci” with Riccardo Frizza conducting. Corinne Winters, Brian {…}

Jun 4, 2025

Bayerische Staatsoper 2024-25 Review: Cavalleria Rusticana / Pagliacci

(Photo: © Geoffroy Schied) In Francesco Micheli’s new staging of Mascagni and Leoncavallo’s iconic opera, Munich transformed for a night into Palermo. With a unified production for both “Cavalleria Rusticana” and “Pagliacci” telling the story of a migrant’s journey from Sicily, the director turned a traditional duo into a memorable night, though his decision to set it in the 1960s {…}

Jan 16, 2025

Diana Damrau, Jonas Kaufmann, Ludovic Tézier, Elina Garanča & Kate Aldrich Among 2025 ICMA Winners

The International Classical Music Awards has announced the 2025 winners which will be presented at Düsseldorf’s Tonhalle on March 19. For this article, we will only focus on the opera winners. For the complete list of winners click here. The Artist of the Year award was given to Leonardo García Alarcón, while Christoph Ehrenfellner won the composer of the year {…}

Oct 23, 2024

San Francisco Opera 2024-25 Review: Tristan und Isolde

(Credit: Cory Weaver) Whether you view Richard Wagner’s opera, “Tristan und Isolde,” as an expressive tale of universal human redemption or simply a unique take on the many medieval romances of love and death, there is no question it casts a spell. In the opening of San Francisco’s new production by Paul Curran, conducted by San Francisco’s own Eun Sun {…}

Nov 28, 2023

Wiener Staatsoper Announces Cast Change for ‘La Fanciulla del West’

The Wiener Staatsoper has announced a cast change for its production of “La Fanciulla del West.” The company said that Wolfgang Koch will sing the role of Jack Rance on Jan. 7, 10, 12, and 15, 2024 replacing Carlos Álvarez. Koch is a well-established baritone who is known for his Italian and German roles. He has performed at the Metropolitan Opera, {…}

Nov 27, 2023

Sydney Symphony Orchestra 2023 Review: Das Rheingold

(Photo credit: Daniel Boud) Concert performances of “Das Rheingold” by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO) in the Opera House Concert Hall November 16-18 were the most recent events in what is shaping up to be a bit of a Wagner year in Australia. Next month sees Opera Australia’s much-awaited new “Ring cycle” in Brisbane, delayed twice previously by COVID. Back {…}

Jul 5, 2023

Anna Netrebko & Juan Diego Flórez Lead Screenings at Film Festival am Wiener Rathausplatz

The Wiener Staatsoper has announced that three operas will be presented as part of the Film Festival am Wiener Rathausplatz. The festival will first present Puccini’s “Tosca” from a 2020 recording. The legendary production by Margarethe Wallmann stars Anna Netrebko in the role of Tosca, Yusif Eyvazov as Cavaradossi, and Wolfgang Koch as Scarpia. Conducting the production is Bertrand de Billy. Presentation: July 5, 2023 {…}

May 8, 2023

Jonas Kaufmann, Nina Stemme, Alice Coote & Christian Gerhaher Lead Berlin Philharmonic’s 2023-24 Season

The Berlin Philharmonic has announced its 2023-24 Season. Here is a look at the vocal performances. Iván Fischer conducts Michael Nagy in works by Jörg Widmann and Gustav Mahler. Performance Date: August 26, 2023 Alexander Rudin, Alexander Melnikov, Nadezhda Pavlova, and Olga Pashchenko perform works by Sergei Rachmaninov. Performance Date: August 27, 2023 Robin Ticciati conducts Wu Wei Sheng, Karen {…}

Feb 7, 2023

Wiener Staatsoper Announces Cast Change for ‘Salome’

The Wiener Staatsoper has announced cast changes for its production of “Salome.” The company said that Jennifer Holloway will sing the title role on Feb. 8, replacing Malin Byström. Meanwhile, Wolfgang Koch will replace Iain Paterson in the role of Jochanaan. Holloway has performed at the Teatro Colón, Metropolitan Opera, Teatro Colón, Canadian Opera Company, English National Opera, National Theater {…}

Jan 31, 2023

Wiener Staatsoper Announces Cast Change for ‘Salome’

The Wiener Staatsoper has announced a cast change for its production of “Salome” on Feb. 2, 2023. The company said that Wolfgang Koch will sing the role of Jochanaan replacing Iain Paterson. Koch has performed at the Wiener Staatsoper over the years and this season he already appeared in the company’s production of “Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg.” Koch has performed {…}

Jun 26, 2022

Bayerische Staatsoper Announces Cast Change for ‘The Devils of Loudun’

The Bayerische Staatsoper has announced a cast change for its production of Penderecki’s “The Devils of Loudun.” The company noted that for the premiere on June 27, 2022 at this year’s Munich Opera Festival, Wolfgang Koch, who was planning to sing the role of Grandier, canceled the premiere due to sickness. The Munich opera said the work which has rarely {…}