Paul Groves News

Who or what is Lulu, the eponymous character in Alban Berg's landmark opera? Is she saint or sinner? Femme fatale or victim? Put-upon or mistress of her own fate? Whatever else she might be, she is fabulous in the hands of German soprano Marlis Petersen, as the center of William Kentridge's vibrant, thrilling new production at the Met.

Faced with the demands of rehearsing and performing two large-scale operas simultaneously this fall, Met Music Director James Levine has decided to lighten his workload by removing the new production of Berg's Lulu from his schedule so that he may focus his energies completely on Wagner's epic drama Tannhäuser.

Odyssey Opera, a Boston-­??based opera company dedicated to exploring the full spectrum of adventurous repertoire, presents the Boston premiere of one of France's great operas, Le Cid (1885), composed by Jules Massenet (1842-­??1912). A rarity that has been sadly absent from opera houses worldwide in the 20th and 21st centuries, Le Cid is rarely produced in the United States. With its grand themes of honor, love, bravery, and sacrifice, Le Cid encompasses the sweep of historical epic and the depths of the heart. Conducted by Gil Rose, this one-­??night-­??only performance breathes new dramatic life into the legendary medieval Spanish warrior Rodrigue, known as "Le Cid" ("The Lord") (played by American tenor Paul Groves.)

Odyssey Opera, a Boston-­??based opera company dedicated to exploring the full spectrum of adventurous repertoire, presents the Boston premiere of one of France's great operas, Le Cid (1885), composed by Jules Massenet (1842-­??1912). A rarity that has been sadly absent from opera houses worldwide in the 20th and 21st centuries, Le Cid is rarely produced in the United States. With its grand themes of honor, love, bravery, and sacrifice, Le Cid encompasses the sweep of historical epic and the depths of the heart. Conducted by Gil Rose, this one-­??night-­??only performance breathes new dramatic life into the legendary medieval Spanish warrior Rodrigue, known as “Le Cid” (“The Lord”) (played by American tenor Paul Groves.)

Festival d'Aix-en-Provence 2015, under the leadership of General Manager Bernard Foccroulle, will present world premiere productions of operas by Handel and Mozart; the return of director Robert Carsen's acclaimed 1991 Festival production of Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream; and the French premiere of Jonathan Dove's children's opera, The Monster in the Maze, led by Sir Simon Rattle with the London Symphony Orchestra. Major vocal presentations in 2015 will also include a new production of Serbian composer Ana Sokolovi?'s uncommonly original one-act a cappella opera Svadba (Marriage), and a double bill of Persephone-Stravinsky's hybrid musical work for speaker, singers, dancers, and orchestra-with Tchaikovsky's last opera, Iolanta.

One of the country's most exciting mezzo sopranos, Jennifer Johnson Cano, will perform 'Songs of Longing and Desire' in the Picotte Recital Hall at the Massry Center for the Arts in Albany tonight, June 26, 2015 at 8:00pm. Cano will be accompanied by her husband, Christopher Cano, who is an extraordinary pianist. They often collaborate and work together.

One of the country's most exciting mezzo sopranos, Jennifer Johnson Cano, will perform 'Songs of Longing and Desire' in the Picotte Recital Hall at the Massry Center for the Arts in Albany on Friday, June 26, 2015 at 8:00pm. Cano will be accompanied by her husband, Christopher Cano, who is an extraordinary pianist. They often collaborate and work together.

PITTSBURGH - Revel in two of Beethoven's most notable and majestic works during the Pittsburgh Symphony's BNY Mellon Grand Classics: BeethovenFest: The Immortal June 5-7. It features the composer's violin concerto and Symphony No. 9, with its famous "Ode to Joy." 

PITTSBURGH – Revel in two of Beethoven's most notable and majestic works during the Pittsburgh Symphony's BNY Mellon Grand Classics: BeethovenFest: The Immortal June 5-7. It features the composer's violin concerto and Symphony No. 9, with its famous “Ode to Joy.” 

"April showers may come your way, they bring flowers that bloom in May!" So go the words of the old Tin Pan Alley song. When the days begin to get longer, and the daffodils work to pop up through the dirt, we know that spring is just around the corner. April is that gateway to birds singing, grass growing, and romance blooming. This month we look at spring and the season's sweet rains that give life to young love.

Festival d'Aix-en-Provence 2015, under the leadership of General Manager Bernard Foccroulle, will present world premiere productions of operas by Handel and Mozart; the return of director Robert Carsen's acclaimed 1991 Festival production of Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream; and the French premiere of Jonathan Dove's children's opera, The Monster in the Maze, led by Sir Simon Rattle with the London Symphony Orchestra. Major vocal presentations in 2015 will also include a new production of Serbian composer Ana Sokolovi?'s uncommonly original one-act a cappella opera Svadba (Marriage), and a double bill of Persephone-Stravinsky's hybrid musical work for speaker, singers, dancers, and orchestra-with Tchaikovsky's last opera, Iolanta.

