Richard Wagner News

Tchaikovsky's soulful Symphony No. 4 portrays his battle against fate, the cold-hearted power he believed ruled his life. Guest pianist Haochen Zhang, co-winner of the Gold Medal at the 2009 Van Cliburn Competition, will expertly undertake the consummate challenges of the Prokofiev piano concerto, and Maestro Milanov will bring to vivid life the heartless seducer of Strauss' tone poem Don Juan.

When I heard mezzo Jamie Barton at the Metropolitan Opera's recital in Central Park in the summer of 2014, she would have knocked my socks off--if I hadn't been wearing sandals. This time around­--newly anointed winner of the 2015 Richard Tucker Award--at a concert presented by WQXR at New York's Greene Space in SoHo, I was wearing my argyles and, sure enough, I went home barefoot. Barton proved, once again, that she's “the real thing.”

On September 12, Jonas Kaufmann made his debut in the the celebrated 'Last Night of the Proms concert', televised live from London's Royal Albert Hall. He sang a selection of Puccini arias, including 'Nessun Dorma' and also was the first German to sing "Rule Britannia" in the history of 'Last Night of the Proms' performances. 

BroadwayWorld previously reported that Tenor Jonas Kaufmann warned fans not to buy the Puccini Album from Decca, uriging fans to wait until the 'real' Puccini album is released with Sony on September 11.  

This month, one of America's most controversial men takes center stage in a new play by Joan Beber called In Bed With Roy Cohn. Directed by Katrin Hilbe, In Bed With Roy Cohn will begin performances tonight, August 25th, and open on September 2nd and will run through October 3rd at Theater Row's Lion Theatre (410 West 42nd Street).

They've done it! Little Union Avenue Opera and its leader Scott Schoonover bring home the gold! They have triumphed over that colossus of all operatic colossi-Wagner's Ring Cycle! They entered the battle wielding the magic sword of talent and determination and, just like Siegfried, they have conquered this giant, this dragon of an opus and forced it to yield a pure golden 'Ring'! Their current production of 'Gotterdammerung', the final work in Wagner's vast tetralogy, is a showcase for some magnificent voices. Wagner would be pleased.

Come experience the power of music on a whole new level at the Seattle Opera premiere of Giuseppe Verdi's Nabucco this month. Viewers will be visually transported to ancient Babylon through magnificent costumes, awe-inspiring projections, and a new staging configuration that brings the music and performers closer to the audience than ever before.

Tenor Jonas Kaufmann issued a statement on his Facebook page, telling fans not to buy an upcoming release of a Puccini album from his former label, Decca. He wants fans to wait until the 'real' Puccini album is released with Sony on September 11, stating (translated in English):

This August, one of America's most controversial men takes center stage in a new play by Joan Beber called In Bed With Roy Cohn. Directed by Katrin Hilbe, In Bed With Roy Cohn will begin performances on August 25th and open on September 2nd and will run through October 3rd at Theater Row's Lion Theatre (410 West 42nd Street).

Apotheosis Opera has announced their inaugural production will be a fully-staged English translation of Richard Wagner's early masterpiece TANNHÄUSER on Friday, July 31, 2015, at 7pm and Sunday, August 2, 2015, at 3pm at the theatre of El Museo del Barrio (1230 5th Avenue).

Come experience the power of music on a whole new level at the Seattle Opera premiere of Giuseppe Verdi's Nabucco this August. Viewers will be visually transported to ancient Babylon through magnificent costumes, awe-inspiring projections, and a new staging configuration that brings the music and performers closer to the audience than ever before.

Blue Man Group, in conjunction with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras (CYSO), will return to the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park for a collaborative performance tonight, July 1 at 6:30 p.m. The free public performance will feature a program of full orchestral works performed by CYSO's inaugural summer orchestra, as well as collaborative performances and thrilling surprises with Blue Man Group.

Blue Man Group, in conjunction with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras (CYSO), will return to the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park for a collaborative performance tonight, July 1 at 6:30 p.m. The free public performance will feature a program of full orchestral works performed by CYSO's inaugural summer orchestra, as well as collaborative performances and thrilling surprises with Blue Man Group.

Presenting Apotheosis Opera, a new addition to New York's startup opera scene. Apotheosis Opera brings fresh energy to the opera world by mounting fully-staged, English language summer productions of large-scale works. Co-founded by Matthew Jaroszewicz – who studies with David Hayes in the Master of Music program in Orchestral Conducting at Mannes College of Music – Apotheosis marks its bold debut at New York's Theater of El Museo del Barrio on July 31, with a second performance on Aug. 2, with “Tannhäuser,” in English.

Morningside Opera, the NYC-based opera company that most recently presented the acclaimed Here Be Sirens and ¡Figaro! (90210), teams up with Harlem Opera Theater and The Harlem Chamber Players to present a concert of the long-lost and historical opera VOODOO, by African-American composer Harry Lawrence Freeman, with a 30-piece orchestra and full chorus. Gregory Hopkins is the conductor. Last performed in NYC in 1928, VOODOO, will play two concert performances only tonight, June 26 and tomorrow, June 27, 2015 at 7PM at Miller Theatre at Columbia University (2960 Broadway, at the corner of Broadway and 116th street) in Manhattan.

Blue Man Group, in conjunction with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras (CYSO), will return to the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park for a collaborative performance on Wednesday, July 1 at 6:30 p.m. The free public performance will feature a program of full orchestral works performed by CYSO's inaugural summer orchestra, as well as collaborative performances and thrilling surprises with Blue Man Group.

Juilliard Dance, under the direction of Lawrence Rhodes, opens its 2015-16 season in December 2015 with New Dances: Edition 2015 featuring four world premiere dances by innovative choreographers Helen Simoneau (First-Year Dancers); Aszure Barton (Second-Year Dancers); Zvi Gotheiner (Third-Year Dancers); and Kyle Abraham (Fourth-Year Dancers).

The City of Seattle has named a street in honor of Speight Jenkins, General Director of Seattle Opera from 1983 to 2014.

Metropolitan Opera singer Janinah Burnett and Joanna Marie Ford and Steven Wallace will perform the leading roles in Morningside Opera, Harlem Opera Theater and The Harlem Chamber Players concert production of VOODOO, the long-lost and historical opera by African American composer Harry Lawrence Freeman. They will be joined by Crystal Charles, James R. Hopkins III, Barry L. Robinson, Darian Worrall, a full chorus and 30-piece orchestra.  The production is directed by Melissa Crespo and conducted by Gregory Hopkins.   Last performed in NYC in 1928, VOODOO, will play two concert performances only on June 26 and 27, 2015 at 7PM at Miller Theatre at Columbia University (2960 Broadway, at the corner of Broadway and 116th street) in Manhattan. Terrance McKnight of WQXR Radio is the evening's host. Tickets are $25 advance/$30 at the door, with discount tickets available for students and seniors at $20. They can be purchased by visiting http://voodoo.brownpapertickets.com/ or by calling 800-838-3006.