Puccini called his work “La Rondine” a “commedia lirica,” effectively COMIC opera, but I consider it a TRAGEDY that this work isn’t performed more in the opera house.

“La Rondine” comprises some of the most exquisite, emotive music the maestro ever penned. Alas, devoid of the dramatic impact and impetus of his more famous, regularly performed works, it is scarcely deemed worthy of staging by impresarios, given its lightweight theme: a doomed romance with no histrionic turn of events or tragic deaths.

Maestro Sir Antonio Pappano gave no thoughts to such trivial matters as he took to the podium at the Barbican in London however, where he commanded the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) and a cast of singers in a concert version of the work.

Mainly obscured, as he invariably was in the opera house pit, it was a joy to see him, literally, under the spotlight and in full view. It is indeed a sight to behold, watching him at work, an elite marionettist pulling ALL the strings of his players, gesturing here, pointing there, driving his charges, dancing, gesticulating, prancing, at times so animated that I feared he would lose his footing and fall from his small, confined podium. That he is a musical genius is inarguable. The passion for what he does emanates from his very being, an almost tangible aura surrounding his enthusiastic, vibrant form.

The LSO itself, led by Pappano since September of this year, were quite majestic; again, the experience enhanced somewhat by virtue of being on full view, turning out Puccini’s score with exquisite care and attention.

Whether or not the lack of any requirement to concentrate on staging positions or real direction served to enhance or focus the singing performance of the artists, I can not say, except to state that this proved to be a euphonious delight, vocally.

Spectacular Singing

Nadine Sierra was penned in to perform the role of Magda, but she is in recovery from a medical procedure. Instead, Bolivian-Albanian soprano Carolina López Moreno  performed the role of Magda and positively shone here as the Parisian courtesan. She may have been a stand-in, but she had no need to refer to the score, singing with glorious aplomb. She possesses a shimmering tone, often voluminous, with a radiant, top. She delivered an exquisite “Ore dolci e divine” and her signature aria “Chi il Bel Sogno di Doretta?” was sublime, receiving much deserved applause.

Her chief admirer, Ruggero, was performed by the renowned American tenor Michael Fabiano who cut a rather studious, serious first impression with his bespectacled form. Vocally, seemingly hesitant in the early stages with his “Parigi! È la città dei desideri,” he soon blossomed to produce a fine and very sweet accompaniment in “Nella dolce carezza della danza” before producing a most sudden, unexpected and ardently pressed kiss that appeared to even take Carolina by surprise!

His powerful line and silvery top came into further prominence in the “Bevo al tuo fresco sorriso” quartet where his piercing tone cut through both the orchestration and eager chorus. He impressed throughout the evening, delivering a contemplative “Dimmi che vuoi seguirmi” which managed to avoid the usual, overly saccharine sentimentality. His “Ma come puoi lasciarmi se mi struggo in pianto” where he begs Magda not to leave him was genuinely moving and, for me, was one of the key highlights of the evening.

By contrast, the other lovebirds in the equation, supercilious poet Prunier and his secret on/off lover Lisette, maid to Magda, performed by American tenor Paul Appleby and Italian soprano Serena Gamberoni respectively, ham it up for laughs. Appleby has a fine, shiny bright tenor instrument with which he impresses throughout the whole first act. In fact, until Ruggero makes his entrance later in Act one, he holds the pivotal role as the lead tenor. He sets the stage and to a degree, the characters on it. His “Forse, come la rondine” was especially warm and enchanting, but his triumphs lay in his melodramatic yet witty retorts, along with the comedic squabbles with his girlfriend Lisette.

Gamberoni has a strong, expressive soprano and combined with her jocoseness, probably epitomized to perfection what Puccini meant by “commedia lirica”. Whether entering or exiting the stage, she did so with comical gusto.

