First up is “Vissi d’arte – Gala Maria Callas,” starring Sondra Radvanovsky, Pretty Yende, Kate Lindsey, and Eve-Maud Hubeaux. Eun Sun Kim conducted the gala, which was be directed by Robert Carsen. The event took place in December 2023.

Streaming Date: January 2025

Then comes a live stream of “Castor et Pollux” starring Reinoud Van Mechelen and Marc Mauillon with Teodor Currentizs conducting and Peter Sellars directing.

Streaming Date: Feb. 1, 2025

“The Cunning Little Vixen” will get a transmission in a performance from 2008 starring Elena Tsallagova, Hannah Ether Minutillo, and Jukka Rasilainen. Dennis Russell Davies conducted and André Engel directed.

Streaming Date: February 2025

The post Paris Opera Play Unveils Streaming Slate for January & February 2025 appeared first on OperaWire.

The 46th edition of the event will take place from August 10 to 22, 2025.

Operas 

The festival will open with a new production of “Zelmira,” conducted by Giacomo Sagripanti. The production will be directed by Spanish director Calixto Bieito, making his debut in Pesaro. Pretty Yende stars in the title role alongside Andrea Mastroni, Lawrence Brownlee, Enea Scala, Marina Viotti, Gianluca Margheri, Paolo Nevi, and Shi Zong.

Performance Dates: August 10-19, 2025

The season’s second production will be Soirées musicales with “La Cambiale di Matrimonio.”  The first part of the evening will showcase Vittoriana de Amicis, Andrea Nino, Paolo Nevi, and Gurgen Baveyan. The opera will feature Pietro Spagnoli, Paola Leoci, Jack Swanson, Mattia Olivieri, Ramiro Maturana, and Ines Lorans. Christopher Franklin conducts.

Performance Dates: August 11-20, 2025

The season will include a new production of “L’Italiana in Algeri.” Dmitry Korchak conducts Rosetta Cucchi will direct. Giorgi Manoshvili, Josh Lovell, Gurgen Baveyan, Daniela Barcellona, Misha Kiria, Vittoriana De Amicis, and Andrea Nino star.

Performance Dates: August 12, 2025

“Il Viaggio a Reims” will star artists from the Accademia Rossiniana. Alessandro Mazzocchetti conducts Emilio Sagi’s production.

Performance Dates: August 15 & 18, 2025

Concerto Lirici

The first concert will feature Anastasia Bartoli and Vasilisa Berzhanskaya.

Performance Date: August 13, 2025

The second evening will showcase Michele Pertusi in concert.

Performance Date: August 19, 2025

The third evening will showcase tenor Sergey Romanovsky.

Performance Date: August 21, 2025

Concerti di Bel Canto 

Cecilia Molinari will give the first recital of the season.

Performance Date: August 14, 2025

The second recital will be headlined by Marko Mimica.

Performance Date: August 16, 2025

The third recital will showcase Hasmik Torosyan.

Performance Date: August 20, 2025

Concerts  

Giuliana Gianfaldoni and Dave Monaco star in a concert entitled Cantate per voce sola, coro e orchestra. Cesare della Sciucca conducts.

Performance Date: August 17, 2025

Messa per Rossini will include Vasilisa Berzhanskaya, Caterina Piva, Dmitry Korchak, Misha Kiria, and Andrea Mastroni. Donato Renzetti conducts.

Performance Date: August 22, 2025

The post Pretty Yende, Lawrence Brownlee, Daniela Barcellona & Vasilisa Berzhanskaya Lead Rossini Opera Festival’s 2025 Season appeared first on OperaWire.

On Dec. 7, a concert will be held to commemorate the reopening of Notre Dame.

The showcase commences at 9 p.m. local time and will feature numerous classical music stars, including several opera superstars. Among them are Pretty Yende, Nadine Sierra, Benjamin Bernheim, and Julie Fuchs, all regulars of the Opéra National de Paris. Also on the program are Gautier and Renaud Capuçon, Yo-Yo Ma, Katia Buniatichvili, and Daniel Lozakovich.

