By Francisco Salazar
The Opera Theatre of Saint Louis has announced the renewal of General Director Andrew Jorgensen’s contract.
The board of directors led by Kim Eberlein announced the renewal for an additional five-year term. Jorgensen well now lead the company through June 30, 2028, which will mark Jorgensen’s 10th year at Opera Theatre.
In a statement Eberlein, “Andrew has proven himself to be exactly the right leader for this time in America, as the arts embrace more diverse voices, incorporate exciting advances in technology, and strive to connect our community in new ways. During these past few years of challenges, Andrew has demonstrated incredible integrity, openness, and wisdom to successfully navigate through this period. We’re excited to see how OTSL will continue to flourish in the next six years under his thoughtful, visionary leadership.”
Meanwhile, Jorgensen noted, “I’m elated to be leading this phenomenal company for another six years, and I’m so grateful for the Board’s trust and faith in me. OTSL’s future is bright, and we’re all excited about our journey forward. I’m fortunate to work in such a culturally rich city with visionary artistic partners, an incredible staff, and the most wonderful patrons and donors. My husband Mark and I are thrilled to grow our family in this fantastic community.”
By Francisco Salazar
The Budapest Opera House is set to present the Ring cycle after 15 years.
The tetralogy will be presented for four weeks in November 2022 in a production staged by Géza M. Tóth. Balázs Kocsár will conduct a cast that includes Hungarian soloist István Kovácsházi, Szilvia Rálik, Eszter Sümegi, Zoltán Nyári, Tünde Szabóki, Mihály Kálmándy, Béla Perencz and Krisztián Cser.
Géza M. Tóth is a Béla Balázs Award recipient and Oscar nominee who began re-staging the entire Ring cycle at the Opera House in 2015 based on a unified concept, following a year of preparatory work.
The production features projections, sci-fi motifs, and approaches the story based on Germanic and Scandinavian mythological elements from today’s social issues.
The opera house presented the first three installments of the tetralogy in 2015, 2016, and 2017, while the premiere of Götterdämmerung could only take place in May 2022 due to the renovation of the historic Opera House.
The opera will be performed twice, every Saturday and once the following week: “Das Rheingold” on Nov. 5 & 9, “Die Walküre” on 12 & 16, “Siegfried” on the 19 & 23, and “Götterdämmerung.”
By Francisco Salazar
Mezzo-soprano Dara Savinova has joined the roster of Svanholm Artists Management.
The mezzo is a former member of the International Opera Studio at Opernhaus Zürich and of the Salzburger Festspiele’s Young Artist Project and is a rising star.
The Estonian mezzo-soprano is set to return to the Royal Swedish Opera during the 2023-24 season. During the 2021-22 season she performed at the Stadttheater Klagenfurt, the Staatstheater Hannover, the Landestheater Detmold, and the Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik.
She has also performed at the Théâtre du Champs-Elysées, Theater an der Wien, Festival della valle d’Itria, Bregenzer Festspiele, Theater Basel, Bashmet Festival in Sochi, and Opernhaus Zürich.
She recently recorded the roles of Ino & Juno in Handel’s Semele with Leonardo García Alarcon and the Millenium Orchestrafor the Ricercar label.
By Francisco Salazar
(Credit: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera)
Verdi’s “Don Carlo” is set to return to the Metropolitan Opera for nine performances in the four-act Italian version.
The opera, which is set to be performed between Nov. 3 and Dec. 3, 2022 will star Russell Thomas in the title role. Interestingly, Thomas will sing “Don Carlo” at the Met for the first time, 17 years after his Met debut in the same work, then in the role of the Royal Herald.
Eleonora Buratto and Angela Meade will share the role of Elisabetta di Valois alongside baritone Peter Mattei as Rodrigo, and bass Günther Groissböck as Filippo II. Bass-baritone John Relyea reprises his role as the Grand Inquisitor and mezzo-soprano Yulia Matochkina as Eboli,
Maestro Carlo Rizzi will conduct the opera. In an interview Rizzi spoke of the four-act version noting, I think that in the four-act Italian version, the lack of this act is a weakness because we don’t understand clearly why Carlo is so obsessed with having lost Elisabetta, and the only thing to do is to really use every word at the beginning, when Carlo comes on stage, to portray his desperation and underline the fact that they’ve been lovers only for one day and she’s been taken away. This is clear in his aria “Io la vidi” and this aria is very interesting: although it’s written in a very lyrical way, it’s also very critical of his father, he said that the person who kidnapped his love is the king, his father. This is what we’re working on with Russell Thomas because this is the only moment where the audience can understand why there is a lot of history between Carlo and Elisabetta that we actually don’t see in this version.”
The opera is set to broadcast on Nov. 3, 15, and 30, 2022 on the Metropolitan Opera Radio on SiriusXM Channel 355. A fall performance of “Don Carlo” will also be rebroadcast on Feb. 18, 2023, over the Toll Brothers–Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network.
By Francisco Salazar
The Staatsoper unter den Berlin has announced that Daniel Barenboim will miss his 80th birthday celebration.
