And we’re back. And as has become the tradition here at OperaWire, we have asked our writers to select their choices for the opera performances that truly marveled them in 2023. So without further ado, here are our writers’ picks. Enjoy! Joao Copertino This year, in my opinion, the best performance was Aix-en-Provence’s “Picture a Day Like This,” a world premiere {…}
(Credit: Brescia e Amisano) On Dec. 7, 2023, the Teatro alla Scala is set to open its 2023-24 season with a new production of Verdi’s “Don Carlo.” The opera, which has opened the theater on numerous occasions is one of the most beloved at the theater. For this special night, the company has enlisted an all-star cast including Francesco Meli. {…}
(Photo Credits: Karen Almon/Metropolitan Opera) Throughout this new series, we will be looking at the history of American opera, beginning in the 2000s through to the present, through revisiting certain iconic works of the past two decades and OperaWire’s coverage of them throughout the 21st century. In part one, we looked at the developments of the 2000s. In part two, {…}
This past month the Salzburg Landestheater premiered a new production of “Aida” with a cast of rising stars and well-established singers. Now as the production continues its run, a new Amneris is taking over the rest of the run. Julia Rutigliano will make her role debut as Amneris, a role that the mezzo notes is a milestone. In a statement {…}
(Callas enshrouded in reporters. Credit: Maurice Zalewski/ADOC photos) Vignettes of onstage outtakes are aplenty. Daily shots of the soprano, less so. Here’s a peek into Maria’s typical excursions—culinary and sartorial; social and cultural—on a work(not really)less day. Coruscating like the crystalline intrusion of a cocktail dress’ brooch asparkle in a parking lot; a spotlight pooling blindness onto “Poliuto”‘s Paolina; {…}
On Nov. 16, Ailyn Pérez will make history at the Metropolitan Opera when she headlines the first-ever Latin American Opera in the company’s history (and only the third Spanish-language opera). The soprano will sing the title role of “Florencia en el Amazonas,” making her role debut and marking her first Spanish-language opera ever. The Mexican-American soprano will also headline her {…}
(Callas greeting fans. Credit: © Archiv Lebeck.) Editor’s Note: In anticipation of the release of “The Callas Imprint: A Centennial Biography” on Dec. 2, 2023, OperaWire is sharing a preview. “Greatness” is a noun too frequently assigned to humans. Victims of this label view the happening of “genius” as a capricious, “limited time only” gift. Here we follow Callas on {…}
This week the Lithuanian National Opera is set to bring a new production of “Aida” this week with one of the most sought-after sopranos of her generation. Kristine Opolais will make her debut with the company in the title role of Aida, a work she last performed completely 15 years ago in Riga. The last time she performed a part {…}
This week the Dallas Opera is set to world premiere “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.” The opera was originally scheduled for 2020 but was postponed due to COVID-19. For the production, Grammy Award–winning baritone Lucas Meachem will star as journalist Jean-Dominique Bauby who awakes from a coma unable to move or speak. Based on a memoir from 1997, the {…}