They will be joined by conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France; Dudamel was the Music Director of the Opéra National de Paris before stepping down in 2023.

The concert will streamed on Deutsche Grammophon’s Stage+.

The post Benjamin Bernheim, Julie Fuchs, Pretty Yende, Nadine Sierra Among Headliners of Notre-Dame Reopening Concert appeared first on OperaWire.

The new production will be directed by Damiano Michieletto, who is returning to the Bayerische Staatsoper after his acclaimed “Aida.”

The show centers on the search for one’s own identity and Michieletto explains, “The story moves between two levels – nature and the city. Nature as the symbol of an instinctive and spontaneous world and the city as a world of fine manners and high culture. The performance plays these two opposites off against one another, with extravagant costumes and jolly characters, who right at the end, are finally freed from social labels and can happily assume their own identities.”

The production will star Pretty Yende in her acclaimed Marie, Xabier Anduaga as Tonio, Dorothea Röschmann as the Marquise de Berkenfield, famous actress Sunnyi Melles as the Duchesse de Crakentorp, and Misha Kiria as Sulpice.

A second cast will include Serena Sáenz and Lawrence Brownlee. Stefano Montanari conducts.

The production will open on Dec. 22, 2024 and run through July 1, 2025. The show is a co-production with the Teatro San Carlo di Napoli, where it will be staged from May 18 to May 27, 2025.

The post Pretty Yende & Xabier Anduaga Lead New ‘La Fille du Régiment’ at Bayerische Staatsoper appeared first on OperaWire.

Sometimes one has the impression that anniversaries are used to rationalize our infatuation with the music of an already popular composer. Such is the case this year when opera houses around the globe are commemorating the centenary of Puccini, the most performed opera composer after Verdi and Mozart. The Opéra de Monte-Carlo is no exception and in her third season as the company’s Director, Cecilia Bartoli programmed concert versions of “La Rondine” (whose premiere was given at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo in 1917) and “Tosca,” as well as a staged version of “La Bohème,” and a gala concert “Viva Puccini!” featuring tenor Jonas Kaufmann.

Nov. 17th in Monte-Carlo was the final stop on Kaufmann’s “Viva Puccini!” tour, which took him to Freiburg, Vienna, Mannheim, Frankfurt, Dortmund, Paris, and Munich. The tour follows Kaufmann’s two recording projects for Sony Classical devoted to Puccini’s music: “The Puccini Album (2015),” and most recently “Puccini: Love Affairs (2024).” 

The touring program was a synthesis of the two recordings. The two solo arias were from “Tosca:” Cavaradossi’s “Recondita armonia” and “E lucevan le stelle.” The remainder of the sung numbers were duets featured on the more recent album: Rodolfo and Mimi’s “O soave fanciulla” from “La Bohème,” Pinkerton and Butterfly’s “Viene la sera” from “Madama Butterfly,” and Manon and des Grieux’s “Tu, tu, amore tu” from “Manon Lescaut.” On Kaufmann’s Love Affairs disc, these duos are recorded with Pretty Yende, Maria Agresta, and Anna Netrebko, but on the Viva Puccini! tour, Kaufmann was joined by the Italian soprano Valeria Sepe.

A Commanding Vocal Performance from Kaufmann

Kaufmann sang flawlessly, with extraordinary breath support and tonal projection. Although this was a concert performance, he effectively used a minimum of gestures to act his role, thus aiding the audience to imagine the dramatic situation of each aria or duo. His voice easily sailed over the large orchestra, although he had more difficulty doing so in the second half of the concert—which may have been more a result of conductor Marco Armiliato’s reluctance to reign in the musicians of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo. Perhaps the only criticism one could make is that he sometimes came across as being too controlled, and rarely gave the impression of taking spontaneous risks.

