It's hard for opera singers to keep off the radar when they're dipping their feet into a new role--particularly if the role is Tristan in Wagner's great opera, or if your name is Jonas Kaufmann. Yes, the first of the Boston Symphony's string of TRISTAN UND ISOLDE, Act II concerts was on their home turf last week, but Kaufmann and Nylund were not much more than vestal virgins being sacrificed at the altar of Opera at Carnegie Hall last night.
It gave us much to look forward to. To say the least.
With 11 titles set to be broadcast to more than 500 UK cinemas and to another 1,000 in 40 countries across the globe, the Royal Opera House's Live Cinema Season 2018/19 will showcase a wide variety of ballet and opera, including three new works, all relayed live from Covent Garden. The 2018/19 Season will feature the great classic of The Royal Ballet's repertory The Nutcracker and world-renowned opera stars including Michael Fabiano, Jonas Kaufmann, Anna Netrebko and Eva-Maria Westbroek among other treats.
Now in his fourth season as Music Director, Andris Nelsons leads the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) in three concerts in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage over three consecutive evenings in April. The concerts kick off with a celebration of the Leonard Bernstein centenary on Wednesday, April 11 at 8:00 p.m. with Bernstein's Symphony No. 2, "The Age of Anxiety," featuring pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, the BSO's 2017-2018 Artist-in-Residence. The work is paired with Shostakovich's Symphony No. 4 in C Minor.
When I first heard soprano Hyesang Park and tenor Kang Wang--two of the bright young singers featured in last weekend's Juilliard and the Met's Lindemann Young Artist Program concert--they were leads in a charming production of Bellini's LA SONNAMBULA at the school. On Friday evening, they were two of the stellar performers in “An Evening of Verdi”--extended excerpts from four operas with the Juilliard Orchestra doing a fluid job under Maestro Evan Rogister, who was also particularly attentive to the needs of the singers.
Richard Wagner's last opera, PARSIFAL, is a tough nut to crack. With its highly religious overtones, lack of action and incredible length (it ran about 5 hours 40 minutes the other night), it's not exactly a 'light night' at the opera--even if for those of us who consider opera to be a 'light night'. Still, with the right cast and conductor, it can be transcendent. The Met's new revival came pretty close to getting us there.
The Met: Live in HD, the Metropolitan Opera's award-winning series of live high-definition cinema simulcasts, will begin its 13th season on October 6, with the Met's grand production of Verdi's Aida, starring one of the world's most acclaimed sopranos, Anna Netrebko.
Accelerating his arrival as Music Director by two seasons, Yannick Nézet-Séguin will take up the post in time for the start of the Metropolitan Opera's 2018–19 season, it was announced today. By freeing up some guest conducting weeks in his busy calendar in both the 2018–19 and 2019–20 seasons, Nézet-Séguin will now be able to conduct three operas and two Met Orchestra concerts at Carnegie Hall in each of those seasons, instead of the two operas per season originally scheduled. With the assumption of the Music Director title in the fall of 2018, Nézet-Séguin will also be taking on the full artistic responsibilities for the orchestra, chorus, and music staff. His full-time collaboration with Met General Manager Peter Gelb on all other artistic matters will also begin at that time. As previously announced, Nézet-Séguin will begin conducting a minimum of five operas per season starting with the 2020–21 season.
Accelerating his arrival as Music Director by two seasons, Yannick Nezet-Seguin will take up the post in time for the start of the Metropolitan Opera's 2018-19 season, it was announced today.
Broad Stage's 2018 Celebrity Opera Series continues with Elina Garanca, mezzo-soprano with orchestra conducted by Karel Mark Chichon, in An Homage to Spain.
The International Opera Awards are pleased to announce the finalists for this year's Awards. These were selected by an international jury chaired by John Allison, editor of Opera magazine and classical music critic with The Daily Telegraph: 'It's gratifying to see how the International Opera Awards just keep growing. With a record number of nominations to consider, and our biggest and most international jury yet, I'm delighted to say that our exciting shortlists-covering six continents and around 30 countries-reflect the truly cosmopolitan nature of the art form. Despite the challenges faced by opera companies almost everywhere, opera is vibrantly alive.'
Clive Gillinson, Executive and Artistic Director, today announced Carnegie Hall's 2018 2019 season featuring approximately 170 performances by many of the world's leading artists and ensembles in classical, pop, jazz, and world music, plus a broad range of innovative education and social impact programs created by Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute, serving audiences in New York City and beyond.
After a string of cancellations--including the Met's new TOSCA--tenor Jonas Kaufmann made a triumphant return to New York last Saturday at Carnegie Hall, in a recital with his frequent collaborator Helmut Deutsch. Of course, he could have been singing the telephone book and this audience would have lapped it up; instead, he performed Schubert's famed song cycle for tenor and piano, DIE SCHOENE MUELLERIN (THE MILLER'S BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER).
Wondering if Jonas Kaufmann is going to go out onstage on any given night is something of a parlor game for many opera fans... The most recent worries about whether or not he would make it to his January 20th recital at Carnegie Hall were put to rest when he strode through the doors with his pianist, Helmut Deutsch...
The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage's 2018 Celebrity Opera Series commences on January 15 with Jonas Kaufmann, tenor with Helmut Deutsch, piano. The Telegraph has singled out Jonas Kaufmann as the world's greatest tenor.
The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage in Santa Monica announces the artists of the 2018 Celebrity Opera Series, which commences on January 15 with Jonas Kaufmann with Helmut Deutsch, piano; followed by El?na Garan?a with orchestra conducted by Karl Mark Chichon on March 3; and Angela Gheorghiu and Vittorio Grigolo with orchestra conducted by Eugene Kohn on May 1.
The Royal Opera House Muscat has selected Aida, a grand masterpiece opera by Giuseppe Verdi, one of the greatest composers of all time, to inaugurate its wonderful new 2017-18 Season.
Below, note the following updates to Carnegie Hall's 2017-18 schedule, reflecting changes made since the season was originally announced in January 2017.
