By Francisco Salazar
Opernhaus Zürich has announced a cast change for its performance of “Tosca” on Dec. 20.
The company announced that Vittorio Grigolo will sing the role of Cavaradossi, replacing Jonas Kaufmann who is ill.
Kaufmann also took to social media and said, “as you know, viruses and bacteria are currently running hand in hand everywhere. Now another infection has struck me. With a heavy heart, I have to guard the bed instead of singing Cavaradossi. Stay well, your Jonas.”
Grigolo, who has sung the role of Cavaradossi at the Metropolitan Opera and Wiener Staatsoper, will join a cast that includes Sondra Radvanovsky and Bryn Terfel.
Kaufmann next performs a Christmas concert and a New Year’s concert. He is set to join Ludovic Tézier for a gala in Baden-Baden in January.
By Francisco Salazar
Verdi’s “Aida” is set to open the Metropolitan Opera’s 2024-25 season.
The New York Observer unveiled the news in its review of the company’s current production by Sonja Frisell. The news source also added that Angel Blue will be singing the title role.
The new production is set to be directed by Michael Mayer, which was originally set to open the Met during the 2020-21 season but was postponed due to the pandemic. The Met reconfirmed the Mayer production earlier this season when it announced that Frisell’s production would be performed for the last time.
Mayer has previously directed “La Traviata” and “Rigoletto” at the Met. Blue is set to make her role debut as “Aida” at the Detriot Opera and will sing a summer run of the opera at the Royal Opera House. This season the soprano also returns to the Metropolitan Opera and the Santa Fe Opera.
By Nicolas Quiroga
The Cleveland Orchestra will give its annual concert honoring the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Concert Hall at Severance Music Center on January 15, 2023.
The showcase will be conducted by Daniel Reith and is set to feature the Community Volunteer Choir conducted by Dr. William Henry Caldwell. Bass Soloman Howard will narrate. The showcase will also feature the Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Chorus.
The program will include works by Dorsey, Price, Herbert, Shropshire, Copland, Johnson, and Coleridge-Taylor, among others.
Additionally, the 19th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Awards 2023 will also be presented as part of the concert. The awards aim to recognize individuals and organizations that have provided extraordinary service to the community and reflect the spirit of Dr. King.
There will also be two additional events around the celebration. On Jan. 16, there will be a free Community Day featuring the Cleveland Youth Chorus under Daniel Singer. The program will feature music by Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate and Mari Esabel Valverde, among others.
There will also be a performance by the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra under Daniel Reith. The ensemble will perform music by Hailstork, Prokofiev, Saint-Saens, Walker, and Brahms.
By Francisco Salazar
Nestor Bayona has been named Resident Conductor of the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra.
The news comes after the Spanish conductor assisted the orchestra and Marin Alsop on a successful tour to Japan. As the new Resident Conductor, Bayona will join NOSPR and its Music Director Lawrence Foster during the 2022-23 season after a two-year tenure as its Assistant Conductor.
Starting in January 2023, Bayona will assist Foster as well as conduct a number of symphonic concerts, leading NOSPR in a variety of different concert programs, and significant projects such as recordings, family, and educational concerts.
In a statement, Bayona said, “I am thrilled to be taking on the new role as Resident Conductor of the Polish National Symphony Orchestra NOSPR. It is one of the finest-sounding orchestras in Europe. I have built up a very warm relationship with the orchestra over the past two years and look forward to working more closely with Lawrence Forster and the orchestra in the 2022/23 season.”
During the 2022-23 season Bayona will also assist the Liverpool Philharmonic on Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi” and make his debut with the Orquestra Simfònica del Vallès at the finals of the Ricard Viñes Piano Competition. He will also conduct concerts with NOSPR and the Filarmonica Transilvania.
By Francisco Salazar
Opera Southwest has been selected by the Solti Foundation to host Nathaniel Efthimiou, a recipient of the Sir Georg Solti Foundation’s U.S. Career Assistance Award and 2023 Elizabeth Buccheri Opera Residency program.
Opera Southwest’s Apprentice Artist program has offered early career singers a rare opportunity to perform a staged, professional principal role, with orchestra. As a result, this approach was a perfect fit for the Solti Foundation’s Opera Residency program for early career opera conductors.
