By Nicolas Quiroga
The Hungarian State Folk Ensemble is set to present “Liszt Mosiacs,” a celebration of Hungarian music and dance in a showcase starring the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra.
The performance, which is slated for June 3, 2022, will feature the Saint Efrém Male Choir, violinist István “Szalonna” Pál, and Canadian violinist Alexandre Da Costa, among others.
The evening will present works by Liszt, Bartók, Paganini, and Chopin who influenced some of the best pieces of Hungarian Romanticism. There will also be arrangements by Tamás Bubnó, István Szalonna Pál, Ferenc Radics, and Márk Bubnó.
“I hope that my wishes will be fulfilled to combine the performance of this traditional folk music and song with my choreographic approach that will result in an interesting and exciting show for the London audience. With this show, while it is inspired by folk-dance, our hope is that its nature of being quite contemporary will come to the forefront, and that the tradition only appears in a less obvious way because it’s very much a show for today’s world. The aim is to leave the museological approach towards folk-dance behind. My hope is that this joint artistic work of dance, of music, and of visual elements of contemporary dramaturgy will be a very colourful spot in the London scene,” said director-choreographer Gábor Mihályi in an official press statement.
The event will last approximately three hours.
By David Salazar
(Photo credit: Chris Gloa)
The Royal Opera House has announced a major cast change for its upcoming production of “Madama Butterfly.”
The company revealed that Dinara Alieva will not be singing the title role of Cio-Cio San on June 14, 18, 21, 24, 30, and July 6 while Olesya Petrova will not sing Suzuki during the June 18, 23, and 27 performances.
Per the company, the cancelations were due to visa processing issues that “unfortunately making it impossible for both artists to take part in the upcoming revival.” Alieva has been in Russia performing at the Bolshoi Theatre where she is an ensemble member.
Instead, Lianna Haroutounian and Eri Nakamura will share the role of Cio-Cio San; Haroutounian will take over performances on June 14, 18 (evening), 21, 24, 27, 30, and July 7 (matinee), while Nakamura, a former Jette Parker Young Artist between 2008-10, will get performances on June 18 (matinee), 23, and July 2 and 6 (evening).
In the role of Suzuki, audiences will see Kseniia Nikolaieva sharing the stage with Haroutounian; meanwhile, Patricia Bardon will also perform the role opposite Nakamura.
Haroutounian and Nikolaieva will join a cast starring Lucas Meachem and Freddie De Tommaso, while Nakamura and Bardon will be joined by Gyula Nagy and Gianluca Terranova.
By David Salazar
The Deutsche Oper Berlin has announced a major cast change for its production of “Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.”
The company stated via social media that Sir Donald Runnicles was forced to withdraw from the production due to an “acute shoulder illness.” In his stead, audiences will see and hear conductor Markus Stenz at the podium.
He will join a production by Jossi Wieler, Anna Viebrock, and Sergio Morabito, that will star Johan Reuter, Albert Pesendorfer, Gideon Poppe, Sion Pauly, Philipp Jekal, Thomas Lehman, Jörg Schörner, Clemens Bieber, Burkhard Ulrich, Stephen Bronk, Tobias Keher, Klaus Florian Vogt, Ya-Chung Huang, Heidi Stober, and Anikka Schlicht, among others.
The Wagner opera opens on June 12, 2022 and runs through July 9, 2022 for a total of six presentations. Stenz will conduct every performance with the exception of the June 26 and July 9 showcases.
By Francisco Salazar
Matthew Polenzani has canceled his debut at the Hungarian State Opera.
The tenor took to social media and said, “I am very sorry to say, I have had to cancel my performances of ‘Don Carlo’ in Budapest, due to illness. I was very much looking forward to my debut at the Hungarian State Opera, and I am saddened to have to miss visiting this beautiful city. I send all my colleagues my best wishes and offer my apologies to the opera public in Budapest. I hope to be able to sing in this beautiful theater one day soon, and until then stay safe and healthy.”
As a result, Carlo Ventre and Adorján Pataki will sing the title role. They will join a cast that includes András Palerdi, Csaba Szegedi, Zsuzsanna Ádám, Erika Gál, and Géza Gábor.
Leonardo Sini conducts the production which opens on June 8 and runs through June 18, 2022.
By David Salazar
Toledo Opera has announced its Resident Artists for the 2022-23 season.
The artists include soprano Julia Swan Laird, mezzo-soprano Imara Miles, tenor Brendan J. Boyle, and baritone Matthew Payne; joining the group will also be pianist Steven Naylor.
The resident artists will all be part of the Opera on Wheels program which visits educational institutions and brings live opera throughout Toledo. For this year’s edition of the program, the artists will present “The Pirates of Penzance.” The artists will also be involved in the company’s upcoming installments of Opera Outdoors, a series of pop-up live performances.
Finally, the resident artists will also get smaller roles in the upcoming Toledo Opera productions of “Suor Angelica / Cavalleria Rusticana,” “The Merry Widow,” and “Celebrazione del Coro.”
