Wagner | News Music & Opera

Stanislas de Barbeyrac, a Wagnerian in Paris

admin_mowp — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 14:16:10 +0000

We won’t stop talking about Wagner in 2026! Indeed, the year will be marked by the 150th anniversary of the premiere of Der Ring des Nibelungen, the famous tetralogy comprising Das Rheingold (The Rhinegold), Die Walküre (The Valkyrie), Siegfried, and Götterdämmerung (The Twilight of the Gods). Berlin, La Scala in Milan, the Vienna State Opera, and nearly all the major international stages have scheduled either the complete cycle or at least one of the four masterpieces. The Paris National Opera schedules two Festivals on 6, 7, 10, 13 and 15, 17, 19, 22 November, 2026). From November 11 to 30, 2025, the Opéra Bastille will host the second installment of Calixto Bieito’s production with Die Walküre. The cast features Iain Paterson as Wotan, Ève-Maud Hubeaux as Fricka, and Günther Groissböck as Hunding, but the real surprise comes from the twins Sieglinde and Siegmund, heroes of the first act. Parisian audiences will once again be able to applaud Elza van den Heever, after her astonishing portrayal of Strauss’s Salome, as well as Stanislas de Barbeyrac. The 41-year-old tenor is one of France’s leading voices and has previously been heard in Offenbach’s La Périchole and as Tamino in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. Following the natural evolution of his voice, he has in recent years explored a heavier repertoire, which now allows him to perform in Wagner operas. After singing Erik in Der fliegende Holländer at the Berlin State Opera, he now has Siegmund in his repertoire and will give his first French stage performance of the role at the Opéra Bastille, starting November 11, 2025…

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At the Royal Opera of Wallonia-Liège, there’s no stopping halfway!

admin_mowp — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 13:27:09 +0000

Last June, a press release from the Royal Opera of Wallonia-Liège announced the renewal of Stefano Pace’s mandate as General Director of the Opera for a period of five years. Today, it is Giampaolo Bisanti’s turn to make the news. The mandate of the Music Director, the brilliant 53-year-old Italian conductor, has been extended until 2031.

About him, Stefano Pace states in the release: “His exacting standards, his sense of theatre, his musical generosity and his constant commitment are major assets for our institution, and make him a privileged partner.”

It is indeed true that the understanding between the two men seems perfect. Together, they are building a bold programme that is reshaping the operatic offering in Liège. Several great masterpieces that had never before been staged at the Théâtre Royal have finally been presented, to the great delight of Belgian and international music lovers.

This programming has also enabled the conductor to broaden his repertoire, as with the Tristan und Isolde adventure. This masterpiece, conducted by the maestro for the first time, also saw soprano Lianna Haroutounian’s role debut as Isolde.

The 2025–2026 season, faithful to the spirit of the grand repertoire, opens with a highly anticipated production: Gounod’s Faust, the great masterpiece of French opera, performed by a stellar cast including Nino Machaidze, John Osborn, Erwin Schrott and Markus Werba (from 12 September 2025), under the inspired direction of Giampaolo Bisanti, who thus launches his new season in Liège. He declares: “I am deeply honored by this renewal of my mandate, which moves me as much as it commits me. The Royal Opera of Wallonia-Liège has become a true artistic home for me, where I feel supported, inspired and stimulated with every production.”

Upcoming highlights include The Queen of Spades by Tchaikovsky in February–March 2026, and Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia in April!

To purchase your tickets for the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège now, click here!

To learn more about his latest news, click here.

Giampaolo Bisanti – c – Jonathan Berger & visuals by ORWL

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Wagnerian Reign Ends for Philippe Jordan at Wiener Staatsoper

admin_mowp — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 10:31:06 +0000

He announced it back in 2022. Swiss conductor Philippe Jordan will not renew his prestigious contract as Music Director of the Wiener Staatsoper, following deep disagreements with Bogdan Roščić, the General Director of the renowned Austrian opera house.

Just weeks before Jordan’s departure, after serving since 2020, the news takes on a very real turn as he bids farewell with performances of Tannhäuser, Wagner’s complete Ring Cycle, and the final notes of Götterdämmerung, marking the end of an important chapter.

Philippe Jordan will then return to Paris, where he is set to become Music Director of the Orchestre National de France in 2027.

A passionate interpreter of Wagner, the former Music Director of the Paris Opera has never hidden his visceral attachment to the composer of Bayreuth, describing his music as “elemental, filled with a raw energy, which at first glance seems simple but goes incredibly deep, where emotion guides reason and the narrative is elevated by the music.”