Awardee Efthimiou will conduct one of the performances of Opera Southwest’s Apprentice Opera in 2023, which will be Rossini’s “L’occasione fa il ladro.”
The young conductor will also have the opportunity to study and be mentored intensively by OSW Artistic Director and Principal Conductor, Anthony Barrese.
In a statement, Barrese said, “I am delighted to collaborate with the Solti Foundation U.S. to provide young conductors with this opportunity. When I was a young conductor, awards and assistantships provided money and experience, but this award is unique in the opera world in that it comes with a guaranteed performance, conducting a complete staged opera with orchestra.”
Efthimiou is the founding Music Director of Orchestra Contempo, Interim Assistant Conductor of the Rhode Island Philharmonic, and Assistant Professor at Berklee College of Music. He has conducted the London Symphony Orchestra, Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Naples Philharmonic, and Amarillo Symphony.
By David Salazar
OperaStreaming has announced a series of streams for the holiday season.
The company will kick things off with “Rigoletto” at the Municipal Theater of Piacenza. The production will star Amartuvshin Enkhbat in the title role alongside Marco Ciaponi as the Duke of Mantua and Federica Guida as Gilda. Other cast members include Mattia Denit and Rossana Rinaldi as Sparafucile and Maddalena, respectively. Francesco Ivan Ciampa conducts a production directed by legendary Rigoletto interpreter Leo Nucci.
Streaming Date: Dec. 18, 2022
Also from the Municipal Theater of Piacenza is a Verdi Gala starring Plácido Domingo and Anastasia Bartoli. Francesco Ivan Ciampa conducts a performance featuring music from “I Vespri Siciliani,” “Macbeth,” “Ernani,” “Nabucco,” and “La Forza del Destino,” among others.
Streaming Date: Dec. 23, 2022
Finally, the company will stream two performances of “Die Fledermaus” from the Teatro Comunale di Ferrara. The work stars Alessandro Fantoni, Scilla Cristiano, Francesco Bossi, Camilla Antonini, Jeséus Pineiro, Tania Bussi, Maurizio Leoni, Maecandrea Mingioni, Alessio Cioni, and Isabella Gilli. Marco Fiorini conducts.
Streaming Date: Dec. 30 & 31, 2022
By Francisco Salazar
The Metropolitan Opera has announced a new cast change for its “Aida” performance Dec. 17.
The company noted that tenor Limmie Pulliam will make his Met debut as Radamès, replacing Brian Jagde, who was originally scheduled to sing.
Pulliam has performed with the LA Opera, Vashon Opera, Livermore Valley Opera, and the Cleveland Orchestra. His repertoire includes the works of Verdi, Puccini, Leoncavallo, and Beethoven. This season he is set to perform with the Tulsa Opera and Portland Opera, among others.
The cast change marks the second today for the performance, following the announcement that Anita Rachevlishvili had canceled all of her remaining performances in the run.
Pulliam is set to join a cast that includes Olesya Petrova, Quinn Kelsey, Christian Van Horn, and Michelle Bradley. Paolo Carignani conducts.
Brian Jagde returns to the production on Dec. 21, 2022.
Julie Taymor’s Timeless Production Doesn’t Get the Show it Deserves
By Chris Ruel
(Photo: Marty Sohl / Met Opera)
During the holiday season, the Met’s annual presentation of a family-friendly, abridged version of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” sung in English is a treat for the young and the young-at-heart. The show’s runtime is shy of two hours, and the Julie Taymor production, though getting a bit dated, offers plenty of spectacle and goofiness to keep fidgety kids engaged. (While sung in English, this review uses the German titles of arias.)
The bare bones plot is one readily recognizable by children: a prince goes on a quest to find a princess who has been kidnapped. Throw in an evil queen and chatty sidekick, and you have all the ingredients found in a traditional fairy tale. This is “Flute’s” secret sauce; its ability to endure comes from its stunning music and the story’s timelessness.
After Mozart’s longtime collaborator, librettist Lorenzo da Ponte was booted from his position by royal command, Mozart’s hit-making but now scandal-ridden and impoverished librettist moved to the United States and ran various businesses. In 1828, he made his way back into opera and founded America’s first opera house, the New York Opera Company.
