During the first week of November, the Mariinsky Theatre returns to the UK for an operatic showcase of Wagner's Ring in Birmingham at the historic Hippodrome and three operas originally written for the Mariinsky including the most recent Levsha (The Left-hander) by Rodion Shchedrin. With a 300-strong troop of musicians, soloists and chorus starting the tour in Cardiff with Prokofiev's Betrothal in a Monastery, Valery Gergiev proceeds to London to present Russia's national epic Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov followed by the UK premiere of The Lefthander, both in concert versions at the Barbican.
Last night, after a week of competition that brought 40 young singers from 17 nations to Los Angeles, Placido Domingo announced that Rachel Willis-Sorensen, an American soprano, and Mario Chang, a Guatemalan tenor, took the top prizes tonight in the 22nd edition of Operalia, the World Opera Competition. Hosted by LA Opera at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the weeklong contest culminated tonight in a Gala Finals Concert-featuring the LA Opera Orchestra conducted by Mr. Domingo at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion-which was streamed live on Medici TV.
Representing 17 nations, 40 young singers have been selected to compete in the 22nd edition of Placido Domingo's Operalia, the World Opera Competition, hosted by LA Opera this summer. The contest will be held from August 25 through 30, 2014. Tickets to the competition's final round-a Gala Finals Concert featuring the LA Opera Orchestra conducted by Mr. Domingo at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at 7:00pm on Saturday, August 30-are now on sale.
Representing 17 nations, 40 young singers have been selected to compete in the 22nd edition of Plácido Domingo's Operalia, the World Opera Competition, hosted by LA Opera this summer. The contest will be held from August 25 through 30, 2014. Tickets to the competition's final round—a Gala Finals Concert featuring the LA Opera Orchestra conducted by Mr. Domingo at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at 7:00pm on Saturday, August 30—are now on sale.
Das Rheingold am Freitag, 30. Mai 2014 bildet den Auftakt zu zwei Zyklen von Richard Wagners Der Ring des Nibelungen an der Wiener Staatsoper. Erstmals dirigiert Jeffrey Tate die Tetralogie (Inszenierung: Sven-Eric Bechtolf) im Haus am Ring. Jochen Schmeckenbecher gibt seine Alberich-Hausdebuts, KS Nina Stemme ist erneut in allen drei Brunnhilde-Partien (Die Walkure, Siegfried, Gotterdammerung) zu erleben, Tomasz Konieczny als Wotan bzw. Wanderer (Das Rheingold, Die Walkure, Siegfried), Stephen Gould als Siegfried (Siegfried, Gotterdammerung), Elisabeth Kulman als Fricka (Das Rheingold, Die Walkure) und KS Peter Seiffert als Siegmund (Die Walkure - Rollendebut am Haus).
Das Rheingold am Freitag, 30. Mai 2014 bildet den Auftakt zu zwei Zyklen von Richard Wagners Der Ring des Nibelungen an der Wiener Staatsoper. Erstmals dirigiert Jeffrey Tate die Tetralogie (Inszenierung: Sven-Eric Bechtolf) im Haus am Ring. Jochen Schmeckenbecher gibt seine Alberich-Hausdebuts, KS Nina Stemme ist erneut in allen drei Brunnhilde-Partien (Die Walkure, Siegfried, Gotterdammerung) zu erleben, Tomasz Konieczny als Wotan bzw. Wanderer (Das Rheingold, Die Walkure, Siegfried), Stephen Gould als Siegfried (Siegfried, Gotterdammerung), Elisabeth Kulman als Fricka (Das Rheingold, Die Walkure) und KS Peter Seiffert als Siegmund (Die Walkure - Rollendebut am Haus).
Washington National Opera (WNO) today announced principal casting and performance dates for its first complete presentation of Richard Wagner's four-part Ring cycle. Three full cycles will be presented from April 30 to May 22, 2016 and will be directed by Artistic Director Francesca Zambello and conducted by WNO Music Director Philippe Auguin.
This summer, 40 of the most exciting young singers from every corner of the globe will converge upon Los Angeles to compete in Operalia, the prestigious voice competition created byPlácido Domingo to discover the next generation of international operatic superstars. This year's contest, its third time in Los Angeles, will be hosted by LA Opera from August 25 through 30, 2014. Tickets to the competition's final round—a Gala Finals Concert conducted by Mr. Domingo at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at 7:00pm on Saturday, August 30—are now on sale.
