By Afton Wooten
In celebration of Opera Columbus’ 40th season, the company is presenting its “4o Days of Opera Festival.”
There will be two 90-minute performances taking place on May 22 at the Lincoln Theatre at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Leslie Savory Burr and John A. Williams’ “Vanqui” will be part of this series.
This production has been reimagined by Opera Columbus’ first Crane Directing Fellow, Luther Lewis III. In a press release, Lewis said “My production will honor the legacy of this magnificent and historic venue, and the jazz legends who performed there, from Etta James and Count Basie to Columbus native Nancy Wilson.” Lewis also noted that his hope for this opera is to reach more of the Columbus community.
“Vanqui” follows the characters Vanqui and Prince who are enslaved in 19th-century America. The couple is murdered, but their resurrected spirits search for each other and to find the Baobab tree. In their search, they cross paths with freedom fighters such as Henry “Box” Brown and Nat Turner. Vanqui and Prince are reunited at the end of the opera. Their story represents the victory of enslaved people over an inhumane system and the resilience of the human spirit.
Soprano Adia Evans plays the title role and Prince is sung by tenor Marcus Jefferson. They are joined by Hannah Marie Bullock, Artega Wright, Skye Marie Johnson, Jefferson Caldwell, Erin McKeever, Aryssa Leigh Burrs, and Justin T. Swain. Antoine T. Clarke conducts.
By David Salazar
Tenor Nicky Spence is one of two patrons of the An Tobar and Mull Theatre.
Per an official press statement, “The An Tobar and Mull Theatre is a multi-artform creative hub on the Hebridean island of Mull. It is a place for joining in, with a welcoming and joyous heart. It tells stories that matter and it aspires to be an island voice on a national stage in an international conversation. It supports art of all kinds for people of all kinds. Its aim is for its audiences to leave feeling nourished, connected, and understood. It values fun, openness, bravery, and generosity and aims for innovation in a sustainable way. The art it makes is a beacon; a shining light guiding the way back to Mull.”
Spence joins actress Golda Rosheuvel, well-known for her appearances as Queen Charlotte in the Netflix series “Bridgerton,” as the first-ever patrons of the Isle of Mull-based venues.
“Being from rural Scotland myself, being part of the magic at An Tobar and Mull Theatre is a real privilege,” Spence said in the official press statement. “The work they do in complementing the idyllic surroundings with homegrown, provocative and thoughtful offerings is astounding.”
By Francisco Salazar
The Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe has announced its 2022-23 season featuring six premieres and several revivals.
Premieres
Wagner’s “Der fliegende Holländer” with Georg Fritzsch conducting and Ludger Engels directing.
Premiere Date: Dec. 10, 2022
Yura Yang conducts Bizet’s “Carmen” in a new production by Immo Karaman.
Premiere Date: Jan. 21, 2023
Regie Carlos Wagner directs Händel’s “Ottone, Re di Germania” with Carlo Ipata conducting. The cast will include Max-Emanuel Cencic, Lucía Martín
Cartón, Raffaele Pe, and Sonia Prina.
Premiere Date: Feb. 17, 2023
Berg’s “Wozzeck” will be conducted by Justin Brown and directed by Maxim Didenko.
Premiere Date: March 25, 2023
Johannes Willig conducts Dvořák’s “Rusalka” with Katharina Thoma directing.
Premiere Date: May 13, 2023
Puccini’s “La Boheme” will be conducted by Georg Fritzsch and directed by Ulrich Peters.
Premiere Date: June 24, 2023
Revivals
Verdi’s “Aida” will be conducted by Johannes Willig.
Revival Date: Sept. 25, 2022
Lehár’s “The Merry Widow” will be revived in Axel Köhler’s production with Georg Fritzsch conducting.
Revival Date: Oct. 2, 2022
Georg Fritzsch conducts Strauss’ “Salome” in a revival of Sláva Daubnerová’s production.
Revival Date: Oct. 16, 2022
Clemens Schuldt conducts Mozart’s “Die Zauberflote.”
Revival Date: Oct. 29, 2022
Johannes Willig conducts Humperdinck’s “Hänsel und Gretel” in Achim Thorwald’s production.
Revival Date: Nov. 26, 2022
Händel’s “Hercules” will be presented as part of the Handel Festival with Lars Ulrik Mortensen conducting and Floris Visser directing. The cast will include Kristina Hammarström, Brandon Cedel, Lauren Lodge-Campbell, Moritz Kallenberg, James Hall, and Annika Stefanie Netthorn.
