Opera - my/maSCENA

Photo: Jiyang Chen

Newswire | Bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green wins Met’s 2023 Beverly Sills Artist Award

By Newswire on 19 April 2023 Arts Industry, Classical Music, Newswire, Opera

New York, NY (April 19, 2023) —The Metropolitan Opera has named bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green the winner of the 2023 Beverly Sills Artist Award, the second time that Green has received this honor. Previously, Green shared the award with four other artists in 2021, the season that had been canceled due to the pandemic. The annual $50,000 award recognizes extraordinarily gifted singers with rising Met careers. Established in 2006 by an endowment gift from the late Agnes Varis, a former Met Board member, the award is given in honor of legendary American soprano Beverly Sills. Most recently at the Met,…

Photos: COC

Newswire | Association for Opera in Canada Announces Finalists for New Works Pitch Program

By Newswire on 14 April 2023 Classical Music, Newswire, Opera, Vocal

Toronto, ON – The Association for Opera in Canada (AOC) is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2023 edition of its New Canadian Works Pitch Program, which is funded by the Azrieli Foundation. This program provides an opportunity for artists, creators, and producers to discuss their works with potential producers, co-producers, co-commissioners and presenters. The finalists were selected by a jury based on artistic merit, sectoral impact, project viability, and market viability/program fit. The finalists are as follows: Likht Ensemble, Toronto: “Jewish Space Lasers,” a one-hour cabaret style theatrical piece exploring the experience of Jewish artists in classical music.…

Review | Met Live in HD: Verdi Falstaff Staging a Travesty

By Paul E. Robinson on 7 April 2023 Concert Reviews, Opera

Verdi’s opera Falstaff is an amazing achievement for a man nearly 80 years old. It is also remarkable for being Verdi’s first comic opera, and for being like Otello, the opera which preceded it, a through-composed opera lacking set piece arias and ensembles. Even in his 70s, and the most celebrated opera composer of his time, Verdi was experimenting with new ways to write an opera. Unfortunately, modern producers and directors can’t leave well enough alone and let a Verdi masterpiece speak for itself in all its magic and beauty. Gripes In this case, producer Robert Carsen has decided that…

Airat Ichmouratov (à droite) et Bertrand Laverdure (à gauche). Photo: Rico Michel

Festival Classica: The Man Who Laughs, opera by Airat Ichmouratov and Bertrand Laverdure

By Charles Angers on 25 March 2023 Canadian Music, Interviews, Opera

In 2019, Russian-Canadian composer Airat Ichmouratov teamed up with librettist, poet and writer Bertrand Laverdure to bring to life the favourite novel of his youth: The Man Who Laughs, based on the timeless tale of legendary playwright Victor Hugo. For both men, this is their first foray into opera, and for Ichmouratov, this will be his 75th opus. Ichmouratov’s love and obsession for the novel began at the age of 16 after his brother had gifted him a copy. “I was immediately captivated by the story of love and betrayal,” said Ichmouratov. Laverdure added: “Working on an unadaptable 800-page novel…

Festival Classica Goes Opera

By Justin Bernard on 25 March 2023 Canadian Music, Interviews, Opera

The history of opera in Quebec begins a new chapter this year with the arrival of Nouvel Opéra Métropolitain (NOM). In its upcoming 13th edition, Festival Classica paves the way for the future by introducing a most promising and ambitious component in its program devoted to this genre, with no less than three original productions—two of which are world premières: L’Homme qui rit (2023), L’adorable Belboul (1874) and Miguela (1891). New opera, new venue The festival team and its joint artistic and managing director Marc Boucher have worked out an agreement unlike any other with the venue, the Salle Claude-Champagne.…

Newswire | New Principal Cast Announced for COC’s Macbeth and Tosca

By Newswire on 24 March 2023 Classical Music, Newswire, Opera, Vocal

Toronto – The Canadian Opera Company welcomes four new cast members for its spring season, stepping in for sopranos Sondra Radvanovsky and Olga Busuioc who must regrettably withdraw for personal and health reasons, respectively. Bulgarian soprano Alexandrina Pendatchanska and Ukrainian soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska will now share the role of Lady Macbeth in the COC’s production of the classic Verdi opera. In addition, Irish soprano Sinéad Campbell-Wallace and American soprano Keri Alkema will share the title role in Puccini’s Tosca. “The nature of opera as a living art form means that, occasionally, life off stage will impact artists’ planned performances on stage,”…

Photo: Mark Allan/Barbican

Newswire | The Metropolitan Opera announces its 2023–24 season, with the most new works in the company’s modern history

By Newswire on 24 February 2023 Newswire, Opera

New York, NY (February 22, 2023) — The Metropolitan Opera today announced a 2023–24 season with the most new works in the company’s modern history—including four Met premieres—showcasing its dedication to expanding the repertoire and to reaching new audiences. While fully one-third of the operas presented next season are recent, the lineup also includes a full slate of classics, among them new productions of Bizet’s Carmen and Verdi’s La Forza del Destino and revivals of works by Verdi, Puccini, Wagner, Gounod, Mozart, and Gluck. The season includes six new productions in all. A host of major singers, conductors, and directors…

CD Review | Albertine en cinq temps – L’opéra (ATMA Classique, 2022)

By Zenith Wolfe on 18 February 2023 CD and Book Reviews, Opera, Quebec Music

Albertine en cinq temps – L’opéra Chantal Lambert, Monique Pagé, Chantal Dionne, Catherine St-Arnaud, Marianne Lambert, sopranos; Florence Bourget, mezzo-soprano; Marie-Claude Roy, piano; Mélanie Vaugeois, violin; Élise Poulin, English horn; Annie Gadbois, cello; Anaïs Vigeant, double bass ATMA Classique, 2022 Albertine en cinq temps – L’opéra follows the touching story of Albertine, an aging Québécois mother reflecting on five different parts of her life as she moves into a retirement home. There’s a good reason soprano Chantal Lambert stars as the most prominent voice in the opera, Albertine at 70 years of age. She pours her soul into the album,…

2023 Singing Valentines: Spreading the Love!

By La Scena Musicale Team on 6 February 2023 Art Song, Classical Music, Opera, Popular Music, Vocal

“Over the last year and a half, I lost both my 86-year-old father-in-law and my 99-year-old father, and I want to do something special for seniors.” – Wah Keung Chan La Scena Musicale’s Singing Valentines Fundraiser is back for its 13th edition, and we are here to spread the love. We have 20-plus amazing professional singers involved in this year’s project. Previously, we have used this incredible service as a fundraiser for La Scena Musicale. This year we have a new objective: to show love to our community by offering 100 FREE serenades for seniors 65+. “Over the last year…

Microphones in the Opera House!?

By Karim Blondy on 6 February 2023 Audio, Opera, Technology

by Karim Blondy and Adrian Rodriguez The use of microphones in opera productions is a topic that has long been a source of debate among opera enthusiasts and professionals alike. While some argue that the use of microphones detracts from the authenticity of the performance, others argue that they are necessary to enhance the audience’s experience and the performers’ ability to hear and stay in tune with the orchestra. Traditionally, operas were not performed with microphones, but these days many performances take place in large theatres which were built for a multiple array of musical productions, mostly electrified music types,…

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