Meanwhile, back in Austria, Mozart was doubtlessly bummed by the loss of his librettist. Who could step into Da Ponte’s shoes? Enter Emanuel Schikaneder, an old friend of Mozart’s who had taken over the directorship of the Theater auf der Weiden, a.k.a. the Freyhaustheater. The impresario enjoyed significant success, staging operas, plays, and singspiel productions.
The details of how the Mozart/Schikaneder partnership came to be has been debated among musicologists, and there are not a few myths floating around, one positing that Schikaneder was destitute and couldn’t pay Mozart for his work, so the great composer took on writing a massive opera pro bono. That one is quite dubious; even Mozart had bills to pay. Besides, Schikaneder ran a highly successful troupe, which included Mozart’s sister-in-law, coloratura soprano Josepha Hofer, the originator of the Queen of the Night.
What’s true and what’s not surrounding “The Magic Flute” is fodder for fun speculation and has been for over two centuries, i.e., Mozart being murdered at the hands of fellow Masons or Mozart murdered by Salieri. Mozart and Schikaneder were both Masons, so if the Brothers were out to silence Mozart for revealing their secrets in operatic form, wouldn’t they take out Schikaneder, too? He wrote the story! No, boringly, Mozart’s death in 1791 was of illness. But before he left, he gave us “The Magic Flute.”
Kids are the Best Critics
While the operas written in collaboration with Da Ponte were huge successes and have forever remained in the repertoire, none have the magic of “Flute.” Departing from the sex farces written for the court, Mozart wrote what is considered the first popular musical—popular both in success and in nature. “Flute” was always meant to be entertainment for all. However, that didn’t strip the work of meaning, and here’s where the Masons enter the scene. Mozart’s involvement in the Brotherhood has been commented upon ad nauseam so that the point won’t be belabored in this review. The one aspect that should be pointed out, as it pertains to the Taymor production, in particular, is its use of Masonic symbolism, some of which comes right from the frontispiece of the original printed libretto, complete with circles, squares, triangles, and arches, along with the mysterious shapes akin to hieroglyphics.
So, there’s the background without too repetition of previous reviews and analyses. Let’s move on and look at the 2022-23 production’s opening night on Friday, December 16.
There is much to like about the abridged version, even as an adult. The full-length “Die Zauberflöte” can be a slog for those new to opera or the opera-curious. Encouraging this cohort to try the art form with the foreshortened version in English is a fantastic introduction. The Met lines up one show-stopping moment after another: from brilliant puppetry featuring enormous birds and dancing bears to three kids (the Three Spirits) suspended from the fly space singing the sweetest melodies. It’s one “Wow!” after another.
Kids are the best critics, and they don’t hold back their thoughts. The production has succeeded when they laugh at Papageno’s antics or ooh and ahh at the giant statues spitting flames from their heads. That’s important because it’s creatively re-thought shows like “Flute,” adapted specifically for children and non-opera-goers that create the next generation of opera fans, or so one hopes. What the kids hear regarding vocal virtuosity shouldn’t be discounted, but they’re not sitting back thinking, “Oh, no, the offstage choir was off by a beat.” That’s for others to pick up.
Strong Work from a Trio of Principals
Designed for children or not, Met audiences are due a world-class performance. The show’s opening night did not meet that standard, unfortunately.
Sometimes opening nights feel like a final dress rehearsal; this one felt like it was far earlier in the rehearsal process. Overall, the show was lifeless and vocally dull. The orchestra was molasses in its tempi. Cues were missed. And except for three of the principals, the singers appeared out of their element, to be paying more attention to producing the right notes than providing their characters with personality.
In an opera full of Masonic numerology revolving around the number three, it’s ironic that three of the principals gave the best performances of the evening. In the role of Princess Pamina, soprano Joélle Harvey had an excellent outing. Her voice is a sparkling coloratura, and she used a full range of dynamics and shading, providing a nuanced performance with personality. Her “Ach, ich fühl’s” was dreamy as she floated the high notes pianissimo, including high Bs. Harvey was playful, joyous, torn, in love, devastated… name the emotion, and Harvey nailed it, making her stage presence captivating and engaging.