Laird has appeared with such companies as Opera West!, Piedmont Opera, Opera Delaware, Baltimore Concert Opera, and Tulsa Opera, while Miles has participated in programs with The Glimmerglass Festival, Grant Park Music Festival, Pensacola Opera, among others. Boyle has performed at such venues as Austin Opera House, the Hooper-Schaefer Fine Arts Center, and Waco Hall, while Payne has performed with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, the Oberlin Conservatory Orchestra, the Society for New Music, Bel Cantanti Opera Company, the Mid-Atlantic Symphony, and Central City Opera.
By David Salazar
Tenor Allan Clayton is set to join forces with pianist Kate Golla for a series of unique performances of Schubert’s “Winterreise” this summer.
The showcase, which will take place as part of Musica Viva Australia’s summer tour, will feature performances between July 12 and 27 in such cities as Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, and Canberra.
The famed Schubert song cycle will be directed by Lindy Hume and feature videography by David Bergman. Matthew Marshall will be the lighting designer.
Clayton is in the midst of a run of performances of “Hamlet” at the Metropolitan Opera. Of his work, OperaWire’s reviewed noted, “there’s no denying that he’s fully immersed in every microscopic detail attached to it. Not for one second do you even consider that this is an opera singer interpreting a character. He is the character…”
The program will be broadcast online at a date to be determined.
By Francisco Salazar
Angel Blue has signed with Askonas Holt for general management.
The soprano will be managed at Askonas Holt by Joel Thomas and Flo Rivington.
Blue is one of the principal sopranos at the Metropolitan Opera and has also performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Covent Garden, the Wiener Staatsoper, Semperoper Dresden, San Francisco Opera, Seattle Opera, Theater an der Wien, Oper Frankfurt, and San Diego Opera.
She won a Grammy Award last year for Best Opera Recording for her role in the Met Opera’s “Porgy and Bess” and this year won the Richard Tucker Foundation Award. In 2020, she became the first African-American recipient of the Beverly Sills Award.
This summer she is set to perform at the Arena di Verona and will sing the role of Marguerite in Faust at Opéra national de Paris. At the Metropolitan Opera she is set to sing the role of Violetta in “La Traviata” during the 2022-23 season.
By Logan Martell
The Cleveland Orchestra has announced that Daniel Reith has been appointed as Assistant Conductor of the company, as well as Music Director of the CO Youth Orchestra.
His position will begin in September for the start of the 2022-23 season at Severance Music Center. With the Youth Orchestra, Reith will oversee the artistic planning, personnel, and lead rehearsals and performances. The ensemble of middle and high-school students will perform three concerts per season, as well as concerts in the community, and during the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Music.
As Assistant Conductor, Reith will cover performances at Severance Music Center and Blossom Music Festival, as well as play an active role in the orchestra’s educational programs and community performances. Reith succeeds Associate Conductor Vinay Parameswaran, who completes his final year at the end of the 2021-22 season.
“I have always admired The Cleveland Orchestra – their distinctive sound culture, with both flexibility and precision,” said Reith in an official press statement. “I’m greatly looking forward to working with the Orchestra and Franz Welser-Möst; being involved with the Orchestra’s multiple activities, conducting the family and education concerts, and learning from the best. I feel that there is a humble, faithful, devoted, and determined way of music-making in The Cleveland Orchestra. It is a dream come true to be surrounded by this spirit and sound every day.”
By Logan Martell
On June 12, 2022, LA Opera will host Los Angeles County Arts and Health Week, a series of events meant to promote a deeper understanding of the relationship between arts, health, and well-being.
Acclaimed soprano Renee Fleming will serve as advisor for this joint initiative between LA Opera, LA County Department of Arts and Culture, and the World Health Organization’s Healing Arts Initiative. The lineup includes events such as an onsite demonstration with Lineage Performing Arts Center, a summit event at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion with a panel discussion, and will culminate on June 18 with a live concert from Fleming of Kevin Puts’ “The Brightness of Light.”
“Who hasn’t felt their heart quicken, had goosebumps, or even been moved to tears by a powerful musical performance?” said Fleming in a press release. “Shared musical and artistic experiences are among the most powerful ways to foster social cohesion, and research funded by the National Institutes of Health has demonstrated the scientific benefits of the arts for health and wellbeing. A transformational opportunity is at hand, so it is exciting to see the groundbreaking work of so many organizations in Los Angeles County, incorporating the arts and clinical creative arts therapies to advance individual and community health.
“This week-long, county-wide celebration will be a fantastic opportunity to share the amazing arts and health work happening right here.”
By Francisco Salazar
Spain’s Tenerife Symphony Orchestra has announced its 2022-23 season with 49 works presented by 37 composers.
Here is a look at the vocal highlights for the season.
Shiyeon Sung and Katharina Ruckgaber team up for a program of music of Berg and Mahler.
Performance Date: Nov. 4, 2022
Mendelssohn’s “Elijah” will be conducted by Víctor Pablo Pérez. The oratorio will star Alicia Amo, Anna Alás, James Gilchrist, and Josep-Ramon Olivé.
Performance Dates: March 31, 2023
Víctor Pablo Pérez and Stèphane Degout perform Mahler and Bruckner.
Performance Date: April 28, 2023
Fabián Panisello conducts the EXAUDI Vocal Ensemble. The program includes music by Panisello, Askenar, and Berio.
Performance Date: May 12, 2023
