“The Barber of Seville” debuted just over 200 years ago in Rome. The opera played to a jeering audience, a staged event where adherents of the composer Giovanni Paisiello – whose own version of the opera, “Il barbiere di Siviglia, ovvero La precauzione inutile” had pleased operagoers 20 years earlier – packed the house and catcalled throughout the premiere performance. Their objective was to defend the memory of their maestro’s earlier work that they felt was the definitive version. But the Paisiello mob couldn’t show up every night, and upon the conclusion of the second evening’s undisturbed performance the response from the audience was ecstatic – they adored it so much that a large group of the crowd took to the streets with torches and made their way to Rossini’s home to cheer him in person. And a hit was born.

Incredibly, for someone who writes about opera, I didn’t know the entire story of “Barber” until the final curtain of this performance. But I like the fact that I am sometimes ignorant of operatic plots because seeing and hearing a classic work of music for the first time is like breaking the shrink wrap on an LP you’ve never heard, putting the disk on the turntable, and experiencing it as if you were living in the time it was created. It’s a special thing. Even more special when you can take yourself not just back to 1988 with an unopened virgin vinyl of Lovesexy, but back 200 years ago into post-Napoleonic Europe for an essential comic romp that would never be out of repertory or out of fashion.

The absurdist tale of “Barber” concerns a distinguished nobleman, Count Almaviva, who is intent on wooing Rosina, a beautiful young woman of the town. He wants to know Rosina might love him for himself and not for his money and position. Rosina is being kept as a ward of Doctor Bartolo, one of the local bourgeoise. Bartolo intends on marrying Rosina himself when she comes of age, so he keeps a close watch on her as well as other potential suitors which complicates Almaviva’s creative courtship plans. With the help of his friend Figaro, Almaviva goes incognito to advance his agenda with Rosina under the nose of Bartolo which results in much hilarity over the opera’s two and a half hour runtime.

It is fascinating that this opera’s broad humor has stood the test of time so well. As presented by the Lyric it got robust laughter out of all in attendance, a portion of whom had surely seen it before. It seems improbable that the humor of Cesare Sterbini’s featherlight crowd-pleaser has endured as well as works from Fielding, Sterne, Twain, and Voltaire – but one can’t argue with results.

Illuminating Production & Cast

The seats at the Kauffman were filled for this opening night performance, thanks to an abundance of late summer advance press, and the local gentry showing up in force for the farce. Our philanthropists, local musician wunderkinder, and hoi polloi like me all crowded into the Founder’s Lounge for a pre-show nosh so delightful that we barely made it into our seats for first curtain.

As the curtain parted after the overture, I was entranced by the set design. The KC Lyric doesn’t have the large budgets that America’s larger opera companies have at their disposal, so they have to make do with less. And, true to form, they excelled in that department with “Barber.” The set and props from Ken MacDonald were a true delight. I could tell from the jump that the set would remain pretty much intact for both acts, but the continuity worked just fine and once again less was more on the Kaufmann stage.

Aside from familiar face Riley Findley, who played one of the military officers, the cast was assembled from out-of-towners. Matthew Swensen was an expansive Count Almaviva, carrying the action with fantastic energy and verve. Kristinn Sigmundsson as Don Basilio was a standout for spot-on casting. His befuddlement during the music lesson “mixup” was well-played.

Highly-respected globetrotting mezzo-soprano Chrystal E. Williams sparkled as Rosina. Handled the butterfly melodies of “Contro Un Cor Che Accende Amore” beautifully and her turn in the scene’s comic ensemble had us all smiling.

My personal favorite among the cast was Ashraf Sewailam as the Doctor. He projected a thick-headed pomposity of Yul Brynner proportions, stealing scene after scene whirling around the stage in that smoking robe whose design looked like it was inspired by an article on interior trends in Dwell (“Wallpaper… It’s Baaaack!”).

The orchestra was handled ably by James Lowe, a musician/conductor/arranger whose career has steered a steady course fixed to the white line in the road separating Broadway and classical opera. He’ll never be in the running for conducting “Aida,” but “Bye Bye Birdie” revivals probably aren’t in his future either. All in all, a good mainstream choice to helm the KC crew for this enjoyable affair.

