Elena Stikhina | News Music & Opera

Five More Years in San Francisco : Conductor Eun Sun Kim

admin_mowp — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 09:00:40 +0000

Conductor Eun Sun Kim is in demand on opera stages across both Europe and the United States, especially in San Francisco, where she has been music director since 2021.

Recognizing her talent, the renowned San Francisco Opera has just extended her contract through 2031, announcing some upcoming productions already. Eun Sun Kim is expected to continue her Verdi journey (two titles per season) and tackle Wagner with Parsifal, as well as an ambitious complete Ring cycle in a future season.

Meanwhile, in Berlin, Verdi enthusiasts eagerly await her March 2025 performance, where she will conduct one of the season’s most anticipated Simon Boccanegra productions, featuring Ludovic Tézier, Elena Stikhina, and Fabio Sartori!

To not miss out operas conducted by Kim, click there!

Eun Sun Kim © Kim Tae-Hwan

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Opéra national de Paris – Opéra Bastille 2024-2025

admin_mowp — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 08:00:23 +0000

Alexander Neef, director of the Paris National Opera, has crafted a 2024-2025 season that now defines his artistic policy. Between new creations, heritage works, and major revivals, music lovers can look forward to rediscovering the great institution that garners admiration from all, especially with José Martínez, the impeccable dance director. With his international stature, he offers pertinent choices for dance with some new offerings for the Étoiles, Premières Danseuses, Premiers Danseurs, and the corps de ballet of the Opera. While emblematic ballets grace the Bastille stage, it is primarily the operas that are eagerly anticipated there, as nothing can replace the experience of a live performance, especially regarding lyrical and choreographic shows.

For ballet, it is indeed at the Palais Garnier that we will admire great titles like Onegin, the masterpiece by the great choreographer John Cranko, or Sylvia in Manuel Legris‘s new classical choreography, and the moving Mayerling by Kenneth MacMillan. Garnier will also host the magnificent choreographers of the season: Maurice Béjart, William Forsythe, Mats Ek, Sharon Eyal, Hofesh Shechter, and Alexander Ekman, not to be missed. However, the grand stage of the Opéra Bastille welcomes two absolute masterpieces of white ballet with Paquita by Pierre Lacotte for the 2024 year-end holidays and the immortal Sleeping Beauty by Tchaikovsky. With choreography by Rudolf Nureyev, these are two shows that must be seen at least once in a lifetime. It is highly recommended to book these dance shows as soon as possible because demand is always very high for the Paris Opera Ballet.

Alexander Neef marks this 2024-2025 season at the Opéra Bastille with originality. As he did with Beatrice di Tenda or La Vestale last season, long-forgotten great titles return, such as Castor et Pollux by Rameau or Les Brigands by Offenbach, which are on the bill at the Palais Garnier. The new productions at Bastille are particularly anticipated, notably Puccini’s Il Trittico. Three operas in one evening to move from laughter to tears with a major international star finally on the bill at the Paris National Opera. The well-known soprano Asmik Grigorian will draw crowds, and it is best to book tickets in advance to avoid missing the event. Another new production will make a big splash this 2024-2025 season. One of the greatest events of the season is undoubtedly Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande, with staging by the well-known theater director Wajdi Mouawad. The cast is exceptional, featuring the incandescent Sabine Devieilhe in one of her greatest roles, the superb Huw Montague Rendall (also Gordon Bintner, Sophie Koch, and Jean Teitgen) with direction by the exciting conductor Antonello Manacorda. Although we always lament the incomprehensible absence of Karine Deshayes at the peak of her vocal powers, many French colleagues are on the bill, such as Ludovic Tézier. One of the greatest baritones of his generation, he is a regular at Bastille, but this time he embodies his very first Wotan in Das Rheingold, the first episode of a long-announced tetralogy finally on the bill! (tickets to be reserved as soon as possible).

