The organization will host the North American debut of the Versailles Royal Opera in a production of “The Daughter of the Regiment.” There will also be a concert with Joyce DiDonato and Tessa Lark as well as a tribute to famed composer Ennio Morriconne. There will also be an art song recital featuring Alexandra Armantrading and Lester Lynch.

Performances take place on the Festival Napa Valley Stage at Charles Krug, the Ecolab Theatre and Jackson Family Wines Amphitheater at CIA at Copia, Nickel & Nickel Winery, and Jarvis Conservatory, among other venues.

“Festival Napa Valley is a celebration of the very best Napa Valley has to offer – outstanding performances, stunning venues, exquisite food and wine events, and a welcoming spirit that draws people together,” said Robin Baggett, Chairman of Festival Napa Valley’s Board of Directors, in an official press statement. “Mark your calendars now and join us this summer.”

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The post Joyce DiDonato, Lester Lynch, Alexandra Armantrading Previewed for Festival Napa Valley’s 2025 Season appeared first on OperaWire.

Yet it is not exactly the feel-good opera advertised in Pentatone’s press release; rather, the eponymous Mr. Chips – “the teacher we all wish we’d had” – is a painfully grieving figure, an anachronism of sorts, happily projecting his nostalgia onto the devastating realities of the 20th century and its incumbent wars. A product of Old Europe, he does not belong in a world that has drastically outpaced his Victorianist ideals, let alone his antiquated sense for the Latin pronunciation of “Cicero.” Humor saves him from obliteration, but Mr. Chips is, in essence, of the same stripe as Korngold’s Paul in “Die tote Stadt” – someone who just can’t let go.

Not Letting Go

As his own librettist, Gordon Getty adjusts the plot to, essentially, operatic needs. The action is split into a frame story, and a metadiegetic level of Chips reliving his own memories. It oscillates between his 85-year-old self and episodes from his youth, most notably the tragically ending marriage to Kathie Bridges.

Evidently, the staging of embedded narratives is tricky. But on CD, the layering of storylines proves quite compelling, their friction, so to speak, adding to the main character’s psychological complexity. Kathie in particular is the driving force behind any of Chips’ actions. After her premature death, Chips projects the memory of her onto his very own idiosyncrasies, as when he reacts to his students’ pranks: “How Kathie would have laughed!”

“It was as if Kathie had become a part of him,” the ever so sympathetic Dr. Merrivale comments. Again, one distantly senses the echo of Paul’s pathological remembrance of Marie. Even the doppelgänger motif is of note, with the soprano being required to sing the double role of both Kathie and Linford. But overall, Getty does not draw the drastic consequences of Erich Wolfgang Korngold.

A Class Act

The music very much aligns with Getty’s professed self-assessment of being “two-thirds a 19th century composer.” It comfortably stays committed to the tonal language of the pre-avantgarde, though the deployment of chromaticism and an usual array of instruments make for a gently modernist touch to the score.

The piano, for instance, is something of a psychological barometer. It rises to prominence in the sombre keys played after Kathie’s death. At the same time, its syncopated rhythms, together with the strings, effectively cadence the flow of the narrative which, for the frame story especially, relies on the conversational, and relatively fast-paced nature of the libretto.

Getty thus sets the tone for a chamber-like intimacy, far from the grand gestures of full-scale Romanticism or the transitional styles of the early 1900s. Accordingly, the orchestra boasts a reduced brass section but, in a modern twist, expands on the percussion. The result is a somewhat theatrical, if not cinematographic feel casting the orchestra into an subtly devised mood-painting role.

Farewell, Mr. Chips

The Pentatone recording relies on the unmitigated enthusiasm of its principal singers.

First and foremost, Nathan Granner is a stunningly charismatic Mr. Chips, phrasing vividly yet coating every expressive nuance with his recognizably honeyed tenor sound. The absence of any self-contained arias may not do justice to his mere vocal skills; but his interpretive acuity asserts itself in many places, most notably perhaps in the extended lyrical solo of “I’m afraid that six Brookfeldians have died this week.” Standing in the chapel, Chips reads the names of Brookfield alumni killed on the Western front when an air raid siren suddenly goes off, and explosions are heard. The scene masterfully crescendoes into the boys’ choir chiming into the already cacophonous soundscape, and Nathan Granner’s solemnity is increasingly interspersed with quivering moments of anxiety.