There were many highlights in Kaufmann’s interpretations, beginning with the stunningly beautiful diminuendo al niente on the final note of “Recondita armonia.” Also memorable was the intensity of his soft legato singing in “E lucevan le stelle,” particularly on the held note on the word “disciogliea.” [I untied] His judicious use of portamento (sliding between intervals) added a heightened sense of passion to his duet singing. The beauty of his low and medium registers was more impressive than his high register, but the only moment when the latter appeared strained was on the final notes, sung offstage, in the duo “O soave fanciulla” from “La Bohème.”

Sepe sang beautifully, with careful attention to the sweep of long phrases. Her registers were well-matched, and she ascended to high notes with ease. Sharing the stage with Kaufmann is not easy, as his artistic personality is so dominant and his command of softer dynamic ranges is incomparable. Nevertheless, the audience responded warmly to each of Sepe’s contributions.

Armiliato and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo had several opportunities to shine, not incidentally allowing Kaufmann and Sepe to rest their voices. The intermezzi from “Madama Butterfly” and “Manon Lescaut” were particularly effective. Principal clarinetist Marie-B Barrière-Bilote was outstanding in her expressive solo introducing “E lucevan le stelle.”

Five Encores

The full house in the Grimaldi Forum enthusiastically demanded five encores from the singers. Kaufmann went first, delivering a “Ch’ella mi creda” from “La fanciulla del West.” The next two were from “Turandot:” Sepe sang “Signore, ascolta!” followed by Kaufmann’s “Non piangere, Liù.” Sepe then gave what was perhaps her most effective performance of the concert in “O mio babbino caro” from Gianni Schicchi. Kaufmann finished the evening on a triumphant note with “Nessun dorma,” a moment long-awaited by the audience.

The post Opéra de Monte-Carlo 2024 Review: Viva Puccini! appeared first on OperaWire.

The Wiener Staatsoper has announced a cast change for its Nov. 18, 2024 performance of “Don Pasquale.”

The company said that Levy Sekgapane will sing the role of Ernesto in “Don Pasquale” replacing Edgardo Rocha.

It will be the second performance Sekgapane takes over for Rocha following the performance on Nov. 16, 2024.

Sekgapane is well known for his Bel Canto roles and has performed at the Paris Opera, Wiener Staatsoper, Staatsoper Hamburg, Opéra National de Bordeaux, and Semperoper Dresden, among others.

The tenor joins a cast that includes Erwin Schrott, Davide Luciano, and Pretty Yende. Giacomo Sagripanti conducts the production by Irina Brook.

The post Wiener Staatsoper Announces Cast Change for ‘Don Pasquale’ appeared first on OperaWire.

Born in Russia, mezzo-soprano Vasilisa Berzhanskaya is a graduate of the Russian Gnesin Academy of Music in Moscow and a former member of the Youth Opera Program at the Bolshoi Theatre. Her repertoire encompasses roles of the Italian bel canto of Rossini and Bellini, Mozart, Baroque music such as Vivaldi and Purcell, and roles from Russian opera, by composers such as Rimsky-Korsakov and Tchaikovsky.

Although Berzhanskaya is a mezzo-soprano, in the past she has sung roles ranging from dramatic coloratura soprano (the Queen of the Night in “Die Zauberflöte”) to contralto (Isabella in “L’italiana in Algeri”) As such, she has been described as possessing “a huge vocal range in which she display[s] impeccable coloratura.”

OperaWire caught up with Vasilisa at her home in Siberia, and later in New York where she was appearing at the Met in “Contes D’ Hoffmann.”

OperaWire: Hello Vasilisa. Lovely to speak with you at last! Of course, Visa problems prevented us from meeting and speaking at the Royal Opera House earlier, but at least you made it for your “Carmen” role at the Royal Opera House.

Vasilisa Berzhanskaya: Yes, UK consulate needed more time than we expected for the Visa process. The rules and needed time are always changing. I’m so grateful to the Royal Opera House for waiting for me til the last moment! Important that I got my visa and at the end everything went absolutely unforgettable!