More Performance Highlights

British baritone Ashley Riches takes on the role of Rambaldo, Magda’s wealthy ‘protector’. Cutting a very tall figure, he is suitably austere and constraining and sings his lines with rich, dark resonance.
Sarah Dufresne, Angela Schisano and Marvic Monreal are the essential party girls who give the whole show the requisite, essential sparkle, beauties for the eyes as well as the ears. I have frequently pondered why; after having seen her excel on a number of occasions now, Canadian soprano and former Jette Parker Alumna Sarah Dufresne has not been contracted to perform more substantial roles in the house. She has a voice of pure crystal, exquisitely polished, clarion and attention grabbing and I am always left wishing I could hear more of her.

The London Symphony Orchestra chorus made invaluable contributions here, not just with their delightfully engaging swaying during certain passages, but especially during the final passages of the “Bevo al tuo fresco sorriso” where the sheer wall of sound produced, quite literally, took one’s breath away. Possibly not surprising, given that their numbers were close to NINETY strong!

Whoever labelled “La Rondine” a “poor man’s ‘Traviata’” never lived, and certainly never loved. For what makes this underplayed mini-masterpiece so special is, frustratingly, the very reasons it is seldom staged. It is devoid of all the overly-melodramatic, theatrical murders, suicides and completely improbable tales of woe that are the hallmarks of most operas. Yet in its uncomplicated, simple story of near-tangible heartbreak, it is all the more potent for it. It is genuine. Real. TRUE verismo.
It’s NOT a “poor man’s Traviata.” It’s pure, unbridled richness for everyone.

The post London Symphony Orchestra 2024-25 Review: La Rondine appeared first on OperaWire.

The orchestra said, “Nadine Sierra has had a recent medical procedure, the recovery from which is taking longer than anticipated. She has therefore had to withdraw from the LSO’s performances of ‘La Rondine’ on 10 and 12 December. The role of Magda will now be sung by Carolina López Moreno.”

Moreno has performed at the Puccini Festival Torre del Lago, Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Club, the Berliner Philharmonie, the Jugendstil-Festhalle Landau, and Cambridge University in England, among others. She has performed the works of Offenbach, Verdi, Mascagni, Leoncavallo, Mercadante, Poulenc, Puccini, and Nino Rota.

Moreno is set to join a cast that includes Serena Gamberoni, Michael Fabiano, Paul Appleby, and Ashley Riches. Sir Antonio Pappano conducts the London Symphony Orchestra.

The post London Symphony Orchestra Announces Cast Change for ‘La Rondine’ appeared first on OperaWire.

This week there will be two choices of Ring Cycles and a debut album by one of the greatest opera singers in the world.

Carlos Simon: Songs of Separation

The National Symphony Orchestra led by Music Director Gianandrea Noseda releases “Songs of Separation,” the penultimate recording of “Carlos Simon: Four Symphonic Works.” Commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra in connection with Simon’s appointment as Composer-in-Residence of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. J’Nai Bridges is featured in the recording.

“Il Verismo d’Oro”

Saioa Hernández releases her solo debut album with San Francisco Classical Recording Company and EuroArts. The album features works by Mascagni, Cilea, Alfano, Giordano, Puccini, Zadonai, and Catalani.

The album includes Mercedes Arcuri and Francesco Pio Galasso as well as Coro de la Comunidad de Madrid and Orquesta Titular del Teatro Real under the direction of Carlo Montanaro.

Richard Wagner: Die Walküre

Unitel Classica will release Staatsoper Unter den Linden’s 2022 production which stars Anja Kampe, Michael Volle, Robert Watson, Vida Miknevičiūtė, Claudia Mahnke, and Mika Kares. The Staatskapelle Berlin is conducted by Christian Thielemann and directed by Dmitri Tcherniakov.

Richard Wagner: Götterdämmerung

Naxos releases the final part of the Ring Cycle with Nina Stemme, Clay Hilley, and Albert Pesendorfer. Sir Donald Runnicles conducts the production by Stefan Herheim.

Claude Debussy: Le Martyre de Saint-Sébastien

Heidi Grant Murphy, Dagmar Pecková, Nathalie Stutzmann, and Dörte Lyssewski star in the recording of Debussy’s work with the Collegium Vocale Gent and SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg. Sylvain Cambreling conducts the recording released by SWR.

