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Roberto Alagna and Aleksandra Kurzak in Full Drama Mode

admin_mowp — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 09:00:26 +0000

As he celebrates 40 years of an illustrious career with the release of a complete collection of his opera recordings for Warner Classics, Roberto Alagna shows no signs of stepping away from the stage. From December 12 to 22, 2024, audiences in Geneva will have the chance to see him perform at the Grand Théâtre in Fedora by Umberto Giordano, a work that offers a major dramatic role to his partner, Aleksandra Kurzak. Giordano’s opera, a richly crafted drama, has not achieved the same level of success as his masterpiece Andrea Chénier, likely due to its era, which favored tenors over sopranos—here, the female role takes center stage. Husband and wife offstage, Aleksandra Kurzak and Roberto Alagna continue to coordinate their schedules, appearing together in Vienna for Puccini’s Tosca in May 2025. They will also take the stage in Verona for brief performances as the leads in Carmen (July 7) andAida (July 27).

Discover all the dates of Roberto Alagna

Roberto Alagna © Gregor Hohenberg

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The Opéra-Comique Today and Especially Tomorrow!

admin_mowp — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 07:43:58 +0000

Building on the success of previous initiatives, the National Opéra-Comique Theatre is launching its 5th crowdfunding campaign in support of its Maîtrise Populaire, a multidisciplinary, top-tier performing arts training program dedicated to young people aged 8 to 25 from all social backgrounds. The Maîtrise provides 4,650 hours of artistic training per year to its 126 students, thanks to its team of 18 teachers, and delivered 45 performances during the 2023-2024 season. The training is free of charge! To encourage and discover the talents of tomorrow, join M&O in supporting the Maîtrise Populaire of the Opéra-Comique: https://soutenir.opera-comique.com/project/grandir-sur-scene!

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Daniele Rustioni from Lyon and now from New York

admin_mowp — Fri, 22 Nov 2024 09:00:52 +0000

Daniele Rustioni, current musical director of the Opéra National de Lyon, has just been appointed principal guest conductor of the prestigious Metropolitan Opera in New York. Having already conducted operas in this legendary venue, as well as a concert at Carnegie Hall with the Met Orchestra, he will take up his new role starting in the 2025-2026 season, becoming only the third principal guest conductor in the institution’s history. In his new position, Daniele Rustioni will conduct at least two operas per season. A new production of Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra has already been announced, alongside revivals of Giordano’s Andrea Chénier, Mozart’s Don Giovanni, and Puccini’s La Bohème. Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the Met’s current music director, expressed his delight at inviting Daniele to conduct, citing their shared artistic values.

Find all the dates of Daniele Rustioni

Daniele Rustioni (c) Blandine Soulage

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The BBC Honors Two Female Conductors Recognized by Their Peers

admin_mowp — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 08:00:53 +0000

On its website, our colleagues at BBC Music Magazine published a ranking of the 30 greatest conductors of all time, selected by their peers.

In response to the question, “Which maestros have inspired you?”, a hundred of today’s top conductors overwhelmingly named Carlos Kleiber.

Only two women appear in this ranking, and — cocorico! — they are both French conductors. Ranked 27th, Nathalie Stutzmann is currently the only female music director leading a major American orchestra (the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra). A renowned baroque conductor heading her ensemble Le Concert d’Astrée, Emmanuelle Haïm (ranked 24th) has revolutionized the musical approach of prestigious modern orchestras as a guest conductor, including the Berliner Philharmoniker. Let’s remember that while female conductors have gained visibility, they remain significantly underrepresented. Only 8% of orchestras worldwide are led by women.

Pour assister aux concerts de Nathalie Stuzmann !

Pour assister aux concerts d’Emmanuelle Haïm !

