New Years weekend will not be particularly active in the American opera scene. Only three major companies will make their respective presences felt as the calendar turns from 2016 to 2017. The Metropolitan Opera will continue its full slate of operas, showcasing three works to end the year. There will be two performances given on Friday, December 30. At 12 {…}
Over the course of two uninterrupted hours, Strauss’ “Salome” must develop from a clueless ingénue to a passionate seductress that eventually ends up a murderous, lustful lunatic. It is the dream role for any actress, but also one that demands a grade-A star to dispatch all of its nuance and intense passions. Patricia Racette was not supposed to be the {…}
The second performance of the Metropolitan Opera’s “Salome,” starring Patricia Racette, takes place on Friday, Dec. 9. The first performance featured the Met role debut for Racette, a portrayal that earned her universal acclaim. Eric C. Simpson of the New York Classical Review wrote that “ the veteran soprano had a career night Monday, showing she still has an enormous {…}
The Metropolitan Opera opened Strauss’ “Salome” on Monday Dec. 5 in Jurgen Flimm’s modern take. The current revival stars Patricia Racette in her first German role at the Met and Zeljko Lucic as John the Baptist. Nancy Fabiola Herrera and Gerhard Siegel also star with Johannes Debus in the pit. So what did audiences think of the revival? Here are {…}
On Wednesday, Dec. 7, the legendary Teatro all Scala opens its 2016-17 season with Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly.” The opera stars rising star Maria Jose Siri, Bryan Hymel and Carlos Alvarez and is led by music director Riccardo Chailly. The opening continues La Scala’s tradition of inaugurating the season on Dec. 7 and continues Chailly’s Puccini cycle, which he began back {…}