Granner finds his equal in Lester Lynch’s wonderfully empathetic Dr. Merrivale who, in the novel, is a secondary character at best; yet with Gordon Getty, he assumes the primary function of being the narrator. Though the part does not call for vocal extravaganza, it requires sustained gravity, malleable diction, and a pitch-perfect sense for dramatic timing. Lynch provides all of the above, and his characteristically fast vibrato adds an air of venerability to the kind doctor.

Finally, Melody Moore’s interpretation is pivotal to the drama’s strong emotional impact. Her role, and especially the ariose “Chips, darling, it’s started,” are Getty’s most traditionally operatic creations per se, with her long monologue arching into ethereally sustained tones, and a resounding climax. The American soprano’s often diaphanous voice is also apt to suggest an otherworldly presence; after all, Kathie makes ghostly comebacks until the opera’s grandiose finale in Act two.

An All-American Affair

An all-American affair, “Goodbye, Mr. Chips” is further enlivened by the irreproachable performances of Kevin Short in the double role of Ralston and Rivers. But only thanks to the remarkably warm colors drawn from the Barbary Coast Orchestra does Gordon Getty’s quirky schoolteacher emerge whole from what could easily be perceived as a somewhat fragmented compilation of tangentially related episodes. Conductor Dennis Doubin is not to be rushed, and one readily appreciates every bit of patiently shaped melody, whether instrumental, vocal, or in conjunction with the stirringly glorious San Francisco Boys Chorus.

“Mr. Chips” escapes every attempt at conventional categorization. Despite its modern facture (with some limitations), its two-hour run betrays a deeply felt nostalgia for things well beyond the scope of opera. Chips’ death scene, in particular, is transcended by some life-long yearning for a world sadly gone by. Gordon Getty conjures the memory of it.

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Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute presents the seventh year of SongStudio from Jan. 13–19, 2025.

The annual intensive workshop brings eight emerging vocalists and collaborative pianists from around the world together with leading artists and coaches for a week of instruction and performance at Carnegie Hall. The 2025 SongStudio participants will receive private lessons and coaching throughout the week with Anthony Roth Costanzo, as well as vocal pedagogue Gerald Martin Moore, and pianists Javier Arrebola and Hartmut Höll.

The 2025 participating artists are soprano Jazmine Saunders (who appears by kind permission of the Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Development Program) with pianist Elitsa Desseva, soprano Jaeeun Shin, and pianist Aozora Deguchi, soprano Margaret Tigue with Jarod Yap at the piano, mezzo-soprano Sophia Baete and pianist Marc Serra, tenor Matthew McKinney with pianist Corey Silberstein, tenor Joël Terrin and pianist Jong Sun Woo, baritone Anton Kirchhoff with pianist Jou-an Chen, and baritone Wencong Xue with pianist Chris Soong.

Costanzo kicks off the week with the first public master class on Jan. 13. The following day soprano Renée Fleming joins to share her expert insight with the young singers, also in a masterclass. Acclaimed bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel leads a public master class on Jan. 15. Pianist Hartmut Höll rounds out the master classes on Jan. 17. The 2025 SongStudio culminates in the “Young Artists Recital” in Zankel Hall on Jan. 19.

This season’s SongStudio program will be under the creative guidance of Costanzo, who worked with the program in 2022. For the past six seasons, renowned soprano Renée Fleming has led SongStudio as Artistic Director. Due to the ongoing demands of her performance schedule and other commitments, she has decided to step down as Artistic Director. Carnegie Hall will announce future artistic leadership for SongStudio in the coming months.

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The Young People’s Chorus of New York City has announced the first season of “Out of the Vox,” a Short Film Series hosted by founder and artistic director Francisco J. Núñez.

“’Out of the Vox’ gives audiences the ultimate behind-the-scenes look at the amazing people behind world-class performances,” Núñez said in an official press release. “By sharing their journeys and what drives and inspires them, these artists are providing audiences with a deeper insight into their artistry. The conversations offer an intimate look into each artist’s lived experiences, which they bring onto the stage and into the studio every time they perform. Being able to share this with the public is an incredible honor.”