Five masterpieces by the German Romantic genius will be performed from 22 May to 28 June 2025 at the Vienna State Opera, including Tannhäuser from 22 May to 4 June, Das Rheingold from 28 May to 20 June, Die Walküre from 2 to 22 June (already sold out), Siegfried from 8 to 25 June, and finally Götterdämmerung from 15 to 28 June 2025.

On stage, the great Wagnerian voices take centre stage, with tenor Andreas Schager—a key figure in the repertoire—starring in Siegfried, Götterdämmerung, and Die Walküre, alongside Anja Kampe as Brünnhilde and the powerful Simone Schneider, stepping in for new mother Lise Davidsen as Sieglinde. The production by Sven-Eric Bechtolf is a revival of the cycle created over several seasons between 2007 and 2009.

In Tannhäuser, rising star Clay Hilley takes the title role, partnered by the fiery Venus of Ekaterina Gubanova and the noble Elisabeth of Malin Byström. However, French baritone Ludovic Tézier, originally cast as Wolfram von Eschenbach, will not take part in the production and is replaced by Martin Gantner.

A blazing month of June awaits at the Wiener Staatsoper, where, between the fire of the Valkyries and the twilight of the gods highlighted by Philippe Jordan, this Wagnerian immersion is sure to be a major event.

TO ATTEND ONE OF THE FIVE OPERAS IN VIENNA, CLICK HERE!

Philippe Jordan – c – Christian Michelines

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Everyone to the Dresden Musikfestspiele because the world needs love!

admin_mowp — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 16:53:27 +0000

The magnificent city of Dresden will host the 48th edition of the Dresdner Musikfestspiele from May 17 to June 14, 2025, with love as the central theme of the season!

As always, Jan Vogler, the renowned cellist and artistic director of the festival, has invited leading orchestras and top-tier artists to celebrate their love for music in a program that blends classical music with world music, jazz, and even pop!

Classical music lovers can look forward to many highlights, including Siegfried, the next installment of Wagner’s Ring Cycle, performed by the Dresdner Festspielorchester and Concerto Köln, under the baton of Kent Nagano, in a historically informed version.

Another landmark event is the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jaap van Zweden, making a stop in Dresden during its European tour to perform Mahler’s Seventh Symphony.

Other prestigious ensembles include the London Symphony Orchestra, featuring the exquisite violinist Lisa Batiashvili under Antonio Pappano’s direction. Lahav Shani will lead the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Münchner Philharmoniker will present a program featuring Mahler’s tragic Sixth Symphony and Prayer by Tzvi Avni.

The NHK Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Fabio Luisi, will welcome the renowned Japanese violinist Akiko Suwanai, while the Camerata Salzburg will perform alongside the stunning Janine Jansen, and the Wiener Symphoniker will take the stage with French violinist Renaud Capuçon.

With Jan Vogler himself performing as a soloist, the 2025 edition of the festival will feature exceptional artists such as Sol Gabetta (with the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden under Tugan Sokhiev), pianists Mitsuko Uchida and Mao Fujita in recital, and the brilliant Seong-Jin Cho alongside the Göteborgs Symfoniker under the inspired baton of Santtu-Matias Rouvali.

With a performance of Siegfried and an outstanding cast—including Derek Welton as the new Wotan/Wanderer—vocal artistry will also shine. Fatma Said, Lea Desandre, and Benjamin Appl will each offer a recital, which will surely be among the festival’s highlights.

Love is always in the air in Dresden, and especially during this edition of the Dresdner Musikfestspiele!

To book your tickets for the Dresdner Musikfestspiele’s festival, click here!

Affiche Dresdner Musikfestspiele 2025

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Siegfried from Dresden arrives at the Philharmonie de Paris, albeit with a slight delay

admin_mowp — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 09:33:41 +0000

For the past two seasons, this Wagnerian event has been taking place in Dresden with an incredible project led in collaboration by Jan Vogler and Kent Nagano. The two artists, supported by the Dresdner Festspielorchester in collaboration with Concerto Köln, have decided to revive the famous cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen in a historically informed interpretation.

The in-depth musicological research, notably conducted by PD Dr. Kai Hinrich Müller, has allowed for the rediscovery of period instruments, such as those specially commissioned by Wagner himself. The result is simply breathtaking! After Das Rheingold in 2022 and Die Walküre in 2023, Siegfried is now scheduled as part of the Dresdner Musikfestspiele this summer (specifically on June 14, 2025).

