Jacques Imbrailo News

Is there another Shakespearean drama filled with as many quotable quotes as “Hamlet” (even when they’re used out of context and given a foreign meaning)? But “To be or not to be” is surely the most referenced and, certainly, in the new operatic HAMLET currently at the Met by Brett Dean and Matthew Jocelyn, in Neil Armfield’s thoughtful, urgent production, it's given the best showcase. Indeed, it helps shed a different light on the hero of the story.

On May 13, the Metropolitan Opera will present the company premiere of Australian composer Brett Dean’s Hamlet, a bold adaptation of Shakespeare’s timeless drama, with six additional performances through June 9.

Ying Fang will sing Susanna in the April performances of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro this season, replacing Aida Garifullina.

There are few operas which, at once, gives some insight into the history of the current UK opera scene, the sexual politics of the 1940s and the darkness within Benjamin Britten’s mind. Peter Grimes does all that and also provides a visceral and heart-rending story, deep in meaning, high in emotion.

This Spring, enjoy two more productions from the Royal Opera House: Mozart's Così fan tutte, and Deborah Warner's new production of Benjamin Britten's Peter Grimes. Both titles, showcasing the world-class talent of The Royal Opera, will be available, on-demand, for 30 days.  

The Royal Opera House will continue its first full Season since 2019 with a selection of world class productions throughout 2022, showcasing the very best of opera and ballet.  In anticipation of the new year, here are a selection of upcoming world premieres and classic revivals from The Royal Opera and The Royal Ballet.

The Royal Opera House has shared early plans for its 2021/22 Season, the first full Royal Opera House Season since 2019.   

Angelinos, join soprano and Shakespeare super-fan Katherine Powers on a romp through the Bard’s stories told in music. In each of her episodes, Powers calls an expert on her 'Shakespeare Hotline' and performs songs from his timeless works.

Soprano Lise Davidsen sings Strauss’s “Morgen!” and an aria from Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera in her August 29 performance, transmitted via satellite from Oslo as part of the Met Stars Live in Concert series.

Minnesota Opera has announced its lineup for the 2020 Digital Opera series!

a?oeSecret love bound by silence.a?? Once the most performed opera of its time, Donizetti's bel canto drama, La favorite, features some of the most challenging arias ever written. Woven into this nowa?"rarely performed opera is a classic love triangle among a noblewoman, king and warrior. Set in early 14th century Spain, this triangle involves the King of Castile Alphonse XI, the beautiful Léonor and a novice monk, Fernand. In the background, the Moors have invaded Spain, and a power struggle has begun between church and state. Opera powerhouse and HGO Studio alumna Jamie Barton and international star Lawrence Brownlee return to Houston for this HGO premiere. World-renowned opera, film, theater and event director Kevin Newbury directs La favorite.

Fashions in love (and lovers) swing as wildly as hemlines between the centuries. Massenet's Werther a?' brooding, poetic, Romantic to a fault a?' is pure 19th century, his heart beating to the fluttering pulse of lyric couplets. He translates poorly into today's more pragmatic world, but thanks to Charles Edwards' handsome designs his ill-fated passion for married Charlotte returns to the Royal Opera with plenty of nostalgic appeal.

Washington Concert Opera (WCO) announces its 2019-2020 lineup, a season that champions rare works and celebrates award-winning voices. The season will start in November with Ambroise Thomas' Hamlet. Then in April they will present Giuseppe Verdi's Simon Boccanegra, a truly stunning work that has not been heard in D.C. since 1998. In addition to these GWU Lisner Auditorium performances, the season will feature a third annual Opera Outside series at Meridian Hill/Malcolm X Park.

In a minimalist setting, Benjamin Britten's 20th-century reflections on Herman Melville's novel are deftly captured musically and visually.

The Royal Opera presents a new production of Britten's Billy Budd, nearly 70 years after its Covent Garden premiere in 1951, and almost two decades since the Company's last performances of the work. Acclaimed British director Deborah Warner returns to The Royal Opera for the first time since directing Britten's The Turn of the Screw in 2002. She brings this production to The Royal Opera following its successful stagings by co-producers Teatro Real, Madrid, and Rome Opera.

Twenty of the world's most outstanding classical singers are today [4 March 2019] announced for BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2019. The biennial competition returns to Cardiff between 15-22 June 2019 and audiences in the UK and beyond can follow all the live drama of the competition on BBC TV, radio and online.

The Royal Opera House presents a host of world premieres and debuts across ballet and opera in 2019, alongside a diverse range of free and ticketed Front of House events for all ages. 2019 also sees the first performances by The Royal Ballet and The Royal Opera in the newly refurbished Linbury Theatre, the West End's newest and most intimate theatre.

In the Claude Debussy year of 2018, the centenary of his death, Opera Vlaanderen has chosen an exceptional artistic team for this prestigious, new production of Debussy's only completed opera, Pelleas et Melisande.

Lyric's world premiere production of the opera Bel Canto - recorded in Chicago last January - will air nationally on Great Performances Today, January 13 at 9pm CST on PBS (Check local listings). B

The world premiere production of Bel Canto the Opera - recorded in Chicago last January - airs on Great Performances Today, January 13 at 9 p.m. on PBS.