More Production Highlights

When I left the Kaufmann Center, after the performance, I had a vague feeling of timeliness about the production. With all due respect to the singing and acting talent in this production, for me the real star was Ken MacDonald for creating that wild set. With their faux-Moorish look it wasn’t hard to imagine them to be found not only in the homes of the nobles of early 19th century Spain, but other eras as well: The Belle Époque of King Umberto I. The Euro deco of early Fascist Italy. That sculpted window and pianoforte bianco he worked out for the singing lesson scene would not have looked out of place in any escapist “white telephone” film of 1930’s Italy. Or in later Cinecitta films from Fellini, particularly in later films like “And The Ship Sails On,” which play on memories of a decaying continental aristocracy. And yes, one might even see something like them today in the homes of European football superstars, Russian oil barons, or tech oligarchs – villas equipped with interiors that make pretentious reference to earlier times when aristocratic power went unchallenged and the term “working class” referred to domestic servants and itinerant laborers forced to exist in squalor and despair.

Rossini and Sterbini created Barber amid a social environment of upheaval and uncertainty. The Italy (or more accurately the Italian Papal States) of 1816 was in political disarray following the Congress of Vienna, which reconstructed Europe more or less by the whim of the largest nations who were victorious over Napoleon. The Napoleonic reforms that had introduced new freedoms to the middle and working classes were rolled back, and patriots found that their country had been sold out to the Central Powers. Italian nationalists, particularly the revolutionary Carbonari, reflected a bitterly divided nation.

For many artists of the day, it was a time to take risks and express solidarity with the resistance. But Rossini’s political overtones were always subtle, and the way he weaves the silken threads of his social comment into the tapestries of his operas is the main part of his genius. If he had delivered his social critiques with a heavier hand, his works may not have survived the era of Garibaldi. In “The Barber of Seville,” Rossini and Sterbini realized that the one constant in the world is that things will always be batshit crazy. And while the public may at times crave outrage in their art, and at other times seek messages of hope and salvation – it’s certain that they will always need a laugh.

The post Lyric Opera of Kansas City 2024-25 Review: The Barber of Seville appeared first on OperaWire.

Opera

The season opens with “Le Pavillon aux pivoines” with Guo Xaionan directing.

Performance Dates: Oct. 17-19, 2024

“Il Cappello di paglia di Firenze” will be conducted by Salvatore Caputo and directed by Julien Duval.

Performance Dates: Nov. 7-9, 2024

Lucie Leguay conducts “Les sentinelles” with Chloé Lechat directing. The cast will include Clara Olivares, Anne-Catherine Gillet, Sylvie Brunet-Grupposo, Camille Schnoor, and Noémie Develay-Ressiguier.

Performance Dates: Nov. 10-14, 2024

Bizet’s “Le Docteur Miracle” will be conducted by Nicolas Simon and will star Dima Bawab, Héloïse Mas, Kaëlig Boché, Thomas Dolié, and Pierre Lebon.

Performance Date: Dec. 15, 2024

Paolo Carignani conducts Bellini’s “Norma” a cast featuring Karine Deshayes, Jean-Francois Borras, Olga Syniakova, and Goderdzi Janelidze.

Performance Dates: Jan. 29-Feb. 6, 2025

The company will present a new production of “Le Barbier de Séville revisited.”

Performance Dates: Feb. 15-16, 2025

Marc Leroy Calatayud conducts Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’Amore” in a production by Manuel Renga. Emma Fekete, Norma Nahoun, Thomas Ricart, Blaise Rantoanina, Sergio Villegas, and Louis de Lavignère.

Performance Dates: March 14-16, 2025

Beethoven’s “Fidelio” will be conducted by Joseph Swensen and directed by Valentina Carrasco. Jacquelyn Wagner, Jamez McCorkle, Matthew Rose, Polina Shabunina, Kevin Amiel, Szymon Mechliński, and Thomas Dear star.

Performance Dates: May 16-23, 2025

Concerts

Matthias Goerne and Alexander Schmalcz perform music by Schubert.

