For years Meyerbeer’s music has been ignored or gone into obscurity. In recent years, some of his operas have been able to make resurgences thanks in part to star singers. But even so, the composer, one of the most famous of his time, remains an obscurity in the modern opera world. Now Diana Damrau is finally paying homage to a {…}
Franco Alfano’s “Cyrano de Bergerac” has never truly managed to establish a foothold in the operatic canon. The work only premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in 2005 and Roberto Alagna, the opera’s most dedicated interpreter has stated that he struggled to find a company willing to take a chance on it. Despite its Italian composer, the music works very much {…}
Sopranos dead by the final curtain are a dime a dozen; murderous sopranos are rarer; sopranos who slay murderous roles scarcer still. As “Tosca,” in the Canadian Opera Company’s revival of Puccini’s beloved work which opened on April 30th, Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka died, murdered, and slayed, not necessarily in that order. A Triumphant Diva Her death should have been {…}
The Metropolitan Opera’s new production of “Der Rosenkavalier” by Robert Carsen is as high stakes as it gets these days for the company in both the short and long-term view. In the short-term view, this production is the punctuation on the current season, its final new staging. It will also be the final HD performance of the season, and more {…}
When attending a performance of “Lucia di Lammermoor” at one of the world’s top opera houses one would be very surprised to find a Lucia who is not up to the job. We are, in fact, blessed with an array of professional singers who are well equipped to perform the role to the requisite standard but finding one who can {…}
I am going to be rather forward with you. This analysis of Wednesday’s “Don Giovanni” at the Metropolitan Opera will kick off on a positive note before turning a bit sour in tone. But lo and behold, after that, I am going to return to my boyish enthusiasm for what I experienced at the opening of this revival run. The {…}
For years Natalie Dessay dominated the operatic scene with her charisma, acting chops, and virtuosic voice. But in 2013, the French soprano quit the operatic scene and dedicated herself to recitals, plays, and musicals. The soprano has been outspoken for her displeasure of the opera world and her critics have noted that she no longer had a voice to sing {…}
At the turn of the 20th century, Victor Herbert was widely regarded as a major composer making his mark with dozens and dozens of operettas. But the last century hasn’t always been kind to the Irish-American composer, many of his works getting largely ignored in the opera world. But for the last few years, the Victor Herbert Renaissance Project LIVE! {…}
Making your way to an evening at the opera, you pass through Prague’s medieval, cobblestone streets. In the distance, sets the orange, Bohemian sun behind the black silhouette of Prague Castle. Now descending into a cellar, you’ll find yourself in the theater lobby, packing your hands with Czech beer and awaiting the opening notes of the longest running production of {…}