The fortunate audiences in Prague, Paris, and Cologne, ahead of those in Lucerne, will have the privilege of attending the performances first. Kent Nagano will return to the magnificent Státní opera in Prague for the first performance of Siegfried on April 1, 2025.

Then, it’s Paris’ turn, on April 4, 2025, to host the project for the first time, hoping that Götterdämmerung will be featured in 2026. Wagner’s masterpiece will then be performed on April 10, 2025, at the Köln Philharmonie before Dresden and finally Lucerne, which will host the event on September 12, 2025, as part of its prestigious Festival.

As an interesting note, Parisians will have the chance to see Derek Welton in the role of the Der Wanderer, having discovered him by chance in Das Rheingold when he stepped in at the last minute to replace the artist originally cast as Wotan. This promises to be a remarkable evening, an unprecedented Wagner performance rejuvenated!

To see Siegfried at the Philharmonie of Paris, click there!

Kent Nagano – c – Daniel Reinhardt

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A double event awaits Lise Davidsen

admin_mowp — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 08:30:15 +0000

The great soprano Lise Davidsen, who recently triumphed by stepping in for Anna Netrebko in Richard Strauss‘s Ariadne auf Naxos in Vienna, has just announced a double happy event. Indeed, the Wagnerian singer is expecting twins. At this time, we do not know if she will name them Sieglinde and Siegmund.

However, she is putting her career on hold and will be replaced in Vienna by Simone Schneider (Die Walküre) and Krassimira Stoyanova (Der Rosenkavalier), in London by Natalya Romaniw (Die Walküre), and at Barcelona’s Liceu by Asmik Grigorian in a Wagner concert alongside Matthias Goerne.

To see Die Walküre in Vienna, Click here!

c – Lise Davidsen

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A Major Milestone at the Opéra de Liège

admin_mowp — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 08:00:21 +0000

True to its mission of programming prestigious works never before performed at the Opéra royal de Liège, Stefano Pace, the director of the Belgian institution, is addressing an incredible oversight. From January 28 to February 8, 2025, the very first performances of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde will be staged in Liège.

The masterpiece of German opera, never before performed on the stage of the Théâtre Royal, features a prestigious cast including Michael Weinus, Lianna Haroutounian, and Violeta Urmana.

However, the highlight will undoubtedly be the conducting of Giampaolo Bisanti. Born in Milan, the brilliant musical director of the Opéra royal de Wallonie-Liège will take on his second Wagnerian title after Der fliegende Holländer.

To book your tickets !

Opéra de Liège (c) Opéra royal de Wallonie-Liège

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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!

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Lise Davidsen, Not Quite Isolde Yet!

admin_mowp — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 08:00:46 +0000

While a new Ring cycle by Wagner is announced at the Metropolitan Opera, where the magnificent Lise Davidsen will be Brünnhilde in a new production by Yuval Sharon, the new star soprano of Wagnerian roles has finally been announced as Isolde in 2025-2026, in a new production that will mark Sharon‘s debut at the Met. The opera will be conducted, as it should be, by Nézet-Séguin. Until this highly anticipated role debut, those eager to hear her can catch just the second act, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle, on November 1 and 3, 2024, at the Isarphilharmonie in Munich, with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks.

Discover Lise Davidsen at the Isarphilharmonie in Munich

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Yannick Nézet-Séguin Continues to Soar

admin_mowp — Fri, 13 Sep 2024 08:00:29 +0000

While navigating calm seas at the helm of the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the dynamic conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin has just had his contract as Music Director extended through the 2029-2030 season. New projects have been announced, including an all-new Ring cycle by Wagner, directed by Yuval Sharon, with Lise Davidsen, the new star soprano, headlining as Brünnhilde. In the coming seasons, Nézet-Séguin will conduct four to five titles, including premieres. Already announced are the premieres of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Mason Bates, El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego by Gabriela Lena Frank, Lincoln in the Bardo by Missy Mazzoli, The Highlands by Carlos Simon, and finally, The Wedding Banquet composed by Huang Ruo. Alongside the Ring and a new Tristan und Isolde, Nézet-Séguin will conduct a new production of Mozart‘s Le Nozze di Figaro directed by Robert Carsen, as well as revivals of Don Giovanni, Wagner’s Parsifal, and Puccini’s Tosca, among others.

Discover all upcoming performances featuring Yannick Nézet-Séguin

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