Nathalie Stutzmann & Emmanuelle Haïm (c) Simon Fowler & Marianne Rosenstiehl

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The Nouvelle Voix 2023 finally has a name

admin_mowp — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 09:45:50 +0000

At the end of an amazing show at the Opéra Comique on 8 October 2023, the winners of the Voix Nouvelles 2023 competition were announced, crowning the favourite artist as predicted. Following in the footsteps of some big names such as Natalie Dessay, Karine Deshayes and Stéphane Degout, Lauranne Oliva, the talented 22-year-old soprano, takes first prize after winning the Paris Opera Competition three weeks ago. Leo Vermot-Desroches, Juliette Mey, Héloïse Poulet, Lotte Verstaen and Emy Gazeilles took 2nd to 6th place. Last but not least, the competition’s youngest competitor, 20-year-old Livia Louis-Joseph-Dogué, won the People’s Choice Award by a landslide. The very first candidate to be discovered by the Voix des Outre-mer competition also captured the hearts of the public.

See all the shows at the Opéra Comique here

© Klara Beck

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Less Dudamel, more Adès

admin_mowp — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 08:00:51 +0000

One of the highlights of the 2022-2023 dance season at the Opéra national de Paris, The Dante Project by British choreographer Wayne McGregor enters the Paris Opera Ballet repertory on 3 May 2023 (until 31) at the Palais Garnier. Premiered in London in October 2021, the ballet is based on Dante’s Divine Comedy and features an orchestral score by Thomas Adès. The four dates when Gustavo Dudamel was announced as conductor are now split between young conductor Courtney Lewis and Thomas Adès, who conducts his own score. The composer will be back next season with the French premiere of his opera The Exterminating Angel (at the Opéra Bastille from 29 February to 23 March 2024), this time conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, current Music Director of the Orchestre de l’Opéra national de Paris.

Your tickets here

Wayne McGregor (c) Pal Hansen

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A baby on stage in Brussels !

admin_mowp — Fri, 09 Dec 2022 09:00:50 +0000

On 13 December 2022, the last opera by the great Belgian composer Philippe Boesmans (who died on 10 April 2022) will be premiered at La Monnaie in Brussels.
Directed by Bassem Akiki and staged by Richard Brunel, On purge bébé! based on Georges Feydeau‘s vaudeville is performed by Jean-Sébastien Bou and Jodie Devos (Monsieur and Madame Follavoine) and Sophie Pondjiclis in the role of Mme Chouilloux.

Book your tickets here

(c) Jean-Louis Fernandez

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Youth rewarded in Geneva

admin_mowp — Wed, 09 Nov 2022 14:57:03 +0000

The winners of the 76th Geneva International Music Competition were announced at the end of the Piano Final (with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, conducted by Maržena Diakun) which took place at the Victoria Hall on Thursday 3 November. The first prize was awarded to a remarkable 17-year-old Canadian pianist, Kevin Chen, while Sergey Belyavsky (28 years old, representing Russia), also excellent, won the second prize. Kaoruko Igarashi (28, Japan) and Zijian Wei (24, China) tied for third prize.

More details on the final here (review in french)

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Masterpiece overture at Avignon opera

admin_mowp — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 15:19:26 +0000

The 2022-23 “Moon Season” of the Opera Grand Avignon opens this Friday 7 October 2022 with a great 20th century masterpiece, Richard Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier.

The two performances conducted by Jochem Hochstenbach mark the great ambition of Frédéric Roels who had planned to inaugurate his new mandate as director and the renovated hall with this work before the Covid episode.

(c) Studio Delestrade Avignon

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First Opera Direttrice in Italy!

admin_mowp — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 07:30:53 +0000

Bologna’s Teatro Communale is making Italian history by appointing for the very first time a woman as head of an opera house.

After having been Music Director of the Graz Opera and Philharmonic Orchestra, Ukrainian conductor Oksana Lyniv will step on her new role in January 2022. She is also well known to be the first woman to conduct an opera in the pit of Bayreuth.

See all performances at the Teatro Communale di Bologna here.

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