In a statement, the company said, “It is with great regret that Daniel Barenboim for health reasons has to cancel the concert planned on the day of his 80th birthday on November 15, together with Zubin Mehta and the Staatskapelle Berlin. We hope to be able to make up for the concert at a later date.”
The company added, “Intendant Matthias Schulz, Managing Director Ronny Unganz and all staff members wish Daniel Barenboim all the best and a very speedy recovery!”
The Berlin opera is inviting audience members to send Barenboim birthday wishes by sending messages until Nov. 10 to social@staatsoper-berlin.de. The company will collect them and hand them over to Daniel Barenboim on his birthday on Nov. 15.
The news comes after Barenboim announced he would be stepping back from performing after being diagnosed with a serious neurological condition.
By Francisco Salazar
Mezzo-Soprano Joanna Simon has died at the age of 85.
Simon died from thyroid cancer in Manhattan on October 19, 2022, a day before her 86th birthday.
Born on Oct. 20, 1936 in New York City, Simon grew up in Riverdale, Bronx. Her father, Richard L. Simon, was the founder of the Simon & Schuster publishing company and she had two younger sisters, singer Carly Simon and singer-composer Lucy Simon, and a brother, Peter Simon, a photographer.
Simon went to school at the Riverdale Country School and the Sarah Lawrence College where she graduated with a degree in philosophy in 1962. She went on to study with Marion Freschl who reoriented her career towards opera.
Later she went to the Zurich-based International Opera Studio under the leadership of Herbert Graf and with composer Gian Carlo Menotti at the Spoletto Festival and made her debut in November 1962 with the New York City Opera in Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” where she played the role of Cherubino.
That same year she won both the regional division of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and the Marian Anderson Award.
In 1965 she made her debut with the New York Philharmonic under conductor William Steinberg and recorded the Beethoven Symphony No. 9 for Command Records, this time with Steinberg conducting the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. That would be followed by performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra at Carnegie Hall in New York and the Academy of Music in Philadelphia. There would also be a recording of Claude Debussy’s “Le Martyre de saint Sébastien” and performances at the Tanglewood Music Festival.
In 1967 Simon performed in the world premiere of Argentinian composer Alberto Ginastera’s “Bomarzo” at the Lisner Auditorium in Washington, D.C. for the Washington Opera Society. The role would garner her praise and she later sang opera with the New York City Opera and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. The opera would also be recorded for CBS Records in 1968 with conductor Julius Rudel.
From there she debuted with the Salzburg Festival, Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux, The Little Orchestra Society, and the Israel Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta in Tel Aviv.
In 1970 Simon sang the role of Irene for the first recording ever made of Handel’s “Tamerlano” with conductor John Moriarty and the Chamber Orchestra of Copenhagen.
She also sang with the Vienna Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Museum of the City of New York, Nevada Opera, and the Academy of Music in Philadelphia. In 1972 she created the title role in the world premiere of Thomas Pasatieri’s “Black Widow” at the Seattle Opera and in 1975 she sang the world premiere of Robert Starer’s “The Last Lover” at the Caramoor Music Festival.
She would continue singing internationally and in 1985 Simon was one of several singers from the New York City Opera hired to perform in a concert of the music of Richard Rodgers at Carnegie Hall.
From 1986 until 1992 Simon was the arts correspondent with the MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour and she had an extended interview with tenor José Carreras about his battle with leukemia. She won an Emmy Award in 1991 for her work on that program creating a documentary about manic depression and creativity.
In 1999 she returned to the stage to perform in a concert of Weill’s music at Weill Recital Hall with soprano Angelina Réaux and baritone Kurt Ollmann.
Simon also appeared on TV on numerous occasions including as a presenter at the 13th Annual Grammy Awards and was a featured performer on the very last episode of The Ed Sullivan Show.
Simon’s sister the Tony and Grammy Award-winning Lucy Simon, 82, died of metastatic breast cancer on On Oct. 21 and Carly released a statement, “I am filled with sorrow to speak about the passing of Joanna and Lucy Simon. Their loss will be long and haunting. As sad as this day is, it’s impossible to mourn them without celebrating their incredible lives that they lived. We were three sisters who not only took turns blazing trails and marking courses for one another, we were each other’s secret shares. The co-keepers of each other’s memories.”
By Afton Wooten
Kemal Yusuf’s new opera “xxx” will make history by being the first opera to premiere on Tik Tok.
The premiere will star London-based mezzo-soprano Stephanie Wake-Edwards, alongside the composer. The two artists will make the transition from a typical Tik Tok “talking head video” into a more intricate audio-visual experience.
“xxx” follows the narrative of “the night is in you” and “you are there in the night.” Wake-Edwards’ face will be digitally manipulated as will her voice into seven-part harmony eluding to the changes in the text and versions of the character.
“xxx” makes its debut on Oct. 31 at 8 p.m. UK time. Viewing is available on the Tik Tok app @kemyusuf. After the premiere, “xxx” will remain on Tik Tok and be uploaded to Youtube.
By David Salazar
The Greek National Opera will present the GNO TV premiere of Verdi’s “Otello” on Nov. 6, 2022.