OW: How did Carmen go and what did you make of the production? It received quite a few negative reviews in the press.

VB:
I really enjoyed singing in this new production by Michieletto. When I signed for this contract, maybe two-three years ago….for me it was like… something very far away and not happening to me. I didn’t really believe that it would happen to me one moment, such a theatre, such a role! And I debuted Carmen just THIS year a month before London, in Vienna. For every mezzo or sometimes even for soprano, Carmen is like a point of where you arrive at the right moment of your career… This production has a completely different view of this character; I like to work with different directors because I like to improvise and find double possibilities….so for me it wasn’t a strange experience at all and I enjoyed it a lot. I’m always happy to learn new perspectives on characters. And I’m glad when directors offer me to look at it with a new perspective.

OW: You have just finished “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” at the Met. How did that go?

VB: Oh, fantastic. Such a big and very important step forward in my life. Christian Van Horn, Erin Morley, Clémentine Margaine, Benjamin Bernheim, Pretty Yende, Aaron Blake, Marco Armiliato…amazing cast, amazing team, one of the most beautiful productions, live HD in cinemas around the world. What could you imagine better for a debut at the Met?

OW: Of course, you are renowned for your bel canto repertoire. Your Rossini, Handel and Vivaldi work shows astonishing athleticism of your voice. Is that your preferred choice of role and how does singing THAT repertoire compare with singing, say Bizet or Verdi?

VB: I always knew that I had something in my voice that would enable me to sing bel canto repertoire. Thank God I always had someone who I could ask for advice. I started my career in bel canto also because I didn’t want to choose the easiest way of starting my journey, for example being Russian would be logical to start with Russian opera. But to be honest, there were practically no roles for my voice type in the Russian repertoire. Only now, after so many years, I am starting to study the Russian operas and I understand that the lyric soprano repertoire in operas by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff is very close to my voice, but we will talk about this later. Really, thanks to my teachers, thanks to the conductors whom I met who advised me to choose this way, the bel canto way in the right moment. And then, I realized, actually, this is the healthiest way to sing for every singer. You will not be able sing bel canto well if your voice has a strange vibrato, if your voice isn’t flexible, doesn’t have high notes, low notes, secure middle range, if you can’t sing legato and coloraturas. So, because you have nothing to hide behind. You just have to sing perfectly to be a real good bel canto specialist. So, when I understood that I have arrived at this point where I sing it in some very important places with very important conductors, I started to think about to start singing, French repertoire, some Verdi roles; small Verdi roles, I have so far only debuted with small Verdi roles because I really would like to wait; With years you can change your voice, to sing different repertoire but the smartest way and I am sure of it is to learn the style, mature your vocal technique and this combo always gives many more new opportunities; French music, Verdi, modern music- everything is about the style. So, keep your voice, mature your technique, learn the style; That’s it. Just be yourself. And at the moment, I am a bel canto singer, and I really would love to continue this way for as long as possible.

OW: Tell me about growing up in Russia and what were your musical influences?

VB: I think it was my destiny to become an opera singer, because I have no one in my family who is or was a musician. I grew up in a very small town, maybe 60,000 people….and there were no opera theatre, no concert hall where I could listen to opera – nothing. But, from my childhood, I always loved to sing. I don’t know why, but I was absolutely sure that one day I will become a singer, one day I will be on the stage, and I will sing for the big audience. Then, one day, I met the opera world when we were visiting Moscow in one of my summer holidays…and I heard a whole opera for the first time in my life. It was actually a very strange opera to listen to for the very first time. It was an opera by Borodin. After this performance ended, I said to my Mum: “So, in a few years, I will be here. I will sing opera!” And already in a few years I won some opera competition which took place at this theatre where I heard my first opera.

OW: So, which voices did you listen to and take inspiration from?

