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Dorothea Röschmann as Emilia Marty in Staatsoper Berlin's The Makropulos Case at Janáček Brno Festival. Photo: Marek Olbrzymek

Review | Berlin Staatsoper’s fragmented The Makropulos Case at Janáček Brno Festival

By Gianmarco Segato on 19 November 2024 Concert Reviews, Opera

Leoš Janáček’s penultimate opera, The Makropulos Case returned to Brno, where it premiered in 1926, in Claus Guth’s 2022 production from Berlin’s Staatsoper Unter den Linden. This was the company’s first appearance at the bi-annual Janáček Brno Festival where it presented two performances (seen Nov. 18) of the opera based on Karel Čapek’s 1922 “comedy” dealing with the complex emotional baggage associated with immortality. Guth, along with set designer Étienne Plus and costume designer Ursula Kudrna, have chosen a “period” 1920s Art Deco setting that includes a troupe of dancers/movement artists who cater to opera singer Emilia Marty. From the…

Hungarian State Opera's Falstaff. Photo: Valter Berecz/Hungarian State Opera

Review | Fabulous 50s Falstaff at Hungarian State Opera

By Gianmarco Segato on 19 November 2024 Concert Reviews, Opera

Verdi’s final opera, his comic masterpiece Falstaff, was revived by Hungarian State Opera on Nov. 16. in Swiss director Arnaud Bernard’s 2013 staging set in the fabulous 1950s. Opening and closing with a freeze frame set within a giant period TV screen, the update perfectly suits the work’s constant plot shifts and intricately-wrought musical ensembles. Despite a slightly misjudged directorial nod that we are watching a show within a show, this tightly-executed revival delivers all the self-mocking humanity of Verdi’s late comedy. The scene opens with Falstaff and his shady henchmen, Dr. Caius (Péter Balczó), Pistola (András Kiss) and Bardolfo…

Scene from Hunagarian State Opera's Turandot. Photo: Valter Berecz / Hungarian State Opera

Review | Intriguingly ambiguous new Turandot at Hungarian State Opera

By Gianmarco Segato on 13 November 2024 Concert Reviews, Opera

Puccini’s final opera, Turandot, was famously left incomplete due to the composer’s untimely death. It premiered at Teatro alla Scala in 1926 using composer Franco Alfano’s ending based on fragments of vocal lines and indications for orchestration left by Puccini. Much controversy and critical dissatisfaction has always swirled around the Alfano ending prompting the commissioning of many alternate completions. The most famous of these is Italian composer Luciano Berio’s 2002 rendering which the Hungarian State Opera is currently using in their new production of Turandot, alternating in some performances with Alfano’s more familiar ending. Psychological Turandot As director Dóra Barta indicates…

Giacomo Puccini Five Great Arias

By La Scena Musicale Team on 8 November 2024 Opera

by Justin Bernard, Wah Keung Chan, Adrian Rodriguez, Gianmarco Segato, Joseph So To celebrate the centenary of the death of Italian composer Giacomo Puccini on Nov. 29, our team of opera experts present La Scena Musicale’s five favourite Puccini arias. See below for links to the performances. Che gelida manina, La bohème Sung by Rodolfo (tenor) Puccini is the composer of great arias, and the best arias are serenades. “Che gelida manina” from La bohème is among the greatest. The text is classic, starting with “How cold your little hand is,” to the telling of “who I am” to how…

First Prize and Audience Choice Prize winner Ariana Maubach (centre) with Ensemble Studio Competition judges (l-r) Roberto Mauro, Edith Wiens, and Elaine Overholt. Photo: Michael Cooper.