Tippett: A Child of Our Time

Chandos releases Tippett’s oratorio with Pumeza Matshikiza, Dame Sarah Connolly, Joshua Stewart, and Ashley Riches. Sir Andrew Davis conducts the BBC Symphony Chorus and Orchestra.

Anton Bruckner: Mass in E minor & Motets

BR Klassik releases “Bruckner’s World” – An introduction to the works with Markus Vanhoefer narrating. The album also includes the Mass and Motets with the Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks; Münchner Rundfunkorchester and conductor Peter Dijkstra.

Russian Choral Concertos: An Introduction

The Yekaterinburg Philharmonic Choir and Andrei Petrenko present an album of Russian works.

The post Saioa Hernández, Anja Kampe, Pumeza Matshikiza Lead New CD/DVD Releases appeared first on OperaWire.

The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra has announced its lineup for the 2024-25 season.

This article only features vocal works.

Soprano Mary Bevan opens the season with a program of works by Schubert. Edward Gardner conducts.

Performance Date: July 17, 2024

Soprano Lucy Crowe, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnston, tenor Nicky Spence, and baritone Jonathan Lemalu serves as soloists in Beethoven’s “Symphony” No. 9. Kazuki Yamada conducts.

Performance Date: September 19, 2024

Ex Cathedra and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Wind and Brass present “Celebrating 200 years of Bruckner.” Jeffrey Skidmore conducts.

Performance Date: October 13, 2024

Mezzo-soprano Dame Sarah Connolly is joined by the CBSO Chorus, Youth Chorus, and Children’s Chorus in “A Celebration of Making Music.” Sofi Jeannin serves as conductor.

Performance Date: November 20, 2024

Adrian Lucas leads the City of Birmingham Choir in Händel’s “Messiah.”

Performance Date: December 6, 2024

The company’s Chorus and SO Vocal present an interactive concert which gives children the freedom to dance, sing and learn about musical instruments. British Sign Language interpretation is provided.

Performance Dates: December 6 & 7, 2024

“Choral Christmas With Jess Gillam” features the presenter and saxophonist along with the CBSO Chorus, SO Vocal, Youth Chorus, and Children’s Chorus. Simon Halsey conducts.

Performance Dates: December 19 & 20, 2024

Soprano Louise Dearman performs in the annual “CBSO Christmas Party,” under the baton of Tim Redmond.

Performance Date: December 21, 2024

Soprano Francesca Chiejina and conductor Stephen Bell present “Viennese New Year.”

Performance Date: January 5, 2025

Soprano Héloïse Werner stars in “Friends in Love and War.” Ilan Volkov conducts.

Performance Date: January 11, 2025

Soprano Jennifer France presents selections form Lyatoshinsky and Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet,” as well as Glière’s “Concerto for Coloratura Soprano and Orchestra.” Kirill Karabits conducts.

Performance Date: January 15, 2025

“Come and Sing: Haydn’s ‘The Creation'” is conducted by Simon Halsey. The event is open to the public.

Performance Date: February 2, 2025

Kazuki Yamada conducts Haydn’s “The Creation,” with soloists Carolyn Sampson, James Way, Ashley Riches, the CBSO Chorus.

Performance Date: February 26, 2025

Mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill and tenor Brenden Gunnell present “Beethoven and Mahler,” with conductor Alpesh Chauhan.

Performance Date: March 6, 2025

The CBSO Chorus perform alongside Graham Bickley and Patrick Smyth in “It’s a Living Thing: The Music of Elo.” Richard Balcombe conducts.

Performance Date: March 8, 2025

“Where Are All The Black Female Composers?” is presented by conductor Ben Gernon, the CBSO Youth Chorus, Children’s Chorus, and presenter Nate Holder.

Performance Date: March 16, 2025

Soprano Ella Taylor and tenor Charne Rochford perform the works of Rachmaninoff, Sibelius, Puccini, and more in “Classical FM’s Music Hall of Fame.” Ben Palmer conducts.

Performance Date: March 21, 2025

The CBSO Youth Chorus accompany violinist Alina Ibragimova in a concert of works by Sibelius and Dvořák.