Performance Date: Oct. 4, 2024

Lauranne Olvia and Jean-Marc Fontana perform in recital.

Performance Date: Oct. 10, 2024

Delyana Lazarova and Florian Sempey join forces for Dvořák, Grétry, Gounod, Wagner, Thomas, and Shostakovich.

Performance Date: Nov. 21, 2024

Daniele Maniscalchi performs Sous le ciel de Naples.

Performance Date: Dec. 1, 2024

Patricia Petibon, Christian-Pierre La Marca, and Susan Manoff will perform in recital.

Performance Date: Feb. 10, 2025

The Conservatoire de Bordeaux-Jacques Thibaud will present a Midi Musical.

Performance Date: April 18, 2025

Pene Pati and Mathieu Pordoy perform Italian arias and Neapolitan arias.

Performance Date: April 26, 2025

The company will present a Concert au Château de Ferrand with the Académie de l’Opéra National de Bordeaux

Performance Date: June 15, 2025

The post Karine Deshayes, Jacquelyn Wagner, Matthias Goerne & Patricia Petibon Lead Opéra National de Bordeaux ‘s 2024-25 Season appeared first on OperaWire.

The company announced that Rosalia Cid will be performing the role of Nannetta. Cid recently performed with the Orchestra di Padova in a concert featuring Mendelssohn’s Second Symphony. She also performed in a production of “La Sonnambula” at the Semperoper Dresden, as well as “La fina semplice” at the Teatro Maggio Musicale this past January. The soprano has also appeared at such theaters as the Teatro Verdi di Padova, the Teatro alla Scala, the Teatro Fraschini di Pavia, the Fondazione Arturo Toscanini, and Festival della Valle d’Itria, amongst many others.

Cid joins a cast that stars Irina Lungu, Michael Volle, Adriana Di Paola, Claudia Huckle, Markus Werba, Matthew Swensen, Tigran Martirossian, Oronzo D’Urso, and Christian Collia. Daniele Gatti conducts a production that will be revived by Stefania Grazioli.

“Falstaff” opens on June 16 and runs through the 23^rd.

The post Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Announces Casting Update for ‘Falstaff’ appeared first on OperaWire.

Crepuscolo

BR-Klassik recorded a concert from Bayerischer Rundfunk in Munich. The recital includes 27 songs spanning three decades of the composer’s career, including three complete song cycles as well as a selection of individual songs.

Tenor Timothy Fallon is joined by pianist Ammiel Bushakevitz for his second BIS Records release.

A Concert for Ukraine 

The Metropolitan Opera, Decca Classics, and Deutsche Grammophon present “A Concert for Ukraine,” an album recorded live at the Met on March 14, 2022. The album features the company’s complete special concert expressing solidarity with the people of Ukraine. The proceeds from the album will support relief efforts in the country.

In a statement, the Met’s General Manager Peter Gelb said, “This album captures a uniquely memorable performance by the Metropolitan Opera and its stars, and demonstrates the power of art to deliver a clear message to the forces of darkness that would destroy a nation. I hope this concert brings a measure of comfort and moral support to the suffering people of Ukraine, and that it reminds the world that we stand with them.”

The concert features Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conducting the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus with soloists Vladyslav Buialskyi and Lise Davidsen. The program includes Valentin Silvestrov’s “Prayer for Ukraine;” Barber’s Adagio for Strings, Op. 11; and “Va, pensiero” from Verdi’s “Nabucco.” There is also Strauss’ Four Last Songs and the final selection of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, featuring soprano Elza van den Heever, mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton, tenor Piotr Beczała, and bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green.

The Passenger 

Naxos releases Mieczysław Weinberg’s emotionally wrenching opera written in 1968. Nadja Loschky’s production for Graz stars mezzo-soprano Dshamilja Kaiser, soprano Nadja Stefanoff, tenor Will Hartmann and baritone Markus Butter. Roland Kluttig leads the Grazer Philharmoniker and the Chor der Oper Graz.