All the episodes feature Núñez in conversation with a renowned artist. Episode one features countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo while episode two, which premieres on Nov. 5, 2024 features a conversation with composer, singer, director / choreographer Meredith Monk. Then in December’s episode three, the spotlight shines on Joyce DiDonato. Episode four, set for release on Jan. 14, 2025 showcases baritone Lester Lynch.

Watch Episode One here:

You can stream the full series directly on YPC Films’ website.

The post Joyce DiDonato, Lester Lynch, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Meredith Monk Headline Season One of Young People’s Chorus of NYC’s ‘Out of the Vox’ appeared first on OperaWire.

This week, audiences will get to hear a world premiere recording of a new opera. There are also three solo albums including one historic recording and one from a great diva of our time. Here is a look!

Jacqueline

Pentatone releases the new opera “Jacqueline,” a powerful work that dives into the real-life struggle between famed cellist Jacqueline du Pré and the multiple sclerosis that ravaged her body, mind, and talent.

The story is brought to life by celebrated American soprano Marnie Breckenridge as Jacqueline and former du Pré protégé and world-renowned cellist Matt Haimovitz, playing the role of her constant companion: her cello. Composer Luna Pearl Woolf and Pulitzer Prize-winning librettist Royce Vavrekwrote the work which is told in four movements – I. Star Birth; II. Super Nova; III. Meteorite; IV. Impact.

Haimovitz said, “As a young boy, I was fully immersed in Jacqueline du Pré’s story the moment I heard her recording of the Elgar Cello Concerto. I had the good fortune to spend many hours with Jackie in her final years, her life severely limited by MS. In Luna Pearl Woolf and Royce Vavrek’s opera, Jacqueline, we celebrate her super powers and mourn her tragic story. Ultimately, we embrace the raw expression of a single voice to overcome all in its way, passing the inner flame on to future generations.”

Cornelie Falcon

Aleksandra Kurzak releases her latest album on Aparte Music. The new album will showcase the soprano alongside the Morphing Chamber Orchestra conducted by Bassem Akiki. The album will be an homage to Falcon’s repertoire and will include music by Mozart, Rossini, Weber, Beethoven, Spontini, Halévy, and Meyerbeer.

Winterreise

Orchid Classics releases soprano and pianist Rachel Fenlon’s debut album “Winterreise.”

Fenlon sings and accompanies herself in Schubert’s masterpiece, the first ever to interpret the work as both singer and pianist on recording.

Full Circle: Reflections on My Journey

PENTATONE releases baritone Lester Lynch’s latest album, a highly personal collection of songs from Schubert, Brahms, and Mussorgsky. He is joined by Kevin Korth on the piano.

In a statement Lynch said, “With ‘Full Circle,’ I embark on a journey through the timeless melodies of Brahms, Mussorgsky, and Schubert, celebrating the rich diversity of their repertoire and bringing their profound harmonies into a new era. As a baritone with over three decades on the stage, this album is a tribute to the varied and enduring beauty of these masterpieces. This project marks a personal full circle for me—beginning with Schubert’s songs in high school, where I first discovered the joy and complexity of his music as an accompanist at the piano.”

As We Are

Bright Shiny Things releases “As We Are,” the debut album from the Poiesis Quartet (violinists Sarah Ma and Max Ball, violist Jasper de Boor, and cellist Drew Dansby), winners of a 2024 Concert Artists Guild Award, and Grand Prize winners of the 2023 Fischoff Award. The album also features renowned mezzo-soprano Nancy Maultsby.

Two world premiere recordings are showcased on the album including Richard Stout’s “Songs of Correspondence,” a cycle of 11 songs on texts taken from the letters of Willa Cather, and Clint Needham’s String Quartet No. 1, “Shades of Green,” inspired by natural cycles and Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons.

Winter Light

Joanna Forbes L’Estrange’s first album on Signum Classics, “Winter Light” is an album of works celebrating the season of Winter, as well as Christmas and Advent.