The 2015 Tanglewood season, June 20-Labor Day Weekend, boasts an abundance of musical riches with concerts by the incomparable Boston Symphony and Boston Pops orchestras, the Tanglewood Music Center, and internationally acclaimed guest artists from the worlds of classical, jazz, the American Songbook, Broadway, pop rock, dance, and film, as well as performances spotlighting special anniversaries, thematic programming, and theatrical presentations.

Susan Graham scored a fresh triumph this summer at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, where, as Anna in a new production of The King and I, she made her first foray into musical theater since her student days. Now the Grammy Award-wining mezzo returns to the concert hall, launching the 2014-15 season under Edo de Waart in her Malaysian Philharmonic debut, and joining a trio of top orchestras -- the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Flemish Philharmonic, and John Eliot Gardiner's Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique -- for her signature Berlioz. Long recognized as one of the world's foremost exponents of French music, Graham returns with Berlioz to the San Francisco Opera, revisiting her star turn as Didon in an original staging of Les Troyens, while for her return to the Metropolitan Opera she sings the title role in Susan Stroman's new take on The Merry Widow. Ever “an artist to treasure” (New York Times), Graham looks forward to headlining gala concerts at Los Angeles Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago, where she joins Jane Lynch, Renée Fleming, Ramsey Lewis, and other celebrities to honor the company's 60th anniversary, and rounds out the season in company with her regular recital partner, pianist Malcolm Martineau, for a west coast tour and a season-closing appearance in Classical Action's Michael Palm Series.

Broadway and operetta unite in the New York Philharmonic's concert performance of Leonard Bernstein's satirical, effervescent musical CANDIDE, slated for release online on Digital Theatre, today 4 June 2014. The show features music by Leonard Bernstein, book adapted from Voltaire by Hugh Wheeler, lyrics by Richard Wilbur, and additional lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, John Latouche, Lillian Hellman, Dorothy Parker and Leonard Bernstein.

Broadway and operetta unite in the New York Philharmonic's concert performance of Leonard Bernstein's satirical, effervescent musical CANDIDE, slated for release online on Digital Theatre, Wednesday 4 June 2014. The show features music by Leonard Bernstein, book adapted from Voltaire by Hugh Wheeler, lyrics by Richard Wilbur, and additional lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, John Latouche, Lillian Hellman, Dorothy Parker and Leonard Bernstein.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts will present LA Opera Off Grand with a special concert performance of Jules Massenet's lyric masterpiece Thais tonight, May 27 at 7:30 p.m. in the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall.

General Director Plácido Domingo returns to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion stage in the final production of LA Opera's 2013/14 season, Jules Massenet's Thaïs,starring soprano Nino Machaidze in the title role. Mr. Domingo will perform the baritone role of Athanaël, a monk whose determination to save the soul of a beautiful courtesan transforms into an unholy obsession. With these performances of Athanaël, Mr. Domingo will have sung 25 leading roles at LA Opera.

The Cleveland Orchestra has announced its 2014-15 season. Music Director Franz Welser-Möst's programs include Bach's Mass in B minor, and Brahms's Piano Concertos with Yefim Bronfman as soloist. Mr. Welser-Möst continues his long-standing tradition of opera performances at Severance Hall with concert performances of Richard Strauss's rarely heard opera Daphne. Guest artists returning to Severance Hall include Lang Lang, Christian Tetzlaff, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and Mitsuko Uchida, and conductors Charles Dutoit, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, and Fabio Luisi. The Orchestra celebrates the 90th birthday of Pierre Boulez in three programs conducted by Franz Welser-Möst.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts will present LA Opera Off Grand with a special concert performance of Jules Massenet's lyric masterpiece Thais on Tuesday, May 27 at 7:30 p.m. in the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. The opera tells the story of Thais, a courtesan in Alexandria, Egypt during the Byzantine period whom men find irresistible in the hedonistic way she celebrates life and its most sensual pleasures. The monk Athanael vows to save her soul, but loses his own when his unholy obsession for her overpowers him. The incomparable Georgian soprano Nino Machaidze will sing the title Role alongside LA Opera General Director Placido Domingo in the baritone role as her conflicted savior, Athanael. Patrick Fournillier will conduct the same cast as well as the LA Opera Orchestra and Chorus that will appear in the company's fully-staged production from May 17 - June 7 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. The opera is filled with intoxicating melodies, including the well known violin concert piece, Meditation. There will also be a free Preview Talk prior to the Segerstrom Center performance in the Studio Performance Space from 6:30 - 7:15 p.m. Thais will be performed in French with English supertitles.