The opera stars Aleksandrs Antonenko in the title role alongside soprano Celia Costea and baritone Tassis Christoyannis. Other cast members include Dimitris Paksoglou, Yannis Kalyvas, Petros Magoulas, Marinos Tarnas, Pavlos Sampsakis, and Violetta Lousta. Stathis Soulis conducts a production directed by Robert Wilson.
“‘Otello’ takes a lot of concentration,” said Wilson in an official press statement issued by the company. “This story is more of an internal conflict, a question of insecurity with someone who is very strong and also very weak. It’s a traditional, tragic, complicated situation. ‘Otello’ is dealing with the question ‘what is it like to be a foreigner?’ One finds these classical conflicts throughout all literature, throughout all history. One can say it is contemporary, but I would rather say it’s full of time. It is not ‘timeless,’ but full of time. We can go back to the 16th century or to the 19th century or we can be in the 21st century – we still have the same old conflicts.”
The opera was filmed on March 2 and 5 when it was presented at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Athens. Audiences can watch the stream with Greek, English, and French subtitles.
By Francisco Salazar
The New York Festival of Song continues its new season with “KABARETT.”
The concert will be presented on Nov. 16, 2022 at the Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center.
The program will highlight songs from Berlin’s fabled nightspots during the Weimar era, featuring music by Hollaender, Spoliansky, Bienert, Tucholsky, Eisler, and others. Soloists will include Soprano Sari Gruber, mezzo-soprano Naomi Louisa O’Connell, and baritone Justin Austin who will be joined by Artistic Director Steven Blier at the piano.
In a statement, Blier said, “The issues they deal with—the vicissitudes of sexuality and gender, the loneliness and the dazzle of city life, the menace of political despots—could have been ripped from today’s headlines. The songs have humor, grit, and political insight.”
Additionally, O’Connell said, “There is something delicious about performing cabaret of the Weimar era: brilliant, incisive text and good tunes with enough room left around the edges for performers to leave their own mark on it. Reading through songs set to Tucholsky’s writing at the Deutsches Literatur Archiv in Marbach, I was surprised at how the razor-sharp observations of 100 years ago feel eerily appropriate today, as we watch our little world repeat itself. I am looking forward to this program immensely.”
By Francisco Salazar
Mariana Nicolesco has died at the age of 73.
The soprano died at a hospital in Bucharest on Oct 14, 2022, and was buried on Oct. 19 in the city’s Ghencea Cemetery.
Born in Găujani, Giurgiu County in Romania, Nicolesco studied violin at the Music High School in Brașov, graduating playing Bruch’s Violin Concerto. When she went to the Music Conservatory in Cluj-Napoca she started singing and went on to win a scholarship at the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia in Rome.
During her studies, she worked with Jolanda Magnoni, Rodolfo Celletti, and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. After graduating she won the Voci Rossiniane competition in Milan and it launched her international career.
Under conductor Thomas Schippers she sang the role of Mimì in Puccini’s “La Bohème” in Cincinnati and was later invited by Luchino Visconti to appear in Verdi’s “Don Carlos” at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma.
From there she appeared at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino as Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata, a role she sang over 200 times.
In 1978, Nicolesco made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera and went on to perform at many of the leading theaters in the world including Teatro alla Scala, Salzburg Festival, and Rossini Opera Festival.
Among the operas she performed included the world première of Luciano Berio’s “La Vera Storia,” Donna Anna in Dargomyzhsky’s “The Stone Guest,” Cinna in Mozart’s “Lucio Silla,” the soprano solo of Penderecki’s Polish Requiem, Euridice in Rossi’s “Orfeo, La Protagonista in Berio’s “Un re in ascolto,” and Queen Climene in Jommelli’s “Fetonte.”
She also interpreted works from Baroque, bel canto, verismo, and contemporary music. Among the roles from this period Marzelline in Beethoven’s “Fidelio,” Mozart’s Elettra in “Idomeneo” and Vitellia in “La Clemenza di Tito,” the title roles of Bellini’s “Beatrice di Tenda,” Donizetti’s” Anna Bolena,” “Maria di Rohan” and “Maria Stuarda,” Queen Elizabeth I in “Roberto Devereux,” Verdi’s Luisa in “Luisa Miller,” Amelia in “Simon Boccanegra,” Leonora in “Il Trovatore” and Desdemona in “Otello.”
In 1991 Nicolesco returned to Romania after the fall of the Communist regime and sang in the country for the first time on a stage in her native country. She went on to create the Romanian Atheneum International Foundation and donated in 1994 a Steinway grand concert piano.
She also initiated the Hariclea Darclée International Voice Competition and Festival and created the Romanian National Festival and Song Competition.
Among the many honors of her storied included being an honorary member of the Romanian Academy, Officer of the Order of the Arts and Letters in France, and an honorary doctor of the Gheorghe Dima Music Academy in Cluj-Napoca. She was also awarded the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity, the Order of the Star of Romania, and was named UNESCO Artist for Peace and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. She was elected the Most Successful Woman in Romania and was conferred the Special Award Kulturpreis Europa Medal in Sibiu, European Capital of Culture in 2007, among many others.