Performance Date: April 3, 2025

Robert Ames leads Ex Cathedra in “Northern Lights.”

Performance Date: April 5, 2025

Soprano Eleanor Lyons, the CBSO Chorus, and pianist Fazıl Say present the works of Ravel and Poulenc. Kazuki Yamada, conducts.

Performance Date: April 16, 2025

Eímear Noone conducts the CBSO Chorus in “Video Games in Concert.”

Performance Date: May 25, 2025

The works of Mendelssohn and Wagner are performed by mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton, under the baton of Pierre Bleuse.

Performance Date: May 28, 2025

The CBSO and the Orchestra Qawwali Project” is presented by the Orchestral Qawwali Project, CBSO Chorus, University of Birmingham Voices, Abi Sampa, and Rushil Ranjan. Melvin Tay conducts.

Performance Date: July 19, 2025

The post Jamie Barton, Mary Bevan, & Dame Sarah Connolly Star in the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra’s 2024-25 Season appeared first on OperaWire.

Elim Chan conducts the First Night at Proms with soloists Sophie Bevan and Isata Kanneh‐Mason. The program includes Handel, Ben Nobuto, Beethoven Bruckner, and Clara Schumann.

Performance Date: July 19, 2024

British choral groups The King’s Singers and VOCES8 present a Prom that showcases pop classics with classical.

Performance Date: July 21, 2024

Sir Mark Elder conducts the entire Hallé family in Sir James MacMillan’s “Timotheus, Bacchus and Cecilia” and Mahler’s Symphony No. 5.

Performance Date: July 21, 2024

Ryan Bancroft conducts Verdi’s Requiem with Latonia Moore, Karen Cargill, SeokJong Baek, and Soloman Howard.

Performance Date: July 23, 2024

Countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński joins Il Pomo d’Oro for music by Caccini, Cavalli, Frescobaldi, Monteverdi, and Strozzi.

Performance Date: July 23, 2024

Ryan Wigglesworth conducts the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in Brahms’s Symphony No. 3 and Schoenberg’s “Verklärte Nacht. The program also includes mezzo-soprano Alice Coote in Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder.

Performance Date: July 25, 2024

Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Philharmonia Chorus perform Tchaikovsky’s “Francesca da Rimini alongside Debussy’s Nocturnes, Ives’s Three Places in New England and Ravel’s Piano Concerto, featuring Denis Kozhukhin.

Performance Date: August 1, 2024

The BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus perform music from Holst and Elgar’s Cello Concerto with Senja Rummukainen. Jess Dandy is the soloist in Jonathan Harvey’s “Tranquil Abiding.” Sakari Oramo conducts.

Performance Date: August 3, 2024

Henry Purcell’s “The Fairy Queen” will star Paulina Francisco, Georgia Burashko, Rebecca Leggett, Juliette Mey, Rodrigo Carreto, Ilja Aksionov, Hugo Herman-Wilson, and Benjamin Schilperoort. Paul Agnew conducts.

Performance Date: August 6, 2024

Sakari Oramo conducts soprano Silja Aalto and cellist Anssi Karttunen in a program of music Saariaho, Mozart, and Strauss.

Performance Date: August 9, 2024

James Atkinson, Michael Pandya, and Van Kuijk Quartet take on the music of Augusta Holmès, Claude Debussy, and Gabriel Fauré.

Performance Date: August 11, 2024

Christopher Maltman joins the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Martyn Brabbins in music by Elgar, Holst, and Vaughan Williams. Maltman performs Stanford’s songs.

Performance Date: August 13, 2024

Sir Antonio Pappano conducts the London Symphony Orchestra in Britten’s War Requiem. Soloists include Natalya Romaniw, Allan Clayton, and Will Liverman.

Performance Date: August 17, 2024

Masaaki Suzuki conducts Bach’s St John Passion with Benjamin Bruns, Christian Immler, Yusuke Watanabe, Carolyn Sampson, Alexander Chance, and Shimon Yoshida.

