(Photo: Antoine François Prévost’s novel, “The Story of the Chevalier des Grieux and Manon Lescaut,” was published in France in 1731 to great success. Its scandalous subject matter—featuring protagonists who live together out of wedlock, a Manon obsessed with greed to the point of prostitution, and a des Grieux who cheats at cards for money, with both ultimately landing in {…}
Welcome back for this week’s look at the latest CD and DVD releases in the opera world. This week, Jonas Kaufmann has a new album that focuses on lieder, while Jessica Pratt shows off her Bel canto skills in one of Donizetti’s masterpieces. Audiences get to discover some rare pieces and hear some world premiere recordings. Gaetano Donizetti: Roberto Devereux {…}
(Foto: Monika Rittershaus / Courtesy of Opernhaus Zürich) George Frideric Händel composed “Agrippina” during his Italian tour, a work that marked a pivotal moment in his career. It solidified his grasp of Italian opera, represented his first genuine operatic triumph, and remains the earliest of his operas for which the complete score has survived intact. The libretto, written by Cardinal {…}
The Opéra Orchestre national Montpellier Occitanie has announced its 2023-24 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances. The season opens with “Concert de rentrée” conducted by Chloé Dufresne and starring Manon Lamaison, Felix Gygli, and Noëlle Gény. Performance Date: Sept. 23, 2023 Francesco Angelico conducts the Gala Lyrique with Franciska Éry directing. Yunuet Laguna, Oreste Cosimo, and Gëzim Myshketa are the soloists in {…}