Falstaff

German director Sven-Eric Bechtolf staged and John Eliot Gardiner conducted “Falstaff” in Florence in November 2021. Dynamic releases the opera starring baritone Nicola Alaimo, soprano Ailyn Pérez, mezzo-soprano Caterina Piva, mezzo-soprano Sara Mingardo, baritone Simone Piazzola, soprano Francesca Boncompagni and tenor Matthew Swensen.

The post Lise Davidsen, Ailyn Pérez & Metropolitan Opera Lead CD/DVD Releases appeared first on OperaWire.

Daniele Gatti conducts a revival of Rossini’s “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” with Ruzil Gatin, Vasilisa Berzhanskaya, Nicola Alaimo, Fabio Capitanucci, Evgeny Stavinskiy, and Carmen Buendí.

Performance Dates: Sept. 8-15, 2022

Zubin Mehta conducts Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” with Cesare Lievi directing. Amartushvin Enkhbat, María José Siri, Ekaterina Semenchuck, Fabio Sartori, and Riccardo Fassi directing.

Performance Dates: Sept. 29-Oct. 7, 2022

Cecilia Bartoli leads Händel’s “Alcina” alongside Carlo Vistoli, Lucía Martín Cartón, Kristina Hammarström, Petr Nekoranec, and Riccardo Novaro.

Performance Dates: Oct. 18-26, 2022

Francesco Meli, María José Siri, Roberto Frontali, and Vitalij Kowaljow star in Verdi’s “Ernani” with James Conlon conducting and Leo Muscato directing.

Performance Dates: Nov. 10-20, 2022

Mikhail Petrenko, Francesco Meli, Alexander Vinogradov, Ekaterina Semenchuck, and Benedetta Torre lead Verdi’s “Don Carlo” with Daniele Gatti conducting and Roberto Andò directing.

Performance Dates: Dec. 27, 2022-Jan. 8, 2023

Benedetta Torre and Luca Bernard lead Mozart’s “La Finta Semplice” with Theodor Guschlbauer conducting and Claudia Blersch directing.

Performance Dates: Jan. 24-29, 2023

Busoni’s “Doktor Faust” will star Thomas Hampson, Wilhelm Schwinghammer, AJ Glueckert, and Olga Bezsmertna. Ingo Metzmacher conducts the new production by Davide Livermore.

Performance Dates: Feb. 7-21, 2023

Nadine Sierra, Francesco Meli, and Plácido Domingo  star in Verdi’s “La Traviata” with Zubin Mehta conducting.

Performance Dates: Feb. 12-22 2023

Stravinsky’s “The Rake’s Progress” will star Sara Blanch, Matthew Swensen, Vito Priante, Marie-Claude Chappuis, Adriana Di Paola, and Christian Collia.  Daniele Gatti conducts the production by Frederic Wake-Walker.

Performance Dates: March 12-26, 2023

The season comes to a close with Bizet’s “Carmen” with Clémentine Margaine, Francesco Meli, Mattia Olivieri, and Valentina Naforniță. 

Performance Dates: March 28-April 16, 2023

Concerts 

Daniele Gatti leads the chorus and orchestra of the Maggio Musicale in a  Wagner and Verdi program.

Performance Date: Oct. 16, 2022

Zubin Mehta conducts Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 with Eleonora Filipponi.

Performance Date: Oct. 21, 2022

Mandy Fredrich, Marie-Claude Chappuis, Maximilian Schmitt, and Tareq Nazmi lead Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Zubin Mehta conducting. The concert also features Symphony No. 8.

Performance Date: Dec. 9, 2022

Diego Fasolis conducts Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with Lenneke Ruiten, Lucia Cirillo, Juan Francisco Gatell, and Georg Nigl.

Performance Date: Dec. 22, 2022

Daniele Gatti conducts Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Lenneke Ruiten, Eleonora Filipponi, and Maximilian Schmitt.

Performance Date: Dec. 31, 2022

Ingo Metzmacher conducts a Mahler and Schubert program.

Performance Date: Jan. 22, 2023

Jessica Pratt joins Daniele Gatti for a Vivaldi, Stravinsky and Bach program.