The album is 19 tracks and the theme that links them all is light triumphing over darkness, good overcoming evil and, ultimately,
love conquering all.

Jephtha

Reference Recordings is set to release Handel’s final masterpiece “Jephtha.” Recorded live in September 2022, the work is conducted by Dame Jane Glover, and performed by Chicago-based Music of the Baroque Chorus & Orchestra. Soloists include David Portillo, Lauren Snouffer, Clara Osowski, Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, Neal Davies, and Katelyn Lee.

Cloud Anthem

Three-time GRAMMY Award-winning new-music choir, The Crossing releases its first standalone single as part of The Crossing Votes: 2024, a pre-election project. The new work, “Cloud Anthem,” by Michael Gilbertson, draws its title from Richard Blanco’s 2019 poem of anticipation and hope on which it is based.

“Cloud Anthem” is released by New Focus Recordings.

In a statement, Conductor Donald Nally said, “Our new single is a work of anticipation and possibilities. A work, we hope, says, ‘Vote.’ In it, we do not attempt to solve our country’s many problems; instead, we intentionally leave behind cynicism to live in a world of voices, textures, and words that some may hear as an invitation.”

The post Aleksandra Kurzak, Matt Haimovitz, Lester Lynch & David Portillo Lead New CD/DVD Releases appeared first on OperaWire.

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The event included performances by such artists as sopranos Alexandra Armantrading and Lisa Delan; mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade; tenor Nathan Granner; baritone Lester Lynch; baritone/librettist Curt Branom; clarinetist David Barnett; pianist Kevin Korth; and pianist/composer Jake Heggie. There were also special tributes by mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, composer John Corigliano, and several politicians including Representative Nancy Pelosi and California Governor Gavin Newsom.

Getty is a renowned composer who has created such operas as “Plump Jack” and “Usher House,” among others.

The award is the festival’s highest honor.

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The free concert will be headlined by baritone Lester Lynch. On the program will be works by Ricky Ian Gordon, as well as other songs arranged by Lynch with other composers and musicians.

“Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. dreamt of a world where all children, no matter their background, could live together in harmony,” said Francisco J. Núñez, artistic director and founder of Young People’s Chorus of New York City, in an official press statement issued by the company. “This is the same dream that YPC aspires to make reality through music every day. By bringing children of all cultural and economic backgrounds together in our unique program of music education and choral performance, our hope is that each child can reach their full potential.”

This is the first collaboration between the Young People’s Chorus of New York City and the Yale Glee Club. The program kicks off at 4 p.m. at Brick Presbyterian Church (1140 Park Ave, New York, NY 10128) in New York City.

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Here is a look at the vocal performances for the season.

The Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester and Ingo Metzmacher perform a program of music by Richard Wagner, Luigi Nono, and Anton Bruckner. 

Performance Date: August 30, 2024

Lester Lynch joins the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks and Sir Simon Rattle. The program includes music by Paul Hindemith, Alexander von Zemlinsky, and Gustav Mahler.

Performance Date: Sept. 3, 2024

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This week you get albums from two very famous singers, a soundtrack to one of this year’s Oscar contenders, and two complete opera recordings you cannot miss.

Maestro

Deutsche Grammophon releases the official soundtrack to Bradley Cooper’s new film “Maestro.”

The recording features the London Symphony Orchestra and Yannick Nézet-Séguin. The recording includes Rosa Feola and Isabel Leonard performing Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 as well as music by Bernstein including excerpts from “West Side Story,” “Candide,” “On the Town,” “Mass,” Chichester Psalms and Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3. It also includes music by Beethoven, Mahler, Schumann, and Walton.

Christmas From Norway

Lise Davidsen is set to release a “Christmas From Norway” via Decca Classics on Nov. 10, 2023.

The new album is being described as a “delightful and personally selected collection” of traditional Norwegian Christmas music and classic festive favorites.

For this album, the soprano draws inspiration from the classic albums of iconic predecessors on Decca Classics, such as Kirsten Flagstad and Birgit Nilsson. The album features arrangements drawn from the label’s archive, originally made for such legendary singers as Luciano Pavarotti, Leontyne Price, and Renée Fleming.

