Opera | News Music & Opera

Mozart and Camille Delaforge Take Command at Versailles

admin_mowp — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 08:00:45 +0000

On November 16, 2024, the Chapelle Royale of Versailles will host the dynamic ensemble Il Caravaggio and its conductor Camille Delaforge, as they explore the origins of Mozart. The work on the program, Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebots (The Obligation of the First Commandment), is in fact Mozart’s first sacred opera. Rarely performed, this early operatic attempt by the divine genius at the age of 11 already showcases a mastery of orchestral writing and vocal composition. It has been recorded and will be released on November 15, 2024, under the CVS Label.

Discover Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebots at the Chapelle Royale de Versailles

Camille Delaforge © Pascal Le Mee

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The Moor of Venice in Venice!

admin_mowp — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 08:00:32 +0000

Otello, one of Giuseppe Verdi‘s ultimate masterpiece and an opera of his later years, is back on stage at Venice’s Teatro La Fenice, which is pulling out all the stops to welcome its Shakespearean hero. The Moor of Venice will be performed from November 20 to December 1, 2024, by the incandescent tenor Francesco Meli, under the highly anticipated direction of Myung-Whun Chung. This production, which opens the season, continues the tradition of Verdi works conducted by the maestro that have launched the past seasons at La Fenice.

Discover Otello at the Teatro La Fenice

Otello © La Fenice website

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Marianne Crebassa’s Defining Role at the Comique

admin_mowp — Wed, 02 Oct 2024 08:00:15 +0000

She made a sensation at the 2023 Aix Festival (once again!), Marianne Crebassa is returning to the defining role in Picture a Day Like This, in Paris from October 25 to 31, 2024. George Benjamin‘s opera is being revived at the Opéra-Comique after the critical success it garnered during its Aix premiere. In this new work by the composer of the masterpiece Written on Skin, she portrays a woman searching for a miracle following a tragic event—the death of her infant. The power of her performance and the poetic direction by Marie-Christine Soma and Daniel Jeanneteau make it one of the must-see events of the season!

Discover Marianne Crebassa in Picture a day like this

Marianne Crebassa © Simon Fowler

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La Scala in Milan improves its welcome for foreign visitors

admin_mowp — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 08:00:29 +0000

The next spectators seated in one of the chairs at La Scala in Milan, the temple of opera, will undoubtedly notice a significant change. The seatbacks have been upgraded to provide subtitles, no longer in just two languages but now in five! Italian, English, French, German, and Spanish are now available, allowing music lovers to follow the storyline. For better comfort, the new system includes 1,944 tablets (680 in the main hall, 784 in the boxes, 480 in the galleries, plus 6 monitors for the standing places in the second gallery). The 8-inch touchscreen will have a black background and will be equipped with a special filter allowing frontal viewing without disturbing neighboring spectators.

Discover all upcoming performances at La Scala in Milan

© Giovanni Hänninen

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Théâtre des Champs-Élysées – 2024-2025

admin_mowp — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 08:00:26 +0000

The 2024-2025 season at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées is special for many reasons. It marks the final season curated by Michel Franck, the vibrant artistic director who has been at the helm since 2010. To celebrate, he has prepared a dazzling lineup that will delight all music lovers. Some events are bound to be highly sought after, so it is particularly important to book tickets in advance this season, especially for the operas.

The 2024-2025 season at the TCE encapsulates Michel Franck’s artistic choices. He has always been adept at presenting a wide range of repertoires, with perhaps a slight preference for baroque music. Opera enthusiasts are especially spoiled this season with offerings like Handel‘s magnificent masterpiece, Semele, featuring the beloved soprano Pretty Yende. This new production by Olivier Mears, directed by Emmanuelle Haïm, promises to be a highlight. France’s premier tenor, the dynamic Benjamin Bernheim, will perform his first Parisian Werther, staged by Christof Loy, alongside the impressive mezzo-soprano Marina Viotti. Viotti also stars in another major production, Der Rosenkavalier, an eagerly anticipated event with Marlis Petersen and Regula Mühlemann.

A noteworthy event is the revival of Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites, directed by Olivier Py. Patricia Petibon, who previously moved audiences as Blanche de la Force, now takes on the role of Mère Marie, symbolizing the continuity and transmission of operatic history. The season also features acclaimed soprano Anna Netrebko, and eagerly anticipated recitals by Philippe Jaroussky, Pretty Yende, and Jakub Józef Orliński.

Concert versions of operatic works will undoubtedly generate the most excitement. Highlights include Julien Chauvin’s presentation of Handel‘s La Resurrezione and Jephtha with an outstanding cast including Michael Spyres, Joyce DiDonato, Mélissa Petit, and Francesco Corti. A rare performance of Handel’s oratorio Deborah will be conducted by Ton Koopman. Mozart’s works are also prominent, with the Da Ponte trilogy entrusted to Alexis Kossenko (Don Giovanni), Giovanni Antonini (Le nozze di Figaro), and Marc Minkowski (Così fan tutte). Another beautiful Mozart opera in concert form, Mitridate, re di Ponto, will be conducted by Christophe Rousset. Notable performances include a Requiem featuring Lisette Oropesa, Eve-Maud Hubeaux, Cyrille Dubois, and Nahuel di Pierro.