Performance Date: March 10, 2023

Zubin Mehta conducts Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with soloists Christiane Karg and Michèle Losier.

Performance Date: March 24, 2023

The post Cecilia Bartoli, Francesco Meli &  María José Siri Lead Maggio Musicale Fiorentino’s 2022-23 Season appeared first on OperaWire.

First up will be Sven-Eric Bechtolf’s production of “Così fan tutte,” which will be conducted by Zubin Mehta. The opera will star Valentina Nafornita, Vasilisa Berzhanskaya, Matthew Swensen, Mattia Olivieri, Benedetta Torre, and Thomas Hampson.

Performance Dates: August 30– Sept. 4, 2021

Next up will be Verdi’s “La Traviata” starring Nadine Sierra and Francesco Meli. Leo Nucci shares the role of Germont with Plácido Domingo. Zubin Mehta conducts a production by Davide Livermore.

Performance Dates: Sept. 17 – Oct. 2, 2021 

Jessica Pratt, Francesco Demuro, Giulio Pelligra, Michele Pertusi, and Vittorio Prato headline the cast of “Linda di Chamounix.” Michele Gamba conducts a production by Cesare Lievi.

Performance Dates: Sept. 21 – Oct. 3, 2021

John Eliot Gardiner conducts Sven-Eric Bechtolf’s production of “Falstaff,” which will star Nicola Alaimo, Ailyn Pérez, Sara Mingardo, Francesca Aspromonte, Xabier Anduaga, and Simone Piazzola, among others.

Performance Dates: Nov. 19-Dec. 5, 2021

Svetlana Aksenova takes on the lead role in Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly.” She is joined by Sergei Skorokhodov, Laura Verrecchia, and Alessandro Luongo. Francesco Ivan Ciampa conducts a production directed by Chiara Muti.

Performance Dates: Dec. 9-19, 2021 

Finishing out 2021 will be Matthias Hartmann’s production of “Fidelio.” Zubin Mehta conducts a cast that includes Lise Davidsen, Elisabet Strid, Peter Seiffert, Tomasz Konieczny, Franz-Josef Selig, Francesca Aspromonte, and Luca Bernard.

Performance Dates: Dec. 23, 2021 – Jan. 7, 2022

Zubin Mehta conducts Josef Ernst Köpplinger’s “Die Fledermaus,” which will star Markus Werba, Valentina Nafornita, Giorgio Berrugi, Regula Mühlemann, and Marina Viotti.

Performance Dates: Jan. 16 – 23, 2022 

Cherubini’s “Lo sposo di tre, e marito di nessuna” will be conducted by Diego Fasolis and directed by Cesare Lievi. The cast will star Sara Blanch, Ruzil Gatin, Fabio Capitanucci, Arianna Vendittelli, Mattia Olivieri, Benedetta Torre, and Giulio Mastrototaro.

Performance Dates: Jan. 22-Feb. 6, 2022

The season comes to a close with “L’Amico Fritz” which will star Charles Castronovo, Salome Jicia, and Teresa Iervolino. Riccardo Frizza conducts a production by Rosetta Cucchi.

Performance Dates: March 1 – 12, 2022

Concerts 

Zubin Mehta conducts the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in a performance of Mahler’s 10^th symphony, Bruckner’s 9^th symphony, and Berg’s “Drei Bruchstücke aus Wozzeck,” starring Asmik Grigorian.

Performance Dates: Oct. 28, 2021

Tenor Freddie di Tomasso will perform Puccini’s ‘Messa di Gloria” and will join Elisabet Strid, Marie-Claude Chappuis, and Franz-Josef Selig in a performance of Bruckner’s “Te Deum,” under the baton of Mehta.

Performance Dates: Dec. 22, 2021 

Mehta will conduct Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the soloists including Elisabet Strid, Marie-Claude Chappuis, Giorgio Berrugi, and Franz-Josef Selig. The concert will also include Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony.

Performance Dates: Dec. 31 & Jan. 4, 2021

The post Ailyn Pérez, Leo Nucci, Jessica Pratt, Lise Davidsen, Thomas Hampson Headline Maggio Musicale Fiorentino’s 2021-22 Season appeared first on OperaWire.