Revival Date: Feb. 23, 2023
Mozart’s “La finta giardiniera” will be conducted by Yura Yang.
Revival Date: April 2, 2023
Keith Warner’s production of Strauss’ “Elektra” will return with Georg Fritzsch conducting.
Revival Date: April 6, 2023
Concerts
Maria Ioudenitch and Hye Jung Lee are the soloists in a program of music by Sibelius and Mahler with Georg Fritzsch conducting.
Performance Dates: Sept. 18 & 19, 2022
Uliana Alexyuk and Renatus Mészár perform alongside conductor Ulrich Wagner.
Performance Dates: Dec. 22 & 23, 2022
By David Salazar
Vancouver Opera has unveiled its 2022-23 season.
“We are thrilled to announce Vancouver Opera’s 2022–2023 season which will include three full-scale productions, all centered on the theme of love,” said Tom Wright, Vancouver Opera General Director, in an official press release.“The 2022–2023 season will see the return of two beloved operas for our Vancouver Opera patrons along with an incredible, fantastical company premiere which is sure to entice a new audience who loves theatrical magic.”
The season opens with Bizet’s “The Pearl Fishers.” The opera will be directed by Rachel Peake and features conductor Kamna Gupta. This will be the first time the opera appears with the company in 28 years.
Performance Dates: Oct. 22-30, 2022
Next up is a production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” as directed by Aria Umezawa. Jacques Lacombe conducts. This is the first time the company presents the Britten work.
Performance Dates: Feb. 11-19, 2023
The season will come to a close with Wagner’s “The Flying Dutchman.” Brian Deed directs while Leslie Dala conducts.
Performance Dates: April 29 – May 7, 2023
By David Salazar
The 11th year of the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s Oratorio Project will culminate with a special performance on May 20, 2022 at the Van Nuys High School Auditorium.
The concert will feature 50 students from the High School performing “Imagine a City,” a work that they created.
The song cycle is comprised of seven songs including “Sactus (Holy City),” “Lealta (Brotherly Love),” “Moo Moo Meadows (Green City),” “Curse of the Wealthy (City of Palaces),” “Golden Lion (Lion City),” “Phoenix Rising (Phoenix City),” and “Chaos (Sin City).”
Following the lockdown, students were able to attend a retreat in the fall of 2021 where they got to meet one another and learn about the oratorio genre and song cycles. Under the mentorship of Master Chorale professional teaching artists Alice Kirwan Murray, Kelci Hahn, Brett Paesel, and Saunder Choi, the students worked together to create the work that they will present.
The Oratorio Project is supported by the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, Edward A. and Ai O. Shay Family Foundation, The Rose Hills Foundation, Cheryl Petersen and Roger Lustberg, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors / Kathryn Barger, Walter and Holly Thomson Foundation, Carolyn L. Miller, William H. Hannon Foundation, John and Beverly Stauffer Foundation, Lon V. Smith Foundation, Employees Community Fund of Boeing California, and the Sidney Stern Memorial Trust.
By Francisco Salazar
The Berlin State Opera has announced a new Artistic Director.
The company noted that Elisabeth Sobotka will become the company’s new Artistic Director starting September 2024. She will succeed Matthias Schulz, who will take over Zürich Opera House.
Sobotka who is also artistic director of the Bregenz Festival, said of her appointment, “It is a great honor for me to be able to take over this great house, so rich in tradition. Berlin is the city where I want to live and create opera. I know and appreciate the possibilities of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, and I feel an inspiring mixture of departure and ‘coming home.'”
Schulz noted, “I wish Elisabeth Sobotka the best and am sure that the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, into which I put so much heart and soul, will continue to be in very good hands with her in the future! It’s been five years since we moved back into the renovated building, a good rhythm has now set in and the path we have taken for an open, accessible, experimental, and also younger institution can continue.”
Finally, Music Director Daniel Barenboim said, “I have known and appreciated Elisabeth Sobotka for many years. Her time as opera director at the State Opera was characterized by a very gratifying and fruitful collaboration, and I am therefore looking forward to Ms. Sobotka’s assumption of office with great pleasure. I have followed her path with interest over the past few years. She is engaging, knowledgeable, enthusiastic and extremely versatile in her artistic thinking. In addition, I really appreciate her collegial nature and leadership style. She is passionate about opera and music and as a director is a stroke of luck for the State Opera.”