Review | Ariana Maubach wins COC competition

By Denise Lai on 1 November 2024 Arts Industry, Classical Music, Concert Reviews, Music Competition, Opera

The Canadian Opera Company’s Centre Stage Ensemble Studio Competition is one of the most exciting events in Canada’s opera world. Now in its 11th year, it is a celebration and fine showcase of young Canadian operatic talents. This year, out of 120 applicants and 78 auditions throughout the country, seven finalists—three sopranos, two mezzos, a baritone and a bass-baritone—were chosen to perform their final aria in front of a live and live-streamed audience, which also participated in voting for their favourite artist. Each vocalist was accompanied by the full force of the COC orchestra, under the direction of Johannes Debus.…

Kyle Ketelsen as Méphistophélès in the Canadian Opera Company’s new production of Faust, 2024. Photo: Michael Cooper

Review | COC’s Faust a Devilishly Dazzling New Production

By Denise Lai on 15 October 2024 Concert Reviews, Opera, Toronto

Few legendary figures have inspired more literary, cinematic, ballet and musical works than Faust. Numerous symphonic and operatic pieces have been written by famous composers such as Berlioz, Beethoven, Wagner, Schumann, Liszt, Mahler and more. The most famous opera, Faust, was written by Charles Gounod, which is also touted to be the composer’s best operatic work. The Canadian Opera Company has a brand new production that is a pleasure to the eyes and ears. The aging Faust is disillusioned with life and is about the end it with poison. Blaming God for his misery, he sarcastically appeals to Satan for…

Katia Makdissi-Warren. Photo: Damian Siqueiros

Chants libres & Oktoecho : Première of Sainte Marine

By Justin Bernard on 10 October 2024 Contemporary, Interviews, Opera

Ancient stories, attributed to lesser-known figures, are sometimes strikingly modern. This is the case of St. Marina, known as Marina the Monk, a woman who devoted her life to God despite her life’s tribulations and the prejudice she endured. After her mother’s death, Marina’s father decided to disguise her as a boy and take her to the Qannoubine Monastery in Lebanon, reserved for men. There, she became known as “Brother Marin,” and her sex was only discovered by the community after her death. Her life was deeply marked by a false accusation of rape involving the daughter of an innkeeper.…

Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques: 30 Years of Promoting Canadian Singers

By Wah Keung Chan on 10 October 2024 Arts Industry, Opera

Every fall, young singers from across Canada prepare for auditions and competitions. The rewards are usually cash prizes and recognition. The set of auditions of the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques (JAL) organized by Théâtre Lyrichorégra 20 (TL20), however, is different—the jury includes many European opera directors and the prizes consist of contracts or tours in Europe. “I believe in giving singers the experience of auditioning and performing in Europe,” said tenor Alain Nonat, the group’s founder. Originally from Paris, Nonat trained as a heldentenor and continued his studies in Montreal before returning to Europe in 1970 to begin his career. Returning…

Pennell, bass-baritone Nicholas Murphy, soprano Chelsea Kolic, mezzo-soprano Ilanna Starr, soprano Olivia LaPointe, baritone Mikelis Rogers (All photos submitted by artists).

Seven New Opera Singers Selected as Finalists of COC’s Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition

By Newswire on 9 October 2024 Classical Music, Music Competition, Newswire, Opera

Toronto – Seven of Canada’s most talented new opera singers have been named as finalists for the Canadian Opera Company’s Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition on October 30, 2024 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. The annual fundraiser and vocal competition showcases the very best in emerging opera talent, with all proceeds supporting the COC’s prestigious artistic career development program, the Ensemble Studio. “It is an immense privilege each year to hear so many emerging singers across the country and to witness their exceptional level of artistry,” says Dorian Cox, Director of the Ensemble Studio. “Centre Stage is…

Elizabeth Polese as the Governess in Opera 5's The Turn of the Screw, 2024

Opera 5 Announces Their 2024-25 Season and First Ever Toronto Opera Festival

By Newswire on 9 October 2024 Newswire, Opera, Toronto

TORONTO, ON – Today Opera 5 announces our 2024/2025 season, including the launch of the brand new Toronto Opera Festival. This festival in June 2025 features a series of performances, including the world premiere of Come Closer by Canadian Composer Ryan Trew with a libretto by Opera 5 General Director Rachel Krehm, Opera 5’s first production of musical theatre with performances of Elegies: A Song Cycle by William Finn, and a Gala Performance featuring our Portfolio Artist Interns. Opera 5’s Toronto Opera Festival is Toronto’s first-ever festival of opera and musical theatre celebrating Canadian creation and performers, while creating a…

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