Without further ado, here are our top 10 operas to stream this week.

desert in – Boston Lyric Opera (NOW)

The Boston Lyric Opera has now released the first episode of its new operatic mini-series “desert in.” The series features Isabel Leonard, Talise Trevigne, Davone Tines, Edward Nelson, and Alan Pingarron, and is a nice change of pace and potential new direction for the opera world.

Watch it here. 

2021 Kaufman Music Center Gala – Kaufman Music Center (June 7)

The Kaufman Music Center will present its annual gala with a goal of raising funds for KMC’s music education programs which serves 3,000 children and teens. The concert will feature Grammy-winning singer-songwriter/actor Sara Bareilles, Grammy-winning operatic soprano Angel Blue, Grammy-winning violinist Gil Shaham, acclaimed violinist Adele Anthony, Broadway stars Nikki Renée Daniels and Michael Winther, and “What Makes It Great?” host Rob Kapilow.

Rosanne Cash, Judy Collins, Patti LuPone, Alexa Ray Joel, and Nile Rodgers will make special appearances.

Watch it here. 

Mixed Jazz Motives – North / South Consonance (June 7)

The National Opera Center in New York City will present a virtual recital featuring selections that have been infused with elements of jazz. The showcase will be headlined by mezzo-soprano Margaret O’Connell, flutist Lisa Hansen, and pianist Max Lifchitz.

The program will include works such as Lifchitz’s “Forget Me Not,” which explores themes of nature, loss, and joy through the poetry of 19^th century American writer Lillian E. Curtis; Katrina Krimsky’s “Elise’s Dream,” and “Sarah Wallin-Huff’s “DodecaFunky.” Lifchitz will also perform the NY premiere of Harry Bulow’s “Mixed Motives,” written for solo piano.

Watch it here. 

Toxic Psalms – Beth Morrison Projects (June 10)

Beth Morrison Projects continues its streaming of past productions paired with virtual conversations by the creators. This month, audiences can check out “Toxic Psalms” and engage with director Karmina šilec. Per the opera’s official website, “‘Toxic Psalms’ are a reflection of the spiritual anguish of today. The word ‘toxic’ derives from the Greek Toxon (meaning weapon, bow), while the word ‘psalm’ derives from Psallein, meaning ‘playing’ (an instrument) as well as ‘to snatch,’ ‘steal,’ or ‘remove.’ ‘Toxic Psalms’ metaphorically mean to draw a poisonous bow which is being played on in gloria to ‘move something away’ – tense psalms that are about to be released.”

Watch it here. 

Songs of Protest – Los Angeles Opera (June 11)

“Two Wings: The Music of Black America in Migration” – Spoleto Festival USA (June 11)

This unique concert by the Spoleto Festival USA will be presented at the College of Charleston Cistern Yard and will feature a range of artistic guests including the Grammy-nominated chamber music ensemble Imani Winds, writer and director Julie Dash, and rising star vocalist Sharón Clark alongside pianist and MacArthur Fellow Jason Moran and famed mezzo-soprano Alicia Hall Moran. The concert will focus on the historic journey of African Americans from the South to the North between 1910 through 1970.

Watch it here. 

TENET Vocal Artists

TENET Vocal Artists closes out its Spring 2021 season with a unique showcase entitled “Songs of the Trouvères.” The special gala focuses on medieval melodies and features Jolle Greenleaf, Virginia Warnken Kelsey, and Jason McStoots along with instrumentalists Grant Herreid, Priscilla Herreid, Robert Mealy, and Charles Weaver.

Watch it here. 

Wagner Magic I. – MUPA Budapest (June 13)

Sopranos Iréne Theorin and Annette Dasch team up with Tomasz Konieczny and tenor Magnus Vigilius for a concert dedicated to the music of Wagner. The showcase, which will be conducted by Adam Fischer, will include excerpts from “Tristan und Isolde,” “Lohengrin,” and “Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.”

Watch it here. 