VB: I remember, the first opera singer I met through a CD was Cecilia Bartoli. And after that moment, I started to listen to all the baroque music, the different orchestras, singers, instrumentalists and of course I listened to everything that Bartoli had recorded up to that moment. I was really crazy about her, and I really wanted to sing like her. I started to imitate her, it wasn’t possible, of course, but I found in this moment that my voice has a coloratura. Of course, it wasn’t a professional coloratura, I didn’t know how to use it in a professional way…. but in just trying to imitate her, I learned a lot from baroque repertoire, and I learned a lot about coloratura. And now to sing coloratura, for me it’s something very natural. And thanks to Bartoli that I listened to her and mimicked her when I was only fourteen.

OW: And of course, you did join the Bolshoi on the young artists program?

VB: Yes, but that was much later. In Russia we have a long education process. First, we study in a music school, then music college, after that a Bachelor degree at Academy or Conservatory, then a Master’s degree. After that you can have a further two years studying as a postgraduate. So, I finished college in the village where I grew up, then I moved to Moscow. Because I knew about the Gnesin Academy and the teacher I wanted to study with. So, after I came to Moscow, I entered a few students’ competitions, I applied for an audition for opera singers in Vladivostok, the audition went well….so there in Vladivostok I had my first professional experience… I sang there from “Carmen,” Micaëla and Frasquita. It happened when I was only twenty. After that I won the second prize in a big TV competition. Still remember how crazy I was at this competition! I sang Magda, “Thaïs,” operettas, Handel etc, all together. I was very young. And after that competition I decided that it’s a time to continue my journey in a more professional way. So, I decided to try to get into the YAP and got in on the first try. It’s absolutely a “bingo” program for a young singer. There we were taught languages, styles, and we had some small opportunities to sing on the stage and to work with conductors and directors. So, after YAP I got a proposal from Deutsche Oper Berlin and I moved to Berlin. For two years it was my home theatre, even until now I feel myself as at home when I’m coming back there because people who gave me opportunity to sing on this stage immediately big roles being so young- fortunately they are still there and I’ll reveal the secret, in 2026 I’ll be back in Deutsche Oper Berlin with one very important project to me, which will take a special place in my heart.

OW: You mentioned that you’re happy singing bel canto roles, and that it is something you are going to continue with, but you also implied to me that you are undergoing something of a change in your direction?

VB: So, after my son was born, I decided I’m ready to add something else, to do more, I’m more ready physically and mentally. I decided to try some new challenges, some new roles, first I tried it with my teacher and coach, they told me that it could be a very interesting idea for a future. So, already I debuted in some real soprano roles. Like this summer I did a debut as Corinna in “Il viaggio a Reims” at the Rossini Opera Festival, and it was very important and successful debut for me. And of course, during last few years I debuted as Norma, as Sinaïde in “Moïse et Pharaon” and in a very challenging role even for a high lyric soprano- as Anna in “Maometto secondo.” Anna vocally is much higher, much more difficult than Violetta for example, and much longer even. And so, I just was looking back on my repertoire, my performances, and I just recognized that all the much more interesting things that happened to me happened in the soprano repertoire. I know that’s strange, but I feel really much more comfortable and much more secure singing soprano, and I feel that I can give and explain more than when I sing mezzo roles. We have many examples where singers have changed their fach between mezzo and soprano. And they were doing it even a few times in their career. Let’s look at the careers of Violeta Urmana or Shirley Verrett. But also, I discover the voices of the past. I’m talking about those singers for whom Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti and other composers were writing the operas. I have had many different proposals in the past to perform in different concerts in memory of, for example Giuditta Pasta, or Maria Malibran, or Isabella Colbran and these three singers just inspired me with their careers and of course with their repertoire. I started to wonder what kind of voice Giuditta Pasta had, for whom “Norma” was written. She was singing “Norma,” Amina, (“La sonnambula”), then “Tancredi.” So, her repertoire was from contralto to high lyric soprano. Then I started to look at the repertoire of Malibran. And what I see, she sings Norma, she sings Imogene (“Il Pirata”), at the same time she sings Amina, “La Cenerentola.” A repertoire all so different with a predominance of soprano roles but it’s written that she had a mezzo voice. Then I see the career and repertoire of Isabella Colbran, one of the wives and muse of Rossini, and since I debuted at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro in a Colbran’s role and it had I very big and very unexpected success to me, I pay special attention to Colbran roles and have already sung several and the following debuts are already planned for the future. Colbran had a soprano voice with a mezzo soprano opportunities. The roles which Rossini wrote for her, it’s simply a big challenge and sometimes seeming absolutely beyond the bounds of what is possible to be performed by the human voice because the tessitura, extremely high notes, extremely low notes, complicated coloratura, pure legato, dramatic moments requiring dramatic vocal modulations, everything all possible difficulties you can find in the roles that Rossini wrote for her. And we can see these different kinds of voices in operatic repertoires which one opera can include at the same time. Look at “La Traviata.” You start with all this coloraturas of lyric high soprano, and you finish with full lyric spinto. Not only “Traviata,” but many roles are also written in this way. What if we look at how Vitellia or Fiordiligi were written? This speaks of the absolute universality of the singers who lived in the past for whom so many operas were written. So, I decided, being inspired so much by Pasta, Malibran, and Colbran why not try to think about this way. Work on your vocal technique, styles and sing the repertoire which fits your voice. And now I’m finding this repertoire mostly in soprano. Step by step in concerts I add some soprano arias in my repertoire, every year I add and I’m planning to add one-two soprano roles. This season I already sang Corinna and I’m looking forward to singing my first Tatiana in “Onegin” and “Alcina,” then I return to sing Norma again. Then I already have a plan to sing my first Liú and Fiordiligi.

