Vienna State Opera 2014-15 season Features Anna Netrebko, Juan Diego Florez and Angela Gheorghiu

After a number hours in which the Vienna State Opera's website crashed, I finally have a list of works which will be performed this year. The reason for slow connection was because the company announced the season and puts all tickets on sale immediately. 

The upcoming season will see 223 staged opera performance and will include six new productions listed below: 

The Tempest (Austrian premiere) 14 June 2015 c: Thomas Ades, d: Robert Lepage, with Adrian Eröd, Audrey Luna, Stephanie Houtzeel, David Daniels

• Idomeneo 5 October 2014 c: Christoph Eschenbach, d: Kasper Holten, with Michael Schade, Margarita Gritskova, Maria Bengtsson, Chen Reiss 
• Khovanshchina 15 November 2014 c: Semyon Bychkov, d: Lev Dodin, with Ferruccio Furlanetto, Christopher Ventris, Herbert Lippert, Andrzej Dobber, Ain Anger, Elisabeth Kulman, Norbert Ernst
• Rigoletto 20 December 2014 c: Franz Welser-Möst, d: Pierre Audi, with Piotr Beczala, Simon Keenlyside, Valentina Nafornită, Elena Maximova 
• Elektra 29 March 2015 c: Franz Welser-Möst, d: Uwe Eric Laufenberg, with Anna Larsson, Nina Stemme, Anne Schwanewilms, Falk Struckman 
• Don Pasquale 26April 2015 c: Jesús López-Cobos, d: Irina Brook, 
 with Michele Pertusi, Juan Diego Flórez, Alessio Arduini, Valentina Nafornită

The company will see the return of a number of stars including Juan Diego Florez in L'Elisir d'Amore and La Cenerentola, Placido Domingo and Maria Guleghina in Nabucco, Anna Netrebko in Anna Bolena and Angela Gheorghiu in Werther. Kristine Opolais and Piotr Beczala will perform Rusalka while Olga Peretyatko will bring her acclaimed Elvira in I Puritani. Another highlight will be Aleksandrