On Oct. 11, Rachel Fenlon made history with her debut album on Orchid Classics, becoming the first ever to sing and accompany herself in Schubert’s masterpiece “Winterreise” on recording.

Fenlon has self-accompanied herself at prestigious festivals and venues such as Fundación Juan March, the Oxford Lieder Festival, Festival de Lanaudière, Martha Argerich Festival Hamburg, Ottawa Chamberfest, National Arts Centre Canada, Settimane Musicali di Ascona, Vancouver Opera Festival, Festival International Povoa de Varzim, and Toronto Summer Music Festival, among others. She has also performed with such companies as the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Vancouver Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria, and Oper Leipzig, among others. 

Fenlon spoke to OperaWire about her new album and the process of finding funds and recording “Winterreise.”

OperaWire: How do you feel after releasing this album?

Rachel Fenlon: I feel a deep sense of support and love from those around me, for a project that I’ve dreamt about creating my whole life. I feel I accomplished what I set out to achieve, I poured my whole self into this record. It’s still sinking in, that “Winterreise” is now out in the world! However, what’s surprising me the most is how shared this experience feels. I never expected it to feel like such a collective experience. Now I get why so many of my favourite musicians say that a record is no longer just yours, when it’s released, it also becomes the listeners, their experience of it, it belongs to them too. I’m definitely feeling that and it feels incredible.

OW: You play piano and sing on the record. How did this come about? What were the biggest challenges of doing it this way?

RF: Singing and playing is about 95 percent of my career, since I first began in 2016, which takes me on the road internationally, year round.

My path has been beautifully winding – pursuing singing and piano, in conservatory in high school and then in University at UBC in Vancouver, where I was finding myself going back and forth constantly between the instruments – singing leading roles in the operas, playing piano for singers, learning Beethoven piano sonatas when I wasn’t learning a Mozart soprano role. My career began in quite a traditional way – I was a young artist at Vancouver Opera, and singing roles on their main stage from age 24. and it wasn’t until I moved to Berlin and truly challenged myself in my identity, in who I am as a person and an artist, that I realized that I would never be quite whole unless I found a way to combine my singing and playing. It was after I moved to Berlin, which was a pivotal moment for me 10 years ago, that I began to question my artistic identity completely.

In 2016, I sang and played my first Schubert recital at an artist residency in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, and I had the experience of feeling a deep sense of “home” on stage. I knew from that moment on, that I would put everything into singing and playing. At this point, I’ve played self-accompanied recitals at major festivals and recital halls, and I feel incredibly lucky to have gotten to this point.

The vision for this album was to be able to share what I do, to share my unique interpretation as a singer/pianist. The choice for “Winterreise” itself came in 2021, during the dark months of the pandemic, when I was living alone in a forest area outside of Berlin. I bought the score to “Winterreise” one day and began learning it. What I discovered was that I have never found, nor lost myself so much in a work as I did with “Winterreise.” To share my interpretation of this great work, and to add to the enormous canon of recordings, from the perspective of a singer sitting at the piano and accompanying myself, is the greatest gift I could ask for.

The biggest challenge has definitely been trying to figure out how to create and navigate a career where I am doing something no one else has done before. There is no real example of someone who’s paved a career this way. I have to say, though, that this has also been extremely liberating, because I get to be the one determining how to do things. What repertoire to sing and play. How to build and shape my own career. What kind of artist I want to be. It’s so empowering.

It was very challenging in the early years, because a lot of people tried to discourage me from doing something which was so against the grain. Some people in classical music can be really afraid of change, because they think they are safeguarding something sacred, instead of, in my opinion, participating in a living, ever-changing thing, which is evolving as we evolve. I feel really lucky that with core people who believed in me, and with a really deep passion for music and a strong sense of self, I’ve been able to create an artistic life which is so rich, and fulfilling. I also have an amazing team, and it was a huge moment for me to sign with my agent Isabella Pitman at IMG – she is someone who really supports the uniqueness of my vision and is very good at what she does.

OW: Why do you think accompanying yourself has become something very unique?

RF: Whilst accompanying myself and singing is totally unique in our day and age, outside of the pop/folk realm, it wasn’t always the case. Something which many people don’t realize is that Schubert himself sang and accompanied himself in the first 12 songs of “Winterreise” in the world premiere. Renaldo Hahn sang and played all his songs. Richard Tauber performed Schumann’s “Dichterliebe” singing and playing. So, for me it feels a bit like a forgotten art.

I draw so much inspiration from singer-songwriters, like Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone, Alicia Keys…I absolutely adore the singer songwriter genre, and a huge part of my passion is bringing the essence of this to classical song. I feel there is such an intimacy with singer-songwriters, and that kind of intimacy is at the heart of classical and contemporary song.

OW: Were you first a pianist or was it singing that was your first passion?

RF: My introduction to music was on the piano, at age three, with my grandad, who was a jazz pianist. At age six I began formal piano training, and went through all my degrees of piano performance. For years, I was sure I wanted to be a concert pianist. Singing lessons came much later, although I’m reminded constantly that I used to get my entire family together to perform musicals for friends and neighbours!

As a youth, I was in children’s choir, and then choirs in high school, and at 17 I had my first voice lessons, which were like a crash course in singing. I took six weeks of singing lessons so that I could get through a university opera audition, for which I was miraculously accepted! It was really in university, at the opera program at UBC, where I feel in love with opera, and in love with singing.

OW: How did this album come about? How did you raise the money to do the record?

RF: Such a key question, thanks for asking that! So, the model for many record labels these days is such that the artist has to financially back a huge chunk of the recording and post production costs. Once I had decided I would record “Winterreise” and had secured the sound engineer and producer I wanted to work with–Carl Talbot, a Canadian legend–I got working on fundraising. I raised most of the funds for the album through a Kickstarter campaign, which was a huge gamble, because you only get funded on Kickstarter if you meet your fundraising goal. I had the fortune of having an exceptionally generous patron of the arts say he would match whatever the total of my campaign amount was so that I would meet my goal. In the end, I raised a total of $16,000 for the album. I have to say, I am pretty proud of that!

OW: What was the collaboration with Orchid Classics like and what has distribution been like?

RF: Orchid Classics is a dream team. They are artist driven, which means they are there to support the vision of their artists once they have signed you. Matthew Trusler, who founded the label, has so much insight into the industry and we had so many helpful conversations about things like distribution, playlists, Dolby Atmos. Alex Patel is their head of marketing and he has also been such a massive support–he’s helped me with everything from graphics on my socials, to scoring us huge coverage on the radio. “Winterreise” was chosen as BBC Radio 3’s “On Record” Disc, as well as CBC’s “Concert on Demand” Record of the Week. These were huge wins for a new artist on the scene like myself. “Winterreise” was also selected as an album of the week on IDAGIO, and is featured on lots of different playlists on Apple, Tidal and Idagio, which is key to reaching wider audiences.

I can’t say enough amazing things about the team. We have also had physical CD’s produced, and I had a sold out album launch last week in Berlin at the Kuhlhaus, where I sold and signed my first CD’s…what an amazing moment!

OW: What are the challenges of making an album in the modern age and what are some of the facilities now?

RF: First of all, the financial investment is completely on your shoulders, and that’s an immense responsibility. It’s an investment which can absolutely (definitely) put you on the map, and benefit your career in huge ways, but it is also a huge ask for many people, who don’t necessarily have the tools, the knowledge and the confidence needed to fundraise these up front costs. I don’t think you can expect to make profit from the album itself, through sales, you have to look at it from a different perspective–the benefits to you and your career for example, once you see it that way then it really feels worth the investment. There are also SO many logistics–deciding on your label, knowing how you visually want to represent yourself, figuring out your press team (I have an amazing press agent, Karen). I would say building and finding the right team is another big challenge, because an album needs momentum to get to live its full potential. I feel extremely lucky for all the people involved in this project, from my incredible producer Carl, to the photographer Clara Evens who shot all my album shots, to my dear friend Alexander Neef who wrote my programme notes, to my agent Izzy, the team at Orchid, and last but not least, my family.

OW: Talking about Schubert, which are some of your favorite pieces in this cycle?

RF: You know, the best part about this work is that you fall in love with it over and over again. And I notice new things every time I perform it–some days I am crazy about the really pretty songs like “Der Lindenbaum,” and “Fruhlingstraum.” Other days I feel strongly drawn to the more unassuming pieces like No. 12 “Einsamkeit” in b minor–a piece which guides us into a different realm in the context of the whole cycle. But if I had to choose, I would say the very last two pieces: “Die Nebensonnen,” and “Der Leiermann.”

OW: What are the challenges of this song cycle?

RF: For me, the challenge is in pacing. “Winterreise” is 70 minutes without a break, and I perform it completely from memory, as both the singer and pianist. It’s a total marathon! I’ve performed “Winterreise” as self-accompanied singer/pianist 16 times now in recital, and the thing I’ve learned most, is that you have to trust your body and go with the energy you are feeling the moment you get on stage. What I mean by this is that if I get on stage and feel the opening song “Gute Nacht” a little slower than usual, I need to trust that it’s okay.

Balance is always a tricky one, because when the piano part is huge and boisterous, the vocal line over top is legato and spinning and needs to feel really delicate. I often have to remind myself to be my own best accompanist!!!

OW: Are you planning another album of anything soon and would you like to tour this cycle the way you recorded it?

RF: Yes! Another album is already in the works, which will be a new song cycle written for me by the phenomenal Canadian composer Matthias McIntire. The cycle is for me to sing, play, and perform live electronics, and we’re already in post-production. It’s such a personal project for me, because the poetry is my own, and the song cycle is an expression towards the climate crisis–our love for nature and our fear of climate change.

I will be touring “Winterreise” all season–I started the season on the road, and have been touring Canada and Europe. Next week I will be in Helsinki and following that I will go to Brazil and London for recitals, all before Christmas! I have a second North American tour in 2025, as well as some really exciting Europe dates, including my recital debut at the Konzerthaus Berlin. It’s definitely a “pinch me” season!!!

The post Q & A: Rachel Fenlon on Her Debut Album ‘Winterreise’ & Accompanying Herself appeared first on OperaWire.

First, Schubert’s famously melancholy cycle was originally written for tenor, and though frequently transcribed for baritonal depths or even bass, its interpretation history remains confined largely to male voices.

Secondly, Fenlon achieves a high degree of German Innerlichkeit, that somewhat obscure, culturally rooted feeling of inward expressiveness which so pervaded the recordings of Lotte Lehmann (the first woman to perform all of “Winterreise”), and – in a different context – Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the UK-born soprano is the first to my knowledge to publicly accompany herself on the piano. Schubert has done so himself, as told by, among others, Joseph von Spaun.

But on CD Fenlon makes for an astonishing premiere.

A Musical Polyglot

Granted, this is not your usual “Winterreise,” and Fenlon’s approach sonically departs from the intricately cultivated dialogue between pianist and singer. Traditionalists may object that by combining two constitutive roles into one this back-and-forth of reciprocal inspiration gets lost in translation, so to speak – not to mention that a single interpreter can hardly be expected to master two instruments at similarly high levels of accomplishment. Fenlon is, after all, not the synthesis of a Gerald Moore and Brigitte Fassbaender, nor does she pretend to be.

Rather, through her brazenly dual art she proposes a modern twist on a repertory staple. Most noticeably, each song’s tempi vary considerably when compared to the canon. The opening song “Gute Nacht” is on the fast side, only Brendel (with Fischer-Dieskau) and the radically pacing Eric Schneider (with Christine Schäfer) beat Fenlon’s five minutes and 36 seconds. Yet overall, the album clocks in at one hour and 14 minutes, situating our pianist-soprano well within the middle ground of the recording tradition. It shows the interpretive freedom she gains from being her own accompanist.

On the flipside, it seems to who presently writes that the downward trajectory of “Gute Nacht” lacks some of the proverbial weight on the narrator’s shoulders. It does not have the genteel lightness of touch or, for that matter, the slightly dissociative rhythm that would, from the very outset, define the whole cycle’s savoringly mournful tone. This lack, if anything, may count as a cosmetic flaw, and Fenlon’s vocals easily prove to offset some of my initial fears. Her sympathetic phrasing is a strength she can unfailingly rely on, especially in the touching line of “an dich hab’ ich gedacht.” Similarly, her voice type shows an undeniable affinity with more pointedly dramatic passages, such as the captivatingly rendered “Auf dem Flusse.” Fenlon’s tender vibrato effectively pairs with the score’s shimmering series of arpeggios, delineating the prevailing sense of anguish and emotional instability.

A Modern “Winter Journey”

Still, her modernity consists in a directness that seemingly avoids grand vocal gestures. In “Die Nebensonnen,” for instance, the voice only hesitatingly follows the dying motion initiated by poet Wilhelm Müller’s image of the sinking suns. There is no attempt at recreating the resoundingly solemn quiet of, among others, Fischer-Dieskau, Florian Boesch, and to some extent Brigitte Fassbaender. Fenlon’s interpretive milieu does not necessarily coincide with 19th century sentimentalism; one suspects the influence of contemporary art songs instead.

Purists, again, may have every reason to disagree. Does Rachel Fenlon’s “Winterreise” supplant any of its famous predecessors? No; but despite its rather limited shortcomings, it stands without real competition in its own right.

The post CD Review: Rachel Fenlon’s ‘Winterreise’ appeared first on OperaWire.

This week, audiences will get to hear a world premiere recording of a new opera. There are also three solo albums including one historic recording and one from a great diva of our time. Here is a look!

Jacqueline

Pentatone releases the new opera “Jacqueline,” a powerful work that dives into the real-life struggle between famed cellist Jacqueline du Pré and the multiple sclerosis that ravaged her body, mind, and talent.

The story is brought to life by celebrated American soprano Marnie Breckenridge as Jacqueline and former du Pré protégé and world-renowned cellist Matt Haimovitz, playing the role of her constant companion: her cello. Composer Luna Pearl Woolf and Pulitzer Prize-winning librettist Royce Vavrekwrote the work which is told in four movements – I. Star Birth; II. Super Nova; III. Meteorite; IV. Impact.

Haimovitz said, “As a young boy, I was fully immersed in Jacqueline du Pré’s story the moment I heard her recording of the Elgar Cello Concerto. I had the good fortune to spend many hours with Jackie in her final years, her life severely limited by MS. In Luna Pearl Woolf and Royce Vavrek’s opera, Jacqueline, we celebrate her super powers and mourn her tragic story. Ultimately, we embrace the raw expression of a single voice to overcome all in its way, passing the inner flame on to future generations.”

Cornelie Falcon

Aleksandra Kurzak releases her latest album on Aparte Music. The new album will showcase the soprano alongside the Morphing Chamber Orchestra conducted by Bassem Akiki. The album will be an homage to Falcon’s repertoire and will include music by Mozart, Rossini, Weber, Beethoven, Spontini, Halévy, and Meyerbeer.

Winterreise

Orchid Classics releases soprano and pianist Rachel Fenlon’s debut album “Winterreise.”

Fenlon sings and accompanies herself in Schubert’s masterpiece, the first ever to interpret the work as both singer and pianist on recording.

Full Circle: Reflections on My Journey

PENTATONE releases baritone Lester Lynch’s latest album, a highly personal collection of songs from Schubert, Brahms, and Mussorgsky. He is joined by Kevin Korth on the piano.

In a statement Lynch said, “With ‘Full Circle,’ I embark on a journey through the timeless melodies of Brahms, Mussorgsky, and Schubert, celebrating the rich diversity of their repertoire and bringing their profound harmonies into a new era. As a baritone with over three decades on the stage, this album is a tribute to the varied and enduring beauty of these masterpieces. This project marks a personal full circle for me—beginning with Schubert’s songs in high school, where I first discovered the joy and complexity of his music as an accompanist at the piano.”

As We Are

Bright Shiny Things releases “As We Are,” the debut album from the Poiesis Quartet (violinists Sarah Ma and Max Ball, violist Jasper de Boor, and cellist Drew Dansby), winners of a 2024 Concert Artists Guild Award, and Grand Prize winners of the 2023 Fischoff Award. The album also features renowned mezzo-soprano Nancy Maultsby.

Two world premiere recordings are showcased on the album including Richard Stout’s “Songs of Correspondence,” a cycle of 11 songs on texts taken from the letters of Willa Cather, and Clint Needham’s String Quartet No. 1, “Shades of Green,” inspired by natural cycles and Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons.

Winter Light

Joanna Forbes L’Estrange’s first album on Signum Classics, “Winter Light” is an album of works celebrating the season of Winter, as well as Christmas and Advent.

The album is 19 tracks and the theme that links them all is light triumphing over darkness, good overcoming evil and, ultimately,
love conquering all.

Jephtha

Reference Recordings is set to release Handel’s final masterpiece “Jephtha.” Recorded live in September 2022, the work is conducted by Dame Jane Glover, and performed by Chicago-based Music of the Baroque Chorus & Orchestra. Soloists include David Portillo, Lauren Snouffer, Clara Osowski, Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, Neal Davies, and Katelyn Lee.

Cloud Anthem

Three-time GRAMMY Award-winning new-music choir, The Crossing releases its first standalone single as part of The Crossing Votes: 2024, a pre-election project. The new work, “Cloud Anthem,” by Michael Gilbertson, draws its title from Richard Blanco’s 2019 poem of anticipation and hope on which it is based.

“Cloud Anthem” is released by New Focus Recordings.

In a statement, Conductor Donald Nally said, “Our new single is a work of anticipation and possibilities. A work, we hope, says, ‘Vote.’ In it, we do not attempt to solve our country’s many problems; instead, we intentionally leave behind cynicism to live in a world of voices, textures, and words that some may hear as an invitation.”

The post Aleksandra Kurzak, Matt Haimovitz, Lester Lynch & David Portillo Lead New CD/DVD Releases appeared first on OperaWire.

The season opens with “Culture, Counterculture, and Conviviality,” a two-part event that features a look at the salon culture, followed by a more specific look at that music world through Pauline Viardot’s own involvement. The event features speaker Natasha Loges and such artists as Charlotte Bowden, Alexandria Moon, Zahid Siddiqui, Johnathan Eyers, and Avishka Edrinsinghe.

Performance Date: Oct. 14, 2022

Mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston and lutenist Toby Carr perform “Battle Cry,” a program featuring music by Purcell, Monteverdi, and Barbara Strozzi.

Performance Date: Oct. 14, 2022

Soprano Kate Royal, mezzo Christine Rice, tenor Magnus Walker, and pianists Julius Drake and Eunji Han will perform music by Brahms, Schumann, and Weill.

Performance Date: Oct. 14, 2022

There will be a two-part exploration of Strauss’ life in song entitled “Freundliche Vision.” The showcase will feature speaker Gavin Plumley, soprano Emily Christina Loftus, baritone Wonsick Oh, and pianists George Ireland and Aron Goldin.

Performance Date: Oct. 15, 2022

Soprano Sarah Wegener and pianist Götz Payer perform music by Strauss.

Performance Date: Oct. 15, 2022

Benjamin Appl and lutenist Thomas Dunford perform music by Dowland, Bach, Schubert, Hahn, and Fauré, among others.

Performance Date: Oct. 15, 2022

Baritone Thomas Oliemans performs Schubert’s “Winterreise;” he will also play at the piano. The concert also features soprano Clara Barbier Serrano and pianist Joanna Kacperek.

Performance Date: Oct. 15, 2022

Soprano Claire Booth and pianist Christopher Glynn perform music by Mussorgsky, Debussy, and Rimsky-Korsakov.

Performance Date: Oct. 16, 2022

Philip Ross Bullock gives a talk on Russian music during the Cold War. The concert also features Katy Thomson and pianist Rustam Khanmurzin.

Performance Date: Oct. 16, 2022 

Patricia Petibon, Wonsick Oh, Aron Goldin, and Susan Manoff will deliver a program featuring music by Bernstein, Poulenc, Satie, Granados, and others.

Performance Date: Oct. 16, 2022

Jess Dandy and Joanna Harries headline the first of the “SongPath” outdoor concerts.

Performance Date: Oct. 17 & 18, 2022

Soprano Elizabeth Llewellyn and Simon Leper deliver a program featuring music by Coleridge-Taylor, Brahms, Puccini, and Stanford.

Performance Date: Oct. 17, 2022 

Mark Padmore and lutenist Elizabeth Kenny deliver a program of music by Morley, Danyel, and Dowland, among others.

Performance Date: Oct. 17, 2022

Christopher Purves and Rowan Pierce join forces with the Choir of The Queen’s College, Oxford under Owen Rees for music by Purcell, Arne, and Boyce, among others.

Performance Date: Oct. 17, 2022

The Oxford Gargoyles will deliver a unique jazz-infused concert.

Performance Date: Oct. 17, 2022

Kathryn Rudge and Sholto Kynoch deliver a concert featuring music by Vaughan Williams. The showcase will be broadcast via BBC Radio 3.

Performance Date: Oct. 18, 2022

Stephanie Wake-Edwards and Ceri Owen also perform music by Vaughan Williams and the women in his life, including his wives, female students, and female colleagues.

Performance Date: Oct. 18, 2022

Composer and soprano Héloïse Werner performs some of her own music as well as that of Sally Beamish, Elizabeth Maconchy, and Nicola LeFanu alongside Le Fanu and violist Rosalind Ventris.

Performance Date: Oct. 18, 2022

James Gilchrist and Anna Tilbrook perform music by Schumann and Britten. The concert also stars Clara Orif and Jack Redman.

Performance Date: Oct. 18, 2022

Bass William Thomas and pianist Anna Tilbrook deliver a recital focusing on music by Vaughan Williams.

Performance Date: Oct. 19, 2022

Jonathan Eyers and Joseph Beesley perform music by George Butterworth. 

Performance Date: Oct. 19, 2022

Claire Booth delivers a recital featuring music by Schumann and Reynaldo Hahn.

Performance Date: Oct. 19, 2022

Soprano Marie-Laure Garnier and Angharad Rowlands perform a concert featuring music by Fauré and Chausson alongside the Hanson Quartet and pianists Joseph Cavalli-Price and Célia Oneto Bensaid.

Performance Date: Oct. 19, 2022

Lotte Betts-Dean and Natalie Burch perform Valentin Silvestrov’s “Quiet Songs.”

Performance Date: Oct. 19, 2022

Soprano Ailish Tynan and pianist Libby Burgess put on another concert exploring Vaughan Williams’ “Four Last Songs” and other music by his contemporaries.

Performance Date: Oct. 20, 2022

Mark Padmore lectures on and performs music by Britten alongside pianist Ana Manastireanu and speaker Kate Kennedy.

Performance Date: Oct. 20, 2022

Baritone Vincent Kusters and pianist Charlie Bo Meijerling perform in recital.

Performance Date: Oct. 20, 2022

Pianist Sholto Kynoch, Schubert & Co. soprano Karla Grant, and pianist Jia Ning Ng perform “A Schubertiade.”

Performance Date: Oct. 20, 2022

Tenor Alessandro Fisher and pianist William Vann perform music by Venables and Vaughan Williams.

Performance Date: Oct. 21, 2022

Anna Denis joins oboist Nicholas Daniel and harpsichordist Richard Gowers for music from the Baroque era. The concert also includes a world premiere by Elena Langer.

Performance Date: Oct. 21, 2022

In partnership with the BeethovenFest Bonn, the company will present music by Schumann and Elena Langer with such artists as Sir Thomas Allen, Anna Dennis, Hugh Cutting, James Atkinson, and Carolyn Taylor, among others.

Performance Date: Oct. 21, 2022

Nick Pritchard and Ian Tindale will showcase songs by Ivor Gurney, Rebecca Clarke, Ian Venables and Gerald Finzi.

Performance Date: Oct. 21, 2022

In a two-part showcase, Martha Guth, Esme Bronwen-Smith, Alessandro Fisher, Charles Cunliffe, and pianist Graham Johnson will present music by Schubert.

Performance Date: Oct. 22, 2022

Iestyn Davies and Thomas Dunford present music by John Dowland.

Performance Date: Oct. 22, 2022

Mark Padmore, Emma Roberts, Till Fellner, and Lucy Colquhoun perform music by Schubert.

Performance Date: Oct. 22, 2022

Speaker Natasha Loges leads an event on “Schubert and Social Music” that also features Schubert & Co.

Performance Date: Oct. 23, 2022

There will be a series of Family Cushion Concerts.

Performance Date: Oct. 23, 2022

Soprano Birgid Steinberger and pianist Julius Drake will perform music by Schubert and other Viennese composers.

Performance Date: Oct. 23, 2022

Werner Güra, Rebecca Leggett, Christoph Berner, and Dylan Perez headline a concert dedicated to music by Schubert.

Performance Date: Oct. 23, 2022

Birgid Steinberger will also present folksongs.

Performance Date: Oct. 23, 2022

Michael Mofidian and Keval Shah will perform music by Brahms and Sibelius.

Performance Date: Oct. 24, 2022

Jessica Cale and Hamish Brown will perform a recital.

Performance Date: Oct. 24, 2022

Camilla Harris and Roderick Williams will perform in recital alongside Natalie Burch and Susie Allan. The program will feature Beethoven’s “An die Ferne Geliebte” as well as songs by Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel and Josephine Lang.

Performance Date: Oct. 24, 2022

Yaije Zhang and Hartmut Höll perform music by Mahler.

Performance Date: Oct. 25, 2022

Stuart Jackson joins forces with hornist George Scrivens and pianist Jocelyn Freeman for music by Philips, Schubert, and Britten.

Performance Date: Oct. 25, 2022

Camilla Tilling and Jia Huang perform music by Schumann, Chopin, and Mendelssohn. Pianist on the program include Paul Rivinius and Satoshi Kubo.

Performance Date: Oct. 25, 2022

Fleur Barron and Kunal Lahiry will showcase the world premiere of “A Place Called Paradise.” The program also includes music by Chen Yi, Huang Ruo, Kamala Sankaram, Elgar, and Coleridge-Taylor.

Performance Date: Oct. 26, 2022

Fleur Barron and Kunal Lahiry will appear in a talk led by Jennifer Wong and composer Alex Ho entitled “Transcultural Encounters.”

Performance Date: Oct. 26, 2022

Baritone Benedict Nelson and the Castalian String Quartet perform music by Schubert.

Performance Date: Oct. 26, 2022

Christoph Prégardien and Julian Prégardien perform music by Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, and Brahms. Michael Gees accompanies.

Performance Date: Oct. 26, 2022

Mezzo Lotte Betts-Dean and accordionist Ryan Corbett will present a varied program spanning centuries of music.

Performance Date: Oct. 26, 2022

Mezzo Anne-Lise Polchlopek and Elenora Pertz present music by Fauré, Saint-Saëns, Scarlatti, Rossini, Tosti, and Bellini.

Performance Date: Oct. 27, 2022

Irene Mas Salom and Marc Serra will perform music by Grieg, Poulenc, and Toldrà, among others.

Performance Date: Oct. 27, 2022

Dorothea Röschmann, Malcolm Martineau, Jeeyoung Lim, and Elenora Pertz will deliver a program of music by Schumann and Brahms.

Performance Date: Oct. 27, 2022

Joshua Stuart and Deidre Brenner will perform music by H. Leslie Adams, Florence Price, and Adolphus Hailstork.

Performance Date: Oct. 28, 2022

Carolyn Sampson and pianists Joseph Middletown and Cole Knutson deliver a program featuring music by Britten and Poulenc as well as Huw Watkins.

Performance Date: Oct. 28, 2022

Rachel Fenlon sings and plays at the piano in a recital of music by Berg, Alma Mahler, Debussy, and Crumb.

Performance Date: Oct. 28, 2022

Closing out the season will be a Mastercourse Showcase Recital.

Performance Date: Oct. 29, 2022

Fauré’s Requiem will be performed by the Choir of Merton College under conductor Benjamin Nicholas. The concert will also feature soprano Áine Smith and baritone Julien Van Mellearts.

Performance Date: Oct. 29, 2022

Dame Sarah Connolly will perform alongside Michael Lafferty, Eugene Asti, and William Bracken in a recital featuring music by Schumann, Strauss, Mahler, and Brahms.

Performance Date: Oct. 29, 2022

The post Dame Sarah Connolly, Iestyn Davies, Roderick Williams, Dorothea Röschmann, Elizabeth Llewellyn Headline Oxford Lieder Festival 2022 appeared first on OperaWire.

The reason? Some of the companies are presenting package deals that were simply too good to ignore.

If you are a lover of the standard repertory, we have a lot of unique options for you among this week’s recommendations. But we are also excited to recommend two very unique new experiences brought to you by some of the greatest pioneers in the opera industry.

As always, we are proud to present our top 10 operas to stream this week!

Opera scenes featuring the Wolf Trap Opera Studio- WofTrap (Now)

WolfTrap concludes its summer streaming with a series of opera scenes featuring its Opera Studio. This showcase features performances from such operas as “Così Fan Tutte,” “Iolanta,” “Eugene Onegin,” “La Bohème,” “The Crucible, ” “Ariodante,” “Champion,” “Fellow Travelers,” “The Rake’s Progress,” and “Billy Budd,” among others.

Watch it here.

Grammophone Awards  (Oct. 6)

Learn more about the winners of this year’s Gramophone Awards in a broadcast event that will also feature live performances and the winners of such prizes as Recording of the Year Award, Artist and Young Artist of the Year, Lifetime Achievement, Concept Album, Label of the Year, plus the only     Classical Music Award voted for by the public: Orchestra of the Year.

Watch it here.

Purcell – Odes for a Queen – St. John’s Smith Square (Oct 6,7)

St. John’s Smith Square will conclude its fall program with a pair of concerts featuring music by Purcell. The showcases will be presented with the music department of the University of Manchester and will feature soprano Julia Doyle, countertenors Christopher Lowrey and James Lain, tenors Anthony Gregory and Hugo Hymas, and bass Ashley Riches.

Watch the concerts here.

“Der Ring des Nibelungen” – Metropolitan Opera (Oct. 7-10)

Looking at this week full of great Wagner performances, one could recommend any (and we do). But the historic Ring cycle featuring Otto Schenk’s beloved production is simply too good to pass up, especially with an amazing cast headlined by James Morris and Hildegard Behrens. If you had to pick just one of the four performances, “Die Walküre” is the way to go (Jessye Norman’s Sieglinde is one of the best committed to video), but don’t sleep on the others. If you can, sit with this Ring over the four nights to experience what is arguably one of the best versions committed to home video.

Watch the operas here.

No Boundaries Virtual Gala – Opera Parallele Gala (Oct. 8)

Opera Parallèle opens its 2020-21 season with a unique gala experience featuring Christabel Nunoo and Michael Mayes. There will also be a performance of a “graphic novel” opera by Joby Talbot and Gene Scheer, starring Nikola Printz and Nathan Granner. Opera Parallèle is a pioneer in bringing unique opera experiences to its audiences and there is no doubt this gala will be one such event.

Watch it here.

Episode 1: Both Gladsome and Grievous – Decameron Opera Coalition (Oct. 9)

The Decameron Opera Coalition will release the first three episodes of its series, including “The Happy Hour,” “Everything Comes to a Head”  by Lyric Opera of the North, and “The Late Walk,” by Bare Opera. The series will be hosted by bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni.

Watch it here.

Gianni Schicchi – Opera Ithaca (Starts Oct. 9)

Opera Ithaca will launch a unique film version of the Puccini comedy starring Dennis Jesse in the title role and Elena Galván as Lauretta. Daniel Bates takes on Rinuccio, Steven Stull appears as Simone, and Emily Pulley interprets Zita. Finally, Nicholas Davis makes his company debut as Betto.

Watch the opera here.

Carmen – The Dallas Opera (Oct. 9)

The Dallas Opera will showcase a highly touted production of Bizet’s masterpiece starring Stéphanie d’Oustrac in the title role with Stephen Costello as Don José, Sara Gartland as Micaëla, and Alexander Vinogradov as Escamillo. Pierre Vallet conducted the production by Sir David McVicar. Check out the opera here.

Live from the Cullen – Houston Grand Opera (Oct. 9)

The Houston Grand Opera will continue its Live from the Cullen series, this time starring Reginald Smith Jr. and Richard Bado. You can watch the performance on Marquee TV.

Schwanengesang – Pindrop Events (Oct 9-11)

Pindrop Events will present a reimagined version of 14 songs from the final Schubert’s Lieder cycle “Schwanengesang” with such opera stars as Kim-Lillian Strebel, Rachel Fenlon, and Ana Schwedhelm, mezzo-soprano Rebecca Jo Loeb, baritone Jóhann Kristinsson, and tenor Peter Kirk.

Watch the event here.

The post Hildegard Behrens, Jessye Norman, Stéphanie d’Oustrac Headline Top 10* Operas to Stream This Week appeared first on OperaWire.

Pindrop Events has announced that a group of opera singers will perform a reimagined version of 14 songs from the final Schubert’s Lieder cycle “Schwanengesang.”

The event will star sopranos Kim-Lillian Strebel, Rachel Fenlon, and Ana Schwedhelm, mezzo-soprano Rebecca Jo Loeb, baritone Jóhann Kristinsson, and tenor Peter Kirk.

“Change in the arts has been necessary for some time. The current uncertain future drives the need to re-imagine the arts in order to not only return after the crisis but to seek out new horizons and in doing so, becoming more resilient. Pindrop is looking to build new structures, rather than rebuild old ones, and this project is the first of a series of challenging concepts,” said the tenor and the Pindrop founder Andrew Dickinson in a press release.

The live events will take place at the Theater im Delphi in Berlin on Oct 9 – 11, 2020, at 8 p.m. CET. The performance will be streamed via United We Stream in October 2020. The stream will also provide a worldwide donation link for the Baytna Baytak social initiative, which is engaged in rebuilding Beirut after the deadly explosion in August 2020.

The post Tenor Andrew Dickinson Launches ‘Pindrop’ with Multi-Genre Schubert ‘Schwanengesang’ appeared first on OperaWire.

These broadcasts will stream the last week of April, and then on a weekly basis in May. The schedule, as per a press release, is as follows:

Fri, April 24 – Listening Party Podcast at 4pm

Opera artists from across North America can join host Rebecca Hass to share their stories of the impact of music on their lives. Hass will speak with tenor Isaiah Bell and director Sean Guist to discuss “The Book of My Shames.”

Fri, April 24 – BONUS Listening Party Playlist at 4pm

Members of the Pacific Opera Chorus curate a special BONUS Playlist and share stories and photos from backstage.

Sun, April 26 – Inside Opera at 1pm

Robert Holliston, the regular host of Inside Opera and of Pacific Opera’s Lobby Talks, talks  about opera in pop culture.

Sun, April 26 – BONUS Acoustic Afternoon at 2:30pm (PDT)

Members of the Pacific Opera Chorus share an excerpt from “Carmen”

Mon, April 27 – Acoustic Afternoon at 1pm (PDT)

Bass-baritone Neil Craighead joins host Rebecca Hass for a discussion. The bass-baritone appeared in Pacific Opera’s productions of “Fidelio” and “Flight.”

On May 1, new content will be available online and on demand at 1 p.m. (PDT).

Fri, May 1 – Listening Party Podcast

Host Rebecca Hass  speaks with artists Rachel Fenlon, Kinza Tyrrell, and Doug MacNaughton.

Fri, May 8 – Acoustic Afternoon

Acclaimed tenor Josh Lovell sings from his home in Vienna.

Fri, May 15 – Inside Opera 

“So, you wanna try opera?” Robert Holliston in conversation with Pacific Opera Chorus Master and Associate Conductor Giuseppe (Joey) Pietraroia and Director of Community Engagement Rebecca Hass.

Fri, May 22 – Lunch Box Opera with Rachel Fenlon

Soprano and pianist Rachel Fenlon will perform a 45-minute concert which include a mixed repertoire of her favorite songs and stories.

The post Pacific Opera Victoria Announces New Streaming Schedule appeared first on OperaWire.