A week after announcing a future overhaul to its season, the Metropolitan Opera has made more announcements revealing the company’s continued change in direction. The latest news? The company is set to commission new operas that it will look to feature in spaces outside of Lincoln Center. Per the New York Times, for the first time in its history, the {…}
The Philadelphia Orchestra will be back in 2019 to showcase Puccini’s “Tosca” as Bravo! Vail Music Festival’s debut opera production. Performances are set for July 11 and 13, 2019 at the outdoor Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater. The announcement was made by Bravo! Vail’s Music Festival’s Artistic Director Anne-Marie McDermott during a concert by the ensemble, as led by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. {…}
Yannick Nézet-Séguin has signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon. The company announced the news noting that the contract will include complete cycles of Rachmaninov’s symphonies and piano concertos, with soloist Daniil Trifonov and The Philadelphia Orchestra. It will continue his acclaimed Mozart series with “Die Zauberflöte,” to be recorded with the COE and an outstanding cast this summer at the {…}
“The crown! The crest! It’s the Attavanti’s!” Exclaimed the tempestuous diva Floria Tosca, as she paced about in a frenzied fit of jealousy after being led to believe by the scheming and lascivious Barron Scarpia that her lover, the painter and maverick Mario Cavaradossi, had been dallying with a Marchesa in the chapel. In fact, no such dalliance occurred, as {…}
Richard Strauss’ “Elektra” returned to the Metropolitan Opera on Thursday, March 1, 2018, in a hotly anticipated revival of Patrice Chéreau’s production. Last time out, the production was a smash hit, its stripped-down sets allowing for the audience to focus on the violent drama put before us. It continues to work in that vein, though its overall stillness might not {…}
On Thursday, the Metropolitan Opera announced that Yannick Nézet-Séguin will move into the position of Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer Music Director two seasons earlier than originally expected. He will assume the position in September and will be conducting three operas for the next two seasons before moving up to five per year in 2020-21. The three works he will lead in 2018-19 will {…}
The Philadelphia Orchestra has announced its 2018-19 season with numerous vocal guests. For this article, we will only focus only on the vocal highlights. The season opens with Yannick Nézet-Séguin leading the orchestra in Nico Muhly’s suite from his recent opera “Marnie” alongside pianist Andre Watts in Grieg’s Piano Concerto and Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances. Performance Dates: Sept. 14-16, 2018 On {…}
On Sept. 21, 2017, the Vienna State Opera will present Richard Strauss’ early masterwork “Salome” as part of its live streaming service. The performance kicks off at 8 p.m. local time and runs through 9:45 p.m. with no intermissions. The work will feature Gun-Brit Barkmin in the title role while Zeljko Lucic will play her obsession Jochanaan. As Herodias, audiences {…}
Yannick Nézet-Séguin has pulled out of the Vienna State Opera’s revival of “Salome.” According to a press release from the state opera, the conductor cancelled with a doctor’s note but no specific cause was stated. As a result, he will be replaced by Simone Young, who is rehearsing Prokofiev’s “The Gambler.” “Salome” is slated to star Željko Lučic, Gun-Brit Barkmin, Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke {…}
Deutsche Grammophon has announced Rolando Villazón’s new album. The CD entitled “Duets” will include Ildar Abdrazakov with Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conducting the Montreal’s Orchestre Métropolitain. “Duets” will include French and Italian opera duets for tenor and bass/baritone and is set for release in September. It marks the singers’ first album together and marks Abdrazakov’s debut on the yellow label. It also {…}
We’ve talked up the finest female performers. We’ve engaged in a discussion about the best men onstage. Now we shift over to the best conductors of the year, the artists that make the entire production work. In this edition, we only picked five, given that, unlike the other categories, there are far fewer to choose from. Here are our favorite {…}