Singing opposite Harvey was tenor Ben Bliss as Prince Tamino. Like his counterpart, Bliss came out swinging vocally and dramatically. Bliss’ brassiness lent a certain determined innocence to the character, and his acting was strong. Tamino’s takeaway number, “Dies Bildnis ist bezaudbernd schön,” isn’t full of vocal fireworks. Instead, it’s a touching love song full of longing and innocent desire. The aria is one during which you can close your eyes and have a solid understanding of what’s being sung, regardless of language. Like Harvey, Bliss appeared at home on stage and hammed up his frustration at Papageno’s chattiness, cowardice, and willingness to remain an ordinary bird catcher rather than gaining great wisdom.
In the role of the lovable bird man, Joshua Hopkins had a wonderful sense of comedic timing, played to the crowd, and as is typical, drew the most laughter outside of Monostatos (tenor Rowell Rosel) opening his bat-winged costume and flashing his comically hideous figure to scare away foes.
Harvey, Bliss, and Hopkins were the glue that held the shaky performance from falling apart.
The Struggles of a Queen and a Priest
Some may disagree, but the show’s true star is the Queen of the Night. She has the barn burner arias with which a coloratura can put jaws on the floor. It’s painful to say, but Alessandra Olczyk muddled her way through both “Zum Leiden” and “Der Hölle Rache.” She did not appear or sound ready for one of the highest-profile role in the opera. Olczyk’s movements were stilted and unexciting as she focused on the notes, looking too afraid to move. Queens of the Night don’t park and bark, but that’s what the audience got. Vocally, Olczyk was shaky—unstable—which was frightening knowing both arias’ demanding jumps, runs, and high notes. The mommy dearest of opera was missing in action, and the wicked vitality, menace, and over-the-top drama fell short. No doubt, Olczyk has big shoes to fill, and while the performance was her Met debut, she has sung the role at big-name houses in Germany and her native Poland. When all was sung and done, she still drew the loudest applause at curtain call, though the audience response to her arias was tepid.
Mozart likes to play with extremes. “Der Hölle Rache” tops out with an F6, while Sarastro bottoms out with an F2 in “Isis and Osiris.” These are generally the highest and lowest notes a soprano and bass are asked to sing, respectively. High notes are dangerous, and low notes are equally so. Basso profundos performing Sarastro should shake the floor. However, an unfortunate truth about being a bass is that some roles—Sarastro, one of them—require vocal maturity. This is not to the exclusion of younger basses, who do can navigate the deepest vocal trenches in music, but those are not the norm.
Soloman Howard is a great bass who has had a solid Met Opera career, but he, like Olczyk, came across as unsure and concerned about the notes. And like Olczyk, the role isn’t new to him, but the timidity stripped the booming character of its thunder gravity. The final F2 of “O Isis un Osiris” simply wasn’t there, and the maestro, Duncan Ward, brought the dynamics up to cover the singer’s exposure.
Why the Queen and Sarastro went vocally sideways is anyone’s guess, but when those two characters underperform, the opera pays dearly.
Problems in the Pit
Turing attention to the band under Duncan Ward, it did not have a stellar outing. Ward’s pacing was slow, perhaps because he knew a few of his soloists were struggling; that’s pure speculation, of course, but he had to have known. Ward’s elegant style is full of small, refined, and precise gestures. Yet, somehow the offstage chorus fell behind, and Olczyk and Howard kept a noticeably tight eye on the maestro as if seeking guidance and adding to the rehearsal-like feel. This wasn’t the case with Harvey, Bliss, or Hopkins.
The orchestra came across as half-hearted. Mozart wrote some of his most thrilling music for “Flute,” but it played too slowly, soft, and lacked punch. For example, the second bar of “Der Hölle Rache” has a lightning fast four 32nd grace notes that lead to the sforzando orchestra hit before the Queen launches into her rage. The hit sounded squishy and uncertain. The tremolo strings in the first bar were ill-timed and seemed to catch Olczyk by surprise, which, right off the bat, warned of what lay ahead. From the seats, it sounded like a “let’s try that again” moment, but there are no do-overs in live musical theater except when a singer burns the place down and the audience demands an encore.