By inviting great French opera stars, Alexander Neef has undoubtedly learned the lesson of the immortal Régine Crespin, who was celebrated everywhere else in her time except on the stage of the Paris National Opera. Do not miss the invaluable Julie Fuchs and the boisterous Lawrence Brownlee and Lionel Lhote in Donizetti’s La Fille du Régiment, with two other adored stars, Susan Graham and Felicity Lott, in Laurent Pelly’s perfect production. Opera tickets will quickly be snapped up to see Roberto Alagna or Benjamin Bernheim as Chevalier Des Grieux in Massenet’s Manon. The greatest tenors of their generation have partners like Amina Edris and Nadine Sierra. There are many eventful operas this season at the Opéra Bastille because among the revivals, there is, for example, Bellini’s I Puritani with a dream cast (Lisette Oropesa and Lawrence Brownlee). Ambrogio Maestri is an invaluable Falstaff to see absolutely, as is Pene Pati in this very successful production of Faust (Tobias Kratzer); as we can see, the great voices are well represented at Bastille with also the splendid soprano Elena Stikhina in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, celebrated in 2024 for this anniversary season. Verdi’s Don Carlos is worth seeing for its exceptional cast as the greatest artists are gathered, including Charles Castronovo, Marina Rebeka, Ekaterina Gubanova, and Christian Van Horn. There is no shortage of opportunities to book seats at the Paris National Opera this 2024-2025 season, which promises to be truly magnificent.

Book your tickets now for the new 2024-2025 season at the Opéra Bastille

© Christian Leiber

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The Arena of today and tomorrow

admin_mowp — Mon, 06 May 2024 08:00:50 +0000

While Cecilia Gasdia, Sovrintendente of the Fondazione Arena di Verona, is touring the major cities to present the 2024 programme of the famous Verona Arena Festival, the 2025 season has already been announced. 2024, the great Puccini year, will of course include the masterpieces Tosca, Turandot and a new Bohème, as well as the eagerly awaited Carmen, Barbiere di Siviglia and two Aida. The modern staging created for the festival’s 100th anniversary will be revived, as will the historic 1913 production with its monumental set. 2024 also marks the return of the great stars Anna Netrebko, Elena Stikhina, Clémentine Margaine, Jonas Kaufman, Roberto Alagna, Vittorio Grigolo, Ludovic Tézier, Amartuvshin Enkhbat, etc. as well as the debuts of Pretty Yende and mezzo Aigul Akhmetshina. 2025 will be a year dominated by Verdi, who will be back in force with Aida, La Traviata, Rigoletto and a new production of the legendary Nabucco. In the programme, only Carmen was not composed by the great composer!

Discover all upcoming shows at the Verona Arena Festival

© Fondazione Arena di Verona website

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Ludovic Tézier double strikes in Verona

admin_mowp — Wed, 17 Apr 2024 08:00:29 +0000

The Verona Arena Festival events have been announced with some exceptional Toscas, including the one on 30 August 2024 featuring Elena Stikhina, Jonas Kaufmann and Ludovic Tézier in the role of the horrible Barone Scarpia. The superstar baritone has a surprise in store for lucky festival-goers where he performs as Amonasro in a deluxe Aida the day before. Anna Pirozzi, Gregory Kunde and Ekaterina Semenchuk all feature in the revival of the original 1913 production. The Verona story doesn’t end there, however, as Tézier will also be taking to the arena stage at the beginning of August to perform as Escamillo, the most French of bullfighters, in a Carmen extravaganza.

Discover Ludovic Tézier in Tosca

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Jonas Kaufmann in the Arena after Anna Netrebko

admin_mowp — Mon, 11 Mar 2024 09:36:20 +0000

The great Verona Arena Festival is gradually announcing its cast. After the announcement of superstar Anna Netrebko (on August 2, 9 and 16 2024) in Puccini‘s Tosca, it will be Jonas Kaufmann‘s turn to come to the legendary Verona stage to sing in the composer’s masterpiece on the occasion of his anniversary year. The superstar tenor will not be the only one to shine on 30 August 2024, as he will be accompanied by Ludovic Tézier, the implacable Scarpia opposite the superb Elena Stikhina, who performs as Tosca in Hugo De Ana‘s production.

Discover Tosca by director Hugo De Ana

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The new Puccinian in Vienna is Russian

admin_mowp — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 09:00:59 +0000

Elena Stikhina (one of the 2016 winners of the Operalia Competition) continues her faultless career, notably as a special guest of the Wiener Staatsoper, a major international stage. The Russian soprano will be performing as Tosca on 2, 5 and 10 February 2024 before taking on the two heroines of Il Trittico, another superb masterpiece by Puccini. Under the musical direction of Philippe Jordan, she will perform as Giorgetta in Il Tabarro and then the deeply moving Suor Angelica in the opera of the same name, from 14 to 24 February 2024. The great Puccini year in Vienna seems to have found its major perfomer!

Discover all upcoming performances with Elena Stikhina

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