OW: Did becoming a mother affect the way you sing, or your ability to sing?

VB: Something has changed and for the better. Fortunately, I didn’t have a break in my career, everything went absolutely unnoticed. I was actually performing two weeks before the birth. And then, two weeks after, I started to sing again. Some singers stop for a period when becoming a mother, but I didn’t want to and fortunately my health allowed me to carry out my plan. I can’t say it was easy….it wasn’t easy, but thank God, I didn’t feel any change in my voice, It was only after a couple of months that I felt some growth, maturation and the understanding came to me that I could begin to consider a more complex repertoire. Although now, I can say I feel my voice to be more secure…. secure in the tessitura, to be calmer and more grounded. During the pregnancy I learned to control my voice much better because when you have all this extra weight, when you feel constant physical fatigue day after day, but you force yourself to work on equal terms with everyone around, you really have to control your voice 100%. So now I have this feeling of extra control with me, I continue to work on my vocal technique I do it even more now because the new repertoire obliges you to be in constant training and growth. So, every moment in your life can change your voice, and can give an extra opportunity to maybe try things in a different direction. Being a mother really gives you something. As I absolutely can’t sit still without “challenges.” Now, I’m discovering many interesting repertoires, in Mozart’s like Contessa, like Elettra; of course, Donna Elvira, Vitellia, and I find it so well suited to my voice, which is… who knows what type of voice is it? I am glad that I have a few people to whom I can come for an advice at a certain moment. So, step by step I’m taking this huge path, and I’m really excited about that.

OW: You’re clearly very serious and determined in your work. What do you like to do when you are not singing?

VB: Of course, now I’m trying to spend as much time as I can with my baby, but then, everything depends on where I am. If I am in London or New York, I visit all of the musicals. I just love visiting musicals! “Matilda,” “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “Hamilton.” I’m a big fan of musicals. For me, it’s amazing how they combine everything. I am learning from them. How they do these incredibly energetic shows, how they use a space, how they use special effects. Then, of course, I discover good restaurants. I’m a big eater! Can I say that? (laughing). I’m an eater (in Italian I would say “buona forchetta”) and I love to discover the places to try the local cuisine. So, if you ask me wherever you are, where is the best place to eat, I easily can tell you (laughing). One day I will write a book about where to eat around the world! I also love to spend my holidays at the sea. Living in Siberia you are really missing the sun! I love to spend time with my family and friends. Of course, I always try not to miss interesting concerts and performances where my colleagues are. We are two types of singers; some of us never go to the opera or listen to our colleagues, and I am definitely the other type. I really love going to the opera and different concerts.