By Francisco Salazar
The Wiener Staatsoper has announced a cast change for its upcoming production of “Siegfried.”
The company noted that May 14 performance will see Simon Neal perform the role of Der Wanderer, replacing John Lundgren.
Neal has performed at the Theater Dortmund, where he was a principal baritone, Opera Australia at the Sydney Opera House, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Semperoper Dresden, and Vlaamse Opera. His repertoire includes the works of Wagner, Verdi, Puccini, Catalani, Leoncavallo, Strauss, Bizet, Stravinsky, Donizetti, and Britten.
Neal joins a cast that includes Michael Weinius, Nina Stemme, Jochen Schmeckenbecher, Noa Beinart, Jörg Schneider, Dmitry Belosselskiy, and Joanna Kędzior. Axel Kober conducts the production by Sven-Eric Bechtolf.
Lundgren returns to the production on May 26, 2022.
By Francisco Salazar
The Opéra de Paris has announced cast changes for its productions of Strauss’ “Elektra” and Rossini’s “Il Barbiere di Siviglia.”
The company noted that Vida Miknevičiūtė sing the May 13 performance of Strauss’ opera in the role of Chrysothemis replacing Elza van den Heever.
Meanwhile, Emily D’Angelo will take over performances of Rossini’s work in the role of Rosina on June 14, 17, and 19, 2022.
Miknevičiūtė has performed at the Zürich Opera House, State Theater in Mainz, Hamburg State Opera, Berlin State Opera, and Wiener Staatsoper. Meanwhile, D’Angelo is an Operalia winner who has performed at the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House, Teatro alla Scala, and Berlin State Opera.
“Elektra” is set to star Christine Goerke, Angela Denoke, Gerhard Siegel, Tómas Tomasson, and Philippe Rouillon. Van Den Heever returns to the production for the May 16 performance.
Meanwhile “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” will star René Barbera, Renato Girolami, Aigul Akhmetshina, Andrzej Filończyk, and Alex Esposito. The production opens on May 30.
By Nicolas Quiroga
(Credit: Karen Almond / Met Opera)
The Metropolitan Opera will premiere Brett Dean and Matthew Jocelyn’s “Hamlet” on May 13, 2022.
The opera, which will be directed by Neil Armfield, will star tenor Allan Clayton, soprano Brenda Rae, mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly, baritone Rod Gilfry, bass-baritone John Relyea, countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, countertenor Christopher Loerey, and baritones Jacques Imbrailo, David Butt Philip and William Burden.
“Hamlet” will be broadcast worldwide in cinema, radio, and online on June 4 and will be broadcast on the Toll Brothers-Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network. Meanwhile, the May 13 showcase will be streamed via the Met Opera Radio.
The opera had its world premiere at Glyndebourne in 2017 and made its way to the Adelaide Festival in 2018.
Of its world premiere, The Guardian’s Erica Jeal noted that “Dean’s music is many-layered, full of long, clear vocal lines propelled by repeated rhythmic figures in the orchestra, and has moments of delicate beauty … and the chorus whispers almost as much as it sings.” Meanwhile, The New York Times’ Zachary James called the work “an adaptation about ‘Hamlet’ as much as it is an adaptation of ‘Hamlet.'”
There will be a total of seven performances through June 9, 2022.
Following the May 13 premiere, there will be a “Transforming Hamlet: from Bard to BBQ” event at the Museum of the City of New York on May 16, 2022.
By Francisco Salazar
The Metropolitan Opera has announced a cast change for its revival of “La Bohème.”
The company noted that Yusif Eyvazov, who was scheduled to sing the role of Rodolfo has withdrawn due to illness. As a result, three tenors will replace him. Matthew Polenzani will sing on May 16 and 24 while Stephen Costello will sing on May 20. Finally, Russell Thomas will sing the role on May 27.
Eyvazov recently sang performances of “Manon Lescaut” at the Opera de Monte Carlo and is next set to perform at the Berlin State Opera in a new production of “Turandot” before appearing at the Arena di Verona.
The three tenors will join a cast that includes Eleonora Buratto, Aleksandra Kurzak, Iurii Samoilov, Nicolas Testé, and Donald Maxwell. Eun Sun Kim conducts.