Performance Date: August 19, 2024

Marta Fontanals-Simmons, Brenden Gunnell, and Christopher Purves lead Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Nicholas Collon.

Performance Date: August 21, 2024

Jamie Barton and Dalia Stasevska perform music by Sibelius, Mahler, and Eastman.

Performance Date: August 24, 2024

The BBC Singers led by Sofi Jeannin will perform music by John Tavener, John Pickard, and Benjamin Britten.

Performance Date: August 25, 2024

Sakari Oramo conducts Lara Poe’s Laulut maaseudulta (Songs from the Countryside), Jean Sibelius’s “The Wood Nymph” and Gustav Holst’s “The Planets.” Soloists include Anu Komsi.

Performance Date: August 25, 2024

Jakub Hrůša conducts Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass with Corinne Winters, Bella Adamova, David Butt Philip, Brindley Sherratt, and Christian Schmitt. Mao Fujita performs Dvořák’s Piano Concerto in G minor. The concert also includes Vítězslava Kaprálová’s Military Sinfonietta.

Performance Date: August 28, 2024

Rihab Chaieb leads Bizet’s “Carmen” with Evan LeRoy Johnson, Lukasz Goliński, and Janai Brugger. Anja Bihlmaier conducts.

Performance Date: August 29, 2024

Synergy Vocals and BBC Symphony Orchestra perform Schumann, Stravinsky, and Steve Reich.

Performance Date: August 30, 2024

The BBC Proms presents a sequence of songs and arias for voice and lute, devised by and featuring soprano Nardus Williams, classicist and historian Dame Mary Beard, and lutenist Elizabeth Kenny.

Performance Date: Sept. 1, 2024

Kirill Petrenko conducts the Berliner Philharmoniker and BBC Singers in a program of music by Bruckner.

Performance Date: Sept. 1, 2024

Golda Schultz, Laurence Kilsby, and Thomas Mole perform in a program of music by Ravel, Boulanger, and Fauré. Stéphane Denève conducts.

Performance Date: Sept. 4, 2024

Eric Whitacre’s “Eternity in an Hour” will be performed by the BBC Singers, 12 Ensemble, and pianist Christopher Glynn. Eric Whitacre conducts.

Performance Date: Sept. 4, 2024

Harry Christophers conducts the Sixteen and organist Simon Johnson in a program including music by Edward Elgar, Charles Villiers Stanford, John Ireland, William Henry Harris, Henry Balfour Gardiner, and Hubert Parry.

Performance Date: Sept. 7, 2024

Jason Max Ferdinand and the Jason Max Ferdinand Singers perform alongside John Stoddart in a program that includes music by Jacob Collier, Erroll Garner, John Rosamond Johnson, and Woody Guthrie.

Performance Date: Sept. 7, 2024

John Butt conducts Handel’s “Messiah”  with Nardus Williams, Helen Charlston, Benjamin Hulett, and Ashley Riches.

Performance Date: Sept. 7, 2024

Benjamin Britten’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” will star Iestyn Davies, Lucy Crowe, Richard Burkhard, Caspar Singh, James Newby, Stephanie Wake-Edwards, Camilla Harris, Nicholas Crawley, Christine Rice, John Savournin, Frazer Scott, James Way, Geoffrey Dolton, Adam Sullivan, and Jerone Marsh-Reid. Douglas Boyd conducts the Garsington Opera.

Performance Date: Sept. 10, 2024

Angel Blue and Sir Stephen Hough lead the Last Night at Proms with Sakari Oramo conducting. The program includes music by Ruperto Chapí, Gabriel Fauré, Charles Ives, Giacomo Puccini, Camille Saint‐Saëns, Carlos Simon, Thomas Arne, and Edward Elgar.

Performance Date: Sept. 14, 2024

The post Angel Blue, Latonia Moore, Jamie Barton, Corinne Winters & Christopher Maltman Lead BBC Proms’ 2024 Season appeared first on OperaWire.

Michael Tilson Thomas conducts Mahler’s Symphony No. 2.