The post Q & A: Vasilisa Berzhanskaya on Her Opera Career Path & What Keeps Her Curious in Life appeared first on OperaWire.

This article only features vocal works.

Sopranos Emőke Baráth and Lauranne Oliva, countertenor Tim Mead, tenor Robin Tritschler, and baritone Benjamin Appl are soloists in Handel’s “Messiah.” They are joined by The Spiritual Concert orchestra and choir and directed by Hervé Niquet.

Performance Dates: December 11, 2024

Mezzo-soprano Lea Desandre sings Sapho, Iphise and Eglé in Rameau’s “Les Fêtes d’Hébé” at the Opéra Comique. She is accompanied by Thomas Dunford on the lute.

Performance Dates: December 13 – 21, 2024

Lea Desandre performs at the Philharmonie de Paris for the 80th-anniversary concert of William Christie.

Performance Date: December 14, 2024

Soprano Lauranne Oliva and mezzo- soprano Eva Zaïcik present Pergolesi’s “Stabat Mater.” Vincent Dumestre conducts.

Performance Dates: January 18, 2025

Florian Sempey takes on the title role in Mozart’s “Don Giovanni.” Also among the cast are Ana Maria Labin, Léo Vermot-Desroches, Marion Lebègue, Edwin Fardini, Catherine Trottmann, and Louis Morvan. Alexis Kossenko conducts the Ambassadors and The Great Stables orchestra and choir.

Performance Dates: January 20, 2025

Lea Desandre participates in the Gala concert for the 150th anniversary of the Palais Garnier.

Performance Dates: January 24, 2025

Soprano Pretty Yende performs the title role in Handel’s “Semele” in a new production directed by Oliver Mears at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées.

Performance Dates: February 6 – 15, 2025

Pretty Yende returns to the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées alongside the Orchestre national d’Île-de-France, under the direction of Pablo Mielgo, for a recital dedicated to the great arias of the musical comedy.

Performance Dates: June 8, 2025

The post Pretty Yende & Lea Desandre Headline Acte 4’s 2024-25 Season appeared first on OperaWire.

Opera 

The season opens with Puccini’s “La Fanciulla del West” with Riccardo Frizza conducting a cast that includes Carmen Giannattasio, Angelo Villari, and Claudio Sgura. Paul Curran directs. Another cast includes Ann Petersen, Amadi Lagha, and Gustavo Castillo.

Performance Dates: Jan. 24-30, 2025

Jessica Pratt, Giovanni Sala, Marko Mimica, and Lucas Meachem lead Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor” with Daniel Oren conducting and  Jacopo Spirei directing. The production will also star Maxim Lisiin, Gilda Fiume, Matteo Desole, and Francesco Leone in another cast.

Performance Dates: Feb. 20-25, 2025

Verdi’s “Un Ballo in Maschera” will star Fabio Sartori, Anastasia Bartoli, Amartuvshin Enkhbat, and Silvia Beltrami. Riccardo Frizza conducts the production by Daniele Menghini. The second cast includes Matteo Lippi, Marta Torbidoni, and Chiara Mogini.

Performance Dates: April 13-19, 2025

Mariangela Sicilia, Francesca Di Sauro, Vito Priante, Giulia Mazzola, Marco Ciaponi, and Nahuel Di Pierro star in Mozart’s “Così fan tutte” with Martijn Dendievel conducting the production by Alessandro Talevi. The production will also star Karen Gardeazabal, Laura Verrecchia, Francesco Salvadori, Francesco Castoro, Silvia Spessot, and Davide Giangregorio.

Performance Dates: May 25-June 1, 2025

Kevin Rhodes conducts Bernstein’s Candide, which Renato Zanella directs. Two casts will star in the production: Kévin Amiel, Tetiana Zhuravel, Bruno Taddia, and John Chest, and Marco Miglietta, Francesca Benitez, Valdis Jansons, and Michele Patti.

