(Credit: Ken Howard / Metropolitan Opera) Verdi’s “Macbeth” may be a major repertory staple, but its Met history is actually not as extensive as one might imagine. In sum, the Verdi opera has appeared just 105 times in the company’s history. When it returns on Wednesday, Sept. 25, the company will be reviving it for the first time in five {…}
(Credit: Julien Benhamou / ONP) Verdi’s “La Forza del Destino” is undeniably one of the most complex to stage. Not only is it a tremendous challenge for each of the major singers cast in the work, but it presents unique obstacles for any director who opts to take it on. The opera, despite being by one the greatest opera composers {…}
This review covers two performances of “Tosca” at Opera de Paris — on 16th and 19th of May 2019. Jonas Kaufmann canceled his first three performances of Tosca in Paris. The audience was shocked. “Kaufmann cancels again!” “We were waiting for it for the whole season!” “We bought tickets in October!” “We were traveling to Paris just to see him!” The {…}
The Royal Opera House has announced its 2019-20 Season featuring some of the greatest singers in the world in 17 new productions of both ballet and opera. For this article, we will only focus on opera performances. Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” opens the 2019-20 season with Erwin Schrott in the title role alongside Roberto Tagliavini, Malin Byström, Christine Rice. Daniel Behle, Emanuele D’Aguanno, Louise Alder, Lars Woldt, {…}
Another big season at the Metropolitan Opera has come and gone. The 2018-19 was a rather fascinating one from a repertory perspective, offering up a wide range of music from some of the greatest composers. The year wound up being a mixed bag of sorts from a quality standpoint with the best performances arguably taking place once the calendar turned {…}
Jonas Kaufmann has canceled performances of Puccini’s ‘”Tosca.” The Opera de Paris announced that Kaufmann had to “withdraw from the first three performances of ‘Tosca’ due to a violent coughing attack which makes it necessary for him to temporarily refrain from singing. The irritation was found very quickly and therefore the convalescence is expected to be very rapid. He looks {…}
Puccini’s “La Fanciulla del West” will be showcased on PBS’s Great Performances From The Met this Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019. The broadcast will kick off at 12 p.m. EDT and will showcase Jonas Kaufmann as Dick Johnson with Eva-Maria Westbroek as Minnie. This HD showcase was best known for being the long awaited return of Kaufmann to the Met after {…}
There was a ton of drama in Verdi’s “Otello” on Monday, Dec. 17, 2018. But it wasn’t necessarily always the kind you might be expecting. Tenor Stuart Skelton made his Metropolitan Opera role debut at the house after having to cancel the opening night performance due to illness. He remained ill, but that fact was not given to the audience {…}
Verdi’s “Otello” gets a revival at the Metropolitan Opera starting on Dec. 14, 2018. The production will not only feature the debut of famed conductor Gustavo Dudamel but will also see the return of Bartlett Sher’s production. The cast will be headlined by Stuart Skelton in what will be his fourth role at the Met Opera. He made his debut {…}
Puccini’s “Tosca” received its 966th performance at the Metropolitan Opera on Thursday, Oct. 25. The work featured the second revival of David McVicar’s production from last season, with some unique distinctions. As noted in last year’s review of this production, this version of the work’s success will live or die based on whether the performers bring a strong perspective to {…}
The Lyric Opera of Chicago has announced the participation of several singers in the Renée Fleming 25th Anniversary Concert & Gala. The gala, which is set to honor and celebrate Fleming’s extraordinary commitment to Chicago and her unparalleled contributions to the art form, will see Sondra Radvanovsky, Susan Graham, Lawrence Brownlee, Quinn Kelsey, Željko Lučić, Eric Owens, and Christian Van Horn {…}