Performance Dates: Oct. 20 & 23, 2024

André J Thomas conducts the Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir and LSO Community Voices in music by Brandon Boyd, Nolan Williams, Margaret Bonds, Brandon Waddles, André J Thomas, Moses Hogan, Rosephanye Powell, Joe Pace, Carol Cymbala, Kurt Carr, Raymond Wise, and Frances Fonza Smith.

Performance Date: Nov. 3, 2024

Sir Antonio Pappano conducts Puccini’s “La Rondine” with Nadine Sierra, Serena Gamberoni, Michael Fabiano, Paul Appleby, and Ashley Riches.

Performance Dates: Dec. 10 & 12, 2024

Sir Simon Rattle and Barbara Hannigan team up for music by George Benjamin, Brahms, and Pierre Boulez.

Performance Date: Jan. 9, 2025

Sir Antonio Pappano conducts cellist Rebecca Gilliver, soprano Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, and baritone Will Liverman in a program of music by Elizabeth Maconchy, William Walton, and Ralph Vaughan William.

Performance Dates: Feb. 12, 2025

Barbara Hannigan conducts Stéphane Degout in Haydn, Britten, Ravel, and Roussel.

Performance Date: March 13, 2025

Barbara Hannigan and Gareth Davies perform music by Debussy, Sibelius, Vivier, Khayam, Haydn, and Bartók.

Performance Date: March 20, 2025

Sir Antonio Pappano conducts Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha and J’Nai Bridges. The music of Michael Tippet will also be included.

Performance Date: March 23, 2025

Sir Simon Rattle conducts Janáček’s “The Excursions of Mr Brouček” with a cast that includes Peter Hoare, Aleš Briscein, Lucy Crowe, Gyula Orendt, Lukáš Zeman, Clara Nadeshdin, Linard Vrielink, and Arttu Kataja.

Performance Dates: May 4 & 6, 2025

Gustavo Dudamel and Marina Rebeka perform a program of music by Strauss and Ravel.

Performance Date: May 14, 2025

Sir Antonio Pappano conducts Strauss’ “Salome” with Asmik Grigorian and Michael Volle.

Performance Date: July 11 & 13, 2025

The post Nadine Sierra, Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, Asmik Grigorian & Marina Rebeka Lead London Symphony Orchestra’s 2024-25 Season appeared first on OperaWire.

The Orquesta and Coro Nacionales de España will be conducted by David Afkham in a program that includes Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis. The soloists include Sarah Wegener, Wiebke Lehmkuhl, Maximilian Schmitt, and Ashley Riches.

Performance Date: June 26, 2024

The Orchestre de Paris, Christiane Karg, and Klaus Mäkelä will works by perform Schoenberg and Mahler.

Performance Date: June 29, 2024

Raquel Lojendio and Aurelio Viribay perform in a recital with music by María Teresa Prieto, Francis Poulenc, Jesús Legido, Antón García Abril, Borja Mariño, José María Sánchez-Verdú, Miquel Ortega, and Federico García Lorca.

Performance Date: July 4, 2024

Konstantin Krimmel and Daniel Heide perform music by Schubert.

Performance Date: July 5, 2024

Katharina Konradi joins the Cosmos Quartet in concert of works by Schubert.

Performance Date: July 13, 2024

The Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse will showcase Elsa Dreisig and conductor Tarmo Peltokoski. The program includes music by Wagner, Strauss, and Bruckner.

Performance Date: July 14, 2024

The post Sarah Wegner, Konstantin Krimmel & Elsa Dreisig Lead Festival de Granada’s 2024 Season appeared first on OperaWire.

First up is “L’Elisir d’amore.” The opera wills tar Mariam Battistelli, Filipe Manu, Theodore Platt, and Tiziano Bracci. Adam Hickox conducts the production, which will be directed by Annabel Arden.

Performance Dates: Nov. 11 – Dec. 1, 2023

Also on the slate is “Don Giovanni.” Conductor Stephanie Childress and director Mariame Clément lead a cast starring Andrei Bondarenko, Kseniia Proshina, Nico Darmanin, Alexandra Lowe, Sam Carl, Charlotte Bowden, Michael Ronan, and Ivo Stanchev.