Performance Dates: July 4-12, 2025

Oksana Lyniv conducts Stravinsky’s “Oedipus Rex” in Gabriele Lavia’s production. Gabriele Lavia, Paolo Antognetti, Teresa Romano, and Claudio Otelli star.

Performance Dates: Oct. 7-12, 2025

Puccini’s “La Bohème” will star Juliana Grigoryan, Stefan Pop, Giuliana Gianfaldoni, and Davide Luciano. Martijn Dendievel conducts the productin by Graham Vick. A second cast includes Karen Gardeazabal, Enkeleda Kamani, Antonino Siragusa, and Lodovico Filippo Ravizza.

Performance Dates: Nov. 23-30, 2025

Aya Wakizono, Paolo Bordogna, Dave Monaco, Michele Pertusi, and Nicola Alaimo star in Rossini’s “Il Barbiere di Siviglia.” Renato Palumbo conducts the production by Federico Grazzini. Pieluigi D’Aloia, Giovanni Romeo, Chiara Tirotta, Stefan Astakhov, and Andrea Pellegrini also star.

Performance Dates: Dec. 19-30, 2025

Ring Cycle 

Wagner’s “Siegfried” will be conducted by Oksana Lyniv with a cast that includes Peter Wedd, Claudio Otelli, Sorin Coliban, and Sonja Šarić.

Performance Dates: June 13 & 15, 2025

Wagner’s “Gotterdammerung” will star Peter Wedd, Claudio Otelli, Ewa Vesin, Sonja Šarić, and Atala Schöck. Oksana Lyniv conducts.

Performance Dates: Oct. 24 & 26, 2025

Concerts 

Donato Renzetti conducts Cecilia Molinari and Paolo Bordogna in a program of music by Rossini and Brahms.

Performance Date: Jan. 12, 2025

Asher Fisch conducts scenes from “Der Rosenkavalier” with soloists Elsa Benoit, Stefanie Irányi, and Julia Kleiter.

Performance Date: Feb. 8, 2025

Hartmut Haenchen conducts Brahms’ Deutsche Requiem with Valentina Farcas, and Liviu Holender.

Performance Date: March 16, 2025

Riccardo Frizza conducts Schoenberg and Mahler with soloist Monica Bacelli.

Performance Date: March 28, 2025

Frédéric Chaslin conducts Poulenc and Brahms with soloists Sergej Aleksandrovič Krylov and Julie Cherrier Hoffmann.

Performance Date: May 6, 2025

Marco Angius conducts a program of music by Brahms, Solbiati, and Haydn.

Performance Date: June 20, 2025

Lorenzo Passerini and Pretty Yende join forces for an evening of arias.

Performance Date: Dec. 11, 2025

The post Jessica Pratt, Carmen Giannattasio, Anastasia Bartoli & Juliana Grigoryan Lead Teatro Comunale di Bologna’s 2025 Season appeared first on OperaWire.

The Bayerische Staatsoper has announced a cast change for its upcoming production of “Cavalleria Rusticana.”

The company said that Ivan Gyngazov and Jonathan Tetelman will sing the role of Turiddu replacing the originally announced Vittorio Grigolo.

Gyngazov will sing the role on May 22, 25, 29, June 01, 04, 08, and 12, 2025 while Tetelman will sing the role on July 09 and 12, 2025.

Tetalman will sing alongside Ekaterina Semenchuk and Rihab Chaieb while Gyngazov will perform alongside Yulia Matochkina’s Santuzza and Elmina Hasan‘s Lola.

Daniele Rustioni conducts the May and June performances while Andrea Battistoni conducts the July performances. Francesco Micheli directs the new production which also includes “Pagliacci.” Jonas Kaufmann, Ailyn Perez, Riccardo Massi, and Wolfgang Koch lead the performances of Leoncavallo’s opera.

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