Davidsen is set to be accompanied by the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Soloists’ Choir, and National Opera Children’s Choir.

Forget this Night

The Dutch label 7 Mountain Records releases “Forget This Night,” a new album by Edison-award-winning duo Katharine Dain and Sam Armstrong featuring music by Lili Boulanger, Karol Szymanowski, and Grażyna Bacewicz.

In a statement, Katharine Dain said, “Our program of passionate, pensive French and Polish songs circles a universal human question: how fully do we allow ourselves to open and blossom despite the knowledge that our bodies, desires, and relationships are ephemeral? Can we find meaning in fragile moments of love and beauty—although they pass, as they pass, because they pass? How did these composers, writing amid the political upheaval of Europe at the crossroads of two world wars, celebrate what is fleeting and cope with inevitable loss?”

Christmas With Pavarotti

Decca Classics presents Luciano Pavarotti, with his most popular performances of Christmas classics on CD and color LP.

Arvo Pärt: Tractus

Tractus work by Arvo Pärt emphasizes the compositions that blend the timbres of string orchestra and choir. The new recording features the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir under Tõnu Kaljuste’s direction.

The Tractus album includes a booklet with all sung texts and liner notes by Wolfgang Sandner (in German), and by Kai Kutman (in English).

Unholy Sonnets

Unholy Sonnets is an album that features a collection of songs by German-born American Samuel Adler. The recording features Joseph Evans, Rebecca Karpoff, Freda Herseth, Cary Lewis, and Atlanta Winds.

Sumptuous Planet 

The Crossing, releases its 31st studio album featuring composer David Shapiro’s piece, a virtuosic and spectacular concert-length work based primarily on the writings of the evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins.

In a statement David Shapiro said, “‘Sumptuous Planet’ is a celebration of belief within a scientific view of life and the universe. It is constructed along the lines of a Christian mass, though a major textual source is a devout atheist, biologist Richard Dawkins. The work begins with a setting of physicist Richard Feynman’s lament that ‘The value of science remains unsung by singers. This is not yet a scientific age.’ From there, the piece proceeds to glorify the world as it really is, unadorned by myths or miracle stories. In other words, before the piece begins, we do not yet live in a scientific age. By the end, we do.”

Illumine

The GRAMMY® Award-winning National Children’s Chorus is set to release Illumine, an album of holiday music from different countries and cultures around the world. Lexicon Classics releases the album which includes students, ages 10-17.

The album includes traditional Spanish, Hebrew, Nigerian, and German songs, and four NCC commissions in Filipino, Hindi, Hebrew, and Spanish.

Tosca

The Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin and conductor Carlo Montanaro present a new recording of “Tosca.” The cast includes Melody Moore (Tosca), Ștefan Pop (Cavaradossi), and Lester Lynch (Scarpia).

Kevin Short (Angelotti), Alexander Köpeczi (Un Sagrestano), Colin Judson (Spoletta), Georg Streuber (Sciarrone), Axel Scheidig (Un Carceriere), and Lean Miray Yüksel (Un Pastore) round out the cast. Pentatone releases the album which OperaWire called “a very suitable introduction to Puccini and to “Tosca” in particular.”

Dispersed and Transcendental Chants, Op. 18

Daniel Knaggs: Two Streams

Cappella Records releases the world première recording of Two Streams performed by Houston Chamber Choir led by Robert Simpson, with string ensemble Kinetic and world-class soloists.

“Two Streams” is structured around the words of Polish nun Maria Faustina Kowalska. From a poor family that struggled during the years of the First World War, she joined the Congregation of Sisters of Mercy where she received heavenly messages to share with the world, inspiring this sublime music by Daniel Knaggs.

La Favorite

Dynamic releases Donizetti’s rare work in a production from the Donizetti Opera Festival. The cast includes Annalisa Stroppa, Javier Camarena, Florian Sempey, and Evgeny Stavinsky. Riccardo Frizza conducts the production by Valentina Carrasco.

Of the production, OperaWire noted, “Florian Sempey & Javier Camarena Shine In the Deeply Reflective Production of Valentina Carrasco.”

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