Performance Dates: Nov. 12 – Dec. 2, 2023

Young Artists will be featured in a talent showcase.

Performance Dates: Nov. 16, 2023

James Henshaw conducts Haydn’s “The Creation” with soprano Cleo Lee-McGowan and bass William Thomas.

Performance Dates: Nov. 18 & Dec. 15, 2023

Joanna Wallroth, Jess Dandy, Benjamin Hulett, and Ashley Riches will headline “Messiah.” Bertie Baigent conducts

Performance Dates: Dec. 3-7, 2023

Closing out the fall slate will be a series of “Christmas Concerts.”

Performance Dates: Dec. 9 – 17, 2023

The post Glyndebourne Unveils Fall 2023 Slate appeared first on OperaWire.

First up is “Hail, Bright Cecilia,” which features the Gabrieli Consort and Players under Paul McCreesh. Singers include Zoe Brookshaw, Mhairi Lawson, Lauren Lodge-Campbell, Tim Mead, Jeremy Budd, Matthew Long, Bob Davies, and Ashley Riches.

Performance Dates: July 7, 2023

Next up is the oratorio “Theodora” conducted by Leonardo García Alarcón and starring Sophie Junker, Dara Savinova, Christopher Lowrey, Matthew Newlin, and Andreas Wolf.

Performance Dates: July 8, 2023

Contralto Anthea Pichanick and Il Carvaggio, under musical direction of Camille Delaforge, present “Sento in seno,” a concert featuring arias from a number of operas including “Agrippo,” “Farnce,” “Semiramide,” and “Tito Manlio,” among others.

Performance Dates: July 9, 2023

Monteverdi’s “L’Incoronazione di Poppea” will star Francesca Aspromonte, Eva Zaïck, Paul-Antoine Bénos-Dijan, and Camille Poul. Stephane Fuget conducts the Ensemble Les Épopées.

Performance Dates: July 14, 2023

Jérémie Rhorer leads Le Cercle de l’Harmonie in “Fanny et Felix,” a performance featuring mezzo Valentina Stadler and music by the Mendelssohns.

Performance Dates: July 15, 2023

Countertenor Paul-Antoine Bénos-Dijan performs music by Händel, alongside Stephane Fuget and the Ensemble Les Épopées.

Performance Dates: July 16, 2023

Mezzo-soprano Eva Zaïck performs music by Monteverdi, Cavalli, and Strozzi, among others alongside Stephane Fuget and the Ensemble Les Épopées.

Performance Dates: July 21, 2023

Jean-Christophe Spinosi leads Ensemble Matheus in “L’Olympiade.” The opera stars Matthieu Toulouse, Rémy Brès-Feuillet, Fernando Escalona, and Jean-Jacques L’Anthoën.

Performance Dates: July 22, 2023

William Christie leads Les Arts Florissants in “Didon et Énée” starring Helen Charlston, Renato Dolcini, Ana Vieira Leite, Jacob Lawrence, Michael Loughlin Smith, and Virginie Thomas.

Performance Dates: July 23, 2023 

Valentin Tournet leads the Chœur et Orchestre La Chapelle Harmonique in “Te Deum.” The performane features Ana Quintas, Cécile Achille, David Tricou, Mathias Vidal, and Cyril Costanzo.

Performance Dates: July 28, 2023

Baritone Thomas Dolié headlines “Nouvelle Symphonie” alongside Les Musiciens du Louvre under conductor Marc Minkowski.

Performance Dates: July 29, 2023 

Closing out the season is countertenor Andreas Scholl and lutist Edin Karamazov. They will perform music by Dowland, Campion, Händel, and Johnson, among others.

Performance Dates: July 30, 2023

The post Festival International Opéra Baroque & Romantique de Beaune Unveils 2023 Season appeared first on OperaWire.