Among the season’s highlights are Weber‘s romantic opera Freischütz, conducted by Antonello Manacorda with Charles Castronovo and Golda Schultz, and Rossini‘s Le Comte Ory with Cyrille Dubois. Elsa Dreisig will star as a divine Alcina in Handel’s opera, alongside Emily D’Angelo, Sandrine Piau, and Alex Rosen. Andrea Chénier by Giordano will feature the stellar voices of Riccardo Massi, Anna Pirozzi, Enkhbat Amartuvshin, and Sophie Pondjiclis. Audiences can also look forward to Marie-Nicole Lemieux in Rossini‘s L’Italiana in Algeri and Sabine Devieilhe in both Mozart and Boulez, celebrating his centennial.

The dance segment is equally unmissable, with performances by prominent choreographers such as Akram Khan, Carolyn Carlson, Mats Ek, and Sharon Eyal, along with an emotional holiday appearance by the National Opera Ballet of Ukraine. The season will be filled with major concerts and events. Martha Argerich opens the season with Lahav Shani and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. Renowned pianists like Elisabeth Leonskaja, Evgeny Kissin, Grigory Sokolov, Mikhail Pletnev, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Nikolai Lugansky, Nelson Goerner, David Fray, Adam Laloum, Benjamin Grosvenor, and a new generation of stars including Jonathan Fournel, Bruce Liu, Dmitry Masleev, Jan Lisiecki, and the Jussen brothers will grace the stage. Other notable soloists include Gidon Kremer, Tabea Zimmermann, Thibault Cauvin with the pop artist and guitarist -M-, Sol Gabetta, Gautier Capuçon, Emmanuel Pahud, Nemanja Radulovic with his Ensemble Double Sens, and Edgar Moreau performing Bach. The loyalty of great conductors like Zubin Mehta, Daniele Gatti, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra underscores the exceptional nature of the 2024-2025 season, making it a must-see. Reservations are now open for all the events of this extraordinary season!

Get your tickets now for the new 2024-2025 season at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées

© Hartl Meyer

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It’s party time at La Monnaie de Paris

admin_mowp — Fri, 24 Nov 2023 09:00:53 +0000

Since taking over the venue, the Opera a Palazzo troupe is planning two evenings of celebration, on 30 and 31 December 2023, in the enchanting setting of the Hôtel de la Monnaie in Paris. A performance of Verdi’s La Traviata on the 30th (as well as on 15 and 29 December) will be followed by an evening of lyrical New Year’s Eve entertainment by Armelle Khourdoian, Christophe Poncet de Solages and Marc Souchet (accompanied by the divine Katia Weimann), who will be singing the great arias of La Bohème and operetta arias by Offenbach, Lehàr or Strauss, complete with champagne and caviar! Let’s party!

Discover the Opera a Palazzo troupe at the Hôtel de la Monnaie de Paris

Opera a Palazzo © Corentin LV

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Thomas Jolly cœur de Comique

admin_mowp — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 09:07:13 +0000

While performances of Pascal Dusapin’s Macbeth Underworld have just ended at the Opéra Comique, its director Thomas Jolly is not leaving the Salle Favart, as the production of Offenbach’s Fantasio will be revived from 13 to 23 December 2023. Premiered in 2017 at the Théâtre du Châtelet during the renovation of the Opéra-Comique, this production marked his very first operatic engagement. The show returns to the venue that inspired it, starring the superb Gaëlle Arquez as Fantasio and the no less exceptional Jodie Devos as Princess Elsbeth.

Discover Fantasio’s performances at the Opéra-Comique in Paris

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Anne-Sophie Mutter, this isn’t a movie !

admin_mowp — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 09:00:40 +0000

As she prepares to perform in Sydney in the concert hall of Jørn Utzon’s famous Opera House on 9-11 November 2023, legendary violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter has chosen music by John Williams. The immortal composer of music for Star Wars, Jaws and Shindler’s List has specially written a concerto for the exceptional artist who commissioned it. After Sydney and New Zealand, Mutter is due to perform Williams’ Violin Concerto No. 2 in Leipzig, London and the rest of Europe in June 2024.

Find all the performances of Anne-Sophie Mutter

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25 October, an ordinary day for M&O

admin_mowp — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 13:05:37 +0000

Today, 25 October 2023 is World Opera Day. It’s a special day for the opera world and for Music & Opera, even if, happily, it’s Opera Day for all music lovers!

Find all the operas of the 2023/2024 season

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Wagner at the end and beginning of a cycle

admin_mowp — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 08:00:05 +0000

From 9 November to 3 December 2023, the Zurich opera house will be staging Götterdämmerung, Twilight of the Gods, the final part of Wagner‘s famous Nibelungen Ring tetralogy. Other performances of the complete cycle are scheduled at the Opernhaus in May 2024, but another Ring event has been announced for Berlin during the Festtage at the Staatsoper unter den Linden in March 2024, for which bookings are now open! Gianandrea Noseda conducts the Zurich Ring, while Philippe Jordan is at the helm in Berlin.

Embark on a musical journey at the Festtage here

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