One aspect of the Met’s adaptation that has never sat well is the exclusion of the Overture; it’s a fantastic piece of music and gets everyone’s blood pumping. Remove it from the opera, and the orchestra loses its showpiece as the music goes right into “Zu Hilfe!” when the curtain opens. To exclude the Overture is a bit of an insult to the audience. Is it thought too long? A six-minute pop song is long. A six-minute overture, not so much. If the fear is that the kids will grow antsy because nothing is happening on stage, there’s been a failure of imagination. The Met production of “Così fan tutte” uses the overture to introduce a coterie of performers—a fire eater, a sword swallower, a snake handler, and a bearded lady, among other midway artists. Indeed, the Met, full of amazing creatives and a brilliant ballet corps, could fill “Flute” Overture with spellbinding artistry.
Speaking of the ballet corps, they never fail to charm and delight as they strut and dance flamingo-like around Papageno. Their appearance is always a highlight.
As mentioned earlier, the Taymor set isn’t the wonder it used to be, and some costumes are inscrutable. Sarastro and Tamino dress in quasi-Kabuki outfits while members of the Brotherhood look like Dada artist Hugo Ball reading “Karawane” at Cabaret Voltaire. Meanwhile, Papageno wears a backward baseball cap with a bird bill. Though lacking in sartorial consistency, the costuming helps keep the opera in the realm of fantasy.
Taymor’s “Flute” is known for its mind-boggling puppetry. And no matter how many times you see the show, watching three very young singers travel slowly across the length of the stage while sitting on a trapeze at a dizzying height is breathtaking.
The Met is premiering a new production of “Die Zauberflöte” by Simon McBurney at the end of the season. Will it replace Taymor’s as its family production? That’s to be determined, but there’s a high degree of whimsy in the current show, and maybe, for that reason, it should remain the Met’s holiday “Flute” adaptation of choice.
By David Salazar
San Francisco’s Presidio Theatre has announced its 2023 spring season.
For the purposes of this article, our focus will be solely on vocal and operatic performances.
The Lamplighters will present “By Georges! A Day in the Life of the Legendary Chevalier de St. Georges.” The showcase is the company’s first production from its operetta commission project.
Performance Date: May 6, 2023
The New Century Chamber Orchestra will present “Points of Origin,” a performance featuring Jessie Montgomery’s “Banner,” a reimagining of the U.S. national anthem, and Nico Muhly’s song cycle “Stranger,” which will star tenor Nicholas Phan. The program will also feature Vaughan Williams’ “Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis,” Britten’s “Variations on a Theme by Frank Bridge,” and a world premiere by Hannah Kendall.
Performance Date: May 18, 2023
Music of Remembrance will showcase Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s “Before It All Goes Dark” and “Another Sunrise.” The former stars Ryan McKinny and Megan Marino, while the latter stars Caitlin Lynch.
Performance Date: May 24, 2023
By Francisco Salazar
(Credit: Suzanne Vinnik)
J’Nai Bridges is speaking out about the challenges regarding housing and traveling that come with an international career as an opera singer.
The mezzo took to social media, and said, “As I prepare to press the button on Airbnb to book my next 3-month departure for work I am met with great frustration. When I tell people outside of the opera business that I have to pay for my own housing they are appalled and greatly offended on my behalf. Yes, opera singers literally pay double housing costs. Opera housing rent plus home rent/mortgage. The glamour of being an opera singer is not always so glamorous. It’s extremely expensive and I can think of many ways to alleviate this hardship on artists.
So many practices we consider “normal” are just really not acceptable and flat-right disrespectful.”
The mezzo added, “No, I do not want to rent my home apartment out when I’m away and I shouldn’t have to. No, I am not a trust fund child where my parents can support me with property. No, moving home isn’t an option. No, I shouldn’t have to contact donors for housing connections. And no, my fee shouldn’t be affected if housing is provided. Making sure artists are treated with complete dignity and respect should include a fee AND housing.”
The post has garnered the attention of many singers and industry people being shared over 63 times and garnering 100s of comments. Bridges recently attended the Kennedy Center Honors and made her Canadian Opera Company debut.