Star of the Night

Ever since Davidsen hit upon the world of opera in 2015, when she won not one but three major competitions – Operalia, Hans Gabor Belvedere and in her home country, the Queen Sonja Competition – she has been a singer to watch. With her youthful and dramatic full-bodied soprano, she has since enchanted audiences on the world’s greatest stages in roles such as  Sieglinde in “Walküre,” Elisabeth in “Tannhäuser,” Eva in “Meistersinger,” but also as “Ariadne” or Lisa in “Pique Dame.” Most recently, she was celebrated as the Marschallin in “Der Rosenkavalier” at the Metropolitan Opera.

Now she is tackling important Puccini repertoire.  At 36, she still looks mid-twenties and has beautifully radiant, high notes and a butter-soft middle range. In this, her first Tosca, she was a young woman, a little bit naive, very loving and a bit jealous, a child-woman. A far cry from the dramatic, worldly sophisticated interpretation we know from many famous “Toscas” of the past, which have become the hallmarks of this character. Maybe she will develop in that direction, maybe not. After all, every great singer shapes this role in her own way, and so will Davidsen.

The fact that her Italian pronunciation can still be improved upon and that she will no longer need a score as soon as she takes part in a staged production, were not deterrents in this performance. Right now, she could not have chosen a better place for her role debut. At this year’s Bergen Festival she is Artist-in-Residence, giving a master class, a Lied recital, and singing the soprano part in Verdi’s “Messa da Requiem.”

Solid Support

De Tommaso was her Cavaradossi. He, too, a young voice to keep an eye on as a guileless artist who gets drawn into a political intrigue. Especially his aria in the third act “e lucevan le stelle” beguiled with a soulful and honest intimacy. With a touch of old-fashioned grandezza, he loved to hold and draw out his high notes.

Terfel was the epitome of a power-hungry Baron Scarpia. Every look or flick of his fingers betrayed his experience in this role and how he has made it his own. His dramatic presence was sheer and overwhelming, a stark contrast to Tosca’s innocently rendered “vissi d’arte” with him lurking in the background, ready to pounce upon his prey.

Bass-baritone Ashley Riches sang Angelotti with appropriate intensity and desperation.  Christian Valle used his expressive bass in the role of the Sacristan, giving this character a touch of humour even. Scarpia’s two henchmen, tenor Kjetil Støa as Spoletta and bass Ludvig Lindström as Sciarrone, brought vocal commitment to these supporting roles. Olav Frøyen Sandvik as the young shepherd, touched every heart in the audience with his clear and endearing boy soprano voice, singing the simple folk tune at the beginning of the third act.

Under the direction of chorus master Håkon Matti Skrede, the mixed and childrens’ chorus filled the hall, despite being placed behind the orchestra, in the finale of the first act. Here again, the good acoustics of the hall were noticeable.

Edward Gardner, music director of the Philharmonic Orchestra since 2015, lead the musicians confidently. He never let the orchestra overpower the singers, gave them support, let strings have plenty of space in the symphonic passages and insisted on a dramatic finale of the first act, when he encouraged the entire percussion section to let loose.

The hall was sold out to the last seat. This premiere was a society gala event, with visitors not only from Bergen but many who came from all over Norway, the Nordic countries and beyond. In Europe, the Bergen Festival, even though it has been going since 1953, and even though Bergen is the home of the celebrated composer Edvard Grieg (1843-1907), is still a bit of a well-kept secret. With well over a hundred performances in many different locations and genres of music, dance, jazz and drama, many of them free of charge, the Festival had over 70,000 visitors in 2022, within a two week period in May-June. For music lovers who are also nature lovers, the Bergen Festival would be a perfect starting point to continue up the coast with its spectacularly beautiful fjords.

For the premiere of “Tosca,” King Harald and Queen Sonja were in attendance. For them, there were two especially sumptuous red armchairs in the front row. The audience was prompted to stand upon Their Majesties’ entrance and exit. A spontaneous standing ovation for all the performers was a natural reaction from the audience. A particularly touching gesture during the final applause was the presentation of a bouquet of flowers by Queen Sonja to Davidsen. The two ladies have known each other ever since Davidsen won first prize at the Queen Sonja competition. The next day,  Davidsen gave an interview open to the public, moderated by a Norwegian journalist. Perfectly relaxed and at ease, she asked laughingly “did that really happen?”

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