(Credit: Metropolitan Opera / Marty Sohl) I could commence this review by going into the political implications and problematic circumstances surrounding this production, but another writer has already done an excellent job spotlighting all that. Instead, I am going to jump into the performance itself, the second in this run of the famed Puccini work and Franco Zeffirelli’s iconic and, {…}
(Credit: Jonathan Tichler / Met Opera) On April 30, the Metropolitan Opera will revive its legendary production of Puccini’s “Turandot.” The Franco Zeffirelli production will return to the stage following fall performances with a new cast led by Liudmyla Monastyrska. This will mark the soprano’s first performances at the Met since 2017. The soprano has performed with the company 31 {…}
(Photo credit: Prudence Upton) Whose version of “Othello” is better – Shakespeare’s or Verdi’s? You could have a good argument with someone over this. In Verdi’s opera, Iago is more overtly a villain (he says so in Act two’s “Credo in Dio crudel”) and there are potentially more shades to Otello, whose long speeches in Shakespeare’s “Othello” can too easily {…}
(Photo credit: Prudence Upton) Storywise, Puccini’s “Turandot” presents an interesting challenge. Based on a fairytale dramatized by 18th century Italian writer, Carlo Gozzi, it doesn’t quite fit into Puccini’s more natural style. And even casual audience members might find themselves asking, “If Turandot is so horrible nearly all the way through, how can we believe her sudden change of heart at {…}
Opera Australia has announced its 2022 season. Sydney Season First up in the summer season will be “La Bohème” directed by Gale Edwards and conducted by Lorenzo Passerini and Paul Fitzsimon. The opera will star Valeria Sepe, Kang Wang, Julie Lea Goodwin, Haotian Qi, Shane Lowrencev, and Richard Anderson. Performance Dates: Dec. 31, 2021 – Feb. 4, 2022 Next up {…}
The Met’s Summer HD Festival is set to return on August 28 featuring 10 free encore presentations from the company’s Live in HD series. The festival will also feature a special pre-festival screening of Susan Froemke’s acclaimed documentary “The Opera House.” The screenings will be free and open to the public, with approximately 2,500 seats set up next to the {…}
(Credit: Met Opera) The Met Opera has announced that it will be concluding its nightly stream series next week. And to commemorate the 71st and final week of streams, the company is turning to operas for the fans, selected by the fans. So here is a rundown of the final week of nightly streams, courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera. Monday, {…}
(In collaboration with Dejan Vukosavljevic) The Bayerische Staatsoper has announced its 2021-22 season featuring new productions and revivals as well as concerts. Here is a look at the new season. Premieres Shostakovich’s “The Nose” will get a new production by Kirill Serebrennikow. Vladimir Jurowski conducts the cast that includes Boris Pinkhasovich, Sergei Leiferkus, Gennady Bezzubenkov, Andrey Popov, Sergey Skorokhodov, Anton Rositskiy, {…}
Over the last few years, few tenors have made their mark quite the way Korean Yonghoon Lee has. The tenor has built up an enviable career that has seen him perform all over the world at the major companies including the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House, Opéra National de Paris, Opernhaus Zürich, Vienna State Opera, San Francisco Opera, and many, {…}
A few week’s ago, our quiz focused on Chinese composer Tan Dun. This week we continue to spotlight Asian opera artists, but this time shifting our focus to the singers dominating the world stages. So for this quiz, we will offer up a prompt and it will be your job to pick which singer it best applies to. As always, {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced the next two weeks of its streaming slate. One week will be dedicated to iconic productions of director Franco Zeffirelli with the second week dedicated to baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky who passed away back in 2017, leaving behind a legacy of Met HD recordings. Week 49– Franco Zeffirelli Week Monday, February 15 – Puccini’s La Bohème Starring {…}