Il barbiere di Siviglia – Glyndebourne (June 13)

Glyndebourne continues its streaming showcase with a production of Rossini’s seminal “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” conducted by Enrique Mazzolla and starring Danielle de Niese, Alessandro Corbelli and Björn Bürger. The production hails from 2016.

Watch it here. 

Così fan tutte – Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (June 13)

Capping off the weekend will be a pre-recorded performance of the Mozart classic, conducted by the legendary Zubin Mehta and featuring Valentina Naforniţa as Fiordiligi, Vasilisa Berzhanskaya as Dorabella, Matthew Swensen as Ferrando, Mattia Olivieri as Guglielmo, Benedetta Torre as Despina, and Thomas Hampson as Don Alfonso.

Watch it here. 

The post Angel Blue, Isabel Leonard, Davone Tines, Iréne Theorin, Danielle De Niese Headline Top 10 Operas to Stream This Week appeared first on OperaWire.

The company will stream a number of operas through itsart.tv/it starting with its recent production of “Rigoletto” starring Luca Salsi, Javier Camarena, and Enkeleda Kamani. Riccardo Frizza conducts the production by Davide Livermore. Audiences can start streaming it now.

On June 6 the theater will stream “La Forza Del Destino” starring Saioa Hernandez, Roberto Aronica, Annalisa Stroppa, Amartuvshin Enkhbat, and Ferruccio Furlanetto. Zubin Mehta conducts the new production.

On June 13 a prerecorded “Così Fan Tutte” will be streamed with Zubin Mehta conducting a cast that includes Valentina Naforniţa as Fiordiligi, Vasilisa Berzhanskaya as Dorabella, Matthew Swensen as Ferrando, Mattia Olivieri as Guglielmo, Benedetta Torre as Despina, and Thomas Hampson as Don Alfonso.

“Adriana Lecouvreur” will be streamed on June 20  starring Ksenia Dudnikova, Maria José Siri, and Martin Muehle.

The theater is also streaming a concert by Zubin Mehta, Daniel Harding, and Daniele Gatti.

The post Luca Salsi, Saioa Hernandez & Maria José Siri Lead Maggio Musicale Streaming Slate appeared first on OperaWire.

The new production by Sven-Eric Bechtolf will be filmed without an audience on March 28 and will premiere online in the coming months.

Zubin Mehta conducts the opera which is set to star Valentina Naforniţa as Fiordiligi, Vasilisa Berzhanskaya as Dorabella, Matthew Swensen as Ferrando, Mattia Olivieri as Guglielmo, Benedetta Torre as Despina, and Thomas Hampson as Don Alfonso.

The new production will have sets by Julian Crouch, Costumes by Kevin Pollard, lighting Alex Brok, and video design by Josh Higgason.

The production is the latest in a series of operas that the Maggio Musicale records. The company recently presented performances of “Linda di Chamonix” and “Otello” through streaming in collaboration with Dynamic. It also recorded a new production of “Rigoletto” with Luca Salsi and Javier Camarena, which is set to be released in the coming month.

The post Maggio Musicale Fiorentino to Film ‘Cosi Fan Tutte’ Starring Valentina Naforniţa & Thomas Hampson appeared first on OperaWire.

With Italian theaters still closed for audiences, Alexander Pereira has announced that the company will move forward with productions of “Rigoletto” and “Così Fan Tutte” without an audience.

Both operas will be streamed in a manner similar to what the company recently did with “Otello” and the upcoming “Linda Chamonix.”

“Rigoletto” will be directed by Davide Livermore and conducted by Riccardo Frizza. The stream will be held on Feb. 23 and is set to star René Barbera, Enkeleda Kamani, and Leo Nucci.

Meanwhile, “Così Fan Tutte” will be streamed on March 28. Zubin Mehta will conduct the production directed by  Sven-Erich Bechtolf which will star Valentina Naforniţa, Gaëlle Arquez, Matthew Swensen, Mattia Olivieri, Benedetta Torre, and Thomas Hampson.

Pereira also announced two concerts on Jan. 29 conducted by Lahav Shani and another on Feb. 2 conducted by Zubin Mehta.

The post Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Announces Two New Opera Streams appeared first on OperaWire.