WIENER STAATSOPER LIVE ZU HAUSE: Funf Vorstellungen der Wiener Staatsoper * von 'La Boheme' bis 'Das schlaue Fuchslein' * werden bis Saisonende live in HD ubertragen
Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato and Tony and Emmy Award-winning actor David Hyde Pierce will take a star turn together when they co-host the Ninth Annual Opera News Awards, set to take place on Sunday, April 13, 2014, in the Grand Ballroom of The Plaza Hotel in New York City. They will be joined by a distinguished line-up of presenters – Luca Pisaroni, Susan Graham, Renata Scotto, Eva Wagner-Pasquier and Francesca Zambello – who will pay tribute to five superb artists who have made an invaluable contribution to the art form: the late director Patrice Chéreau, tenor Juan Diego Flórez, mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig,bass-baritone James Morris, and soprano Nina Stemme. First introduced in 2005, the Opera News Awards gala dinner, which features the hosts and presenters speaking about the awardees and introducing video performance clips, has become one of the most anticipated opera events of the season: an evening of celebration, appreciation, reuniting and celebrity-spotting that is without parallel in the industry.
The editors of Opera News are pleased to announce the honorees for the ninth annual Opera News Awards, paying tribute to five superb artists who have made invaluable contributions to the art form: director Patrice Chéreau, tenor Juan Diego Flórez, mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig, bass-baritone James Morris and soprano Nina Stemme. The Opera News Awards ceremonywill take place on Sunday, April 13 at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. All the winners - and a host of the city's cultural, civic, and social luminaries - will be present at the gala awards dinner, which will feature celebrity presenters speaking about the awardees and introducing video performance clips.
When Fabio Luisi took up his post as General Music Director of the Zurich Opera last fall, he helped launch a new era, marked by bold productions and inspired artistic collaborations. For the great Swiss opera house's newly announced 2013-14 season, he continues to build on this auspicious start. As the Intermezzo blog reports, "Zurich's programming is showing an increasingly adventurous touch," and Luisi has succeeded once again in attracting some of today's most visionary directors and conductors - with such young stars as Mikko Franck, Teodor Currentzis, Cornelius Meister, and Pavel Baleff - and in drawing together first-rate casts that juxtapose living legends like Cecilia Bartoli, Edita Gruberova, Anne-Sofie von Otter, Rene Pape, and Nina Stemme with emerging singers on the cusp of international stardom. Anchoring the new season are eleven new productions, 18 revivals, and six orchestral concerts. Having just won a Grammy Award for his leadership of Wagner at the Metropolitan Opera, in Zurich Luisi sets his sights on this year's other great operatic bicentennial, with four operas by Giuseppe Verdi. The conductor himself will play a major part in the new season, premiering important productions of Fidelio and Aida, as well as leading four programs with the Philharmonia Zurich and revivals of Don Carlo, Les contes d'Hoffmann, and Bellini's La straniera. By way of a prelude to the upcoming season, the company's new take on this bel canto classic will form the centerpiece of Luisi's summer in Zurich, which also sees him directing Rigoletto, Der Rosenkavalier, and concerts of Schumann's orchestral and choral music.
Anyone expecting vocal fireworks from soprano Nina Stemme's appearance last night at Alice Tully Hall with the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, under Thomas Dausgaard, was woefully disappointed. Count me as one of them.
Britain's prestigious Opera magazine named Nina Stemme best female singer of the year at its inaugural awards presentations last night in London. Jonas Kaufmann garnered the award for best male singer. The ceremony was held at the Hilton Park Lane in London.
The 2012-2013 season at Houston Grand Opera (HGO) has been filled with stunning performances of astounding operatic talent; however, their current production of Richard Wagner's TRISTAN AND ISOLDE may be the sparkling gem of this fascinating season. Every aspect of the production gels with perfection, making this production remarkable and truly unforgettable.
Lincoln Center announces its concerts, films and events for April 2013, including American Songbook in the Penthouse, Great Performers, Meet the Artist Saturdays, Target Free Todays and JustFilms at AtriumFlix. Details below!
Spring will bring a trio of striking productions to Houston Grand Opera, starting with the return-by-popular-demand of the world's first mariachi opera - Cruzar la Cara de la Luna ('To Cross the Face of the Moon'). Cruzar - an HGO commission that the company premiered to acclaim in 2010, with the Houston Chronicle calling it 'a multicultural winner' - will run today, March 22-24 at the Wortham Theater Center. Next up is HGO's new production of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde (April 18-May 5), conducted by the company's music and artistic director, Patrick Summers, and starring two of today's greatest Wagnerian singers: soprano Nina Stemme as Isolde and tenor Ben Heppner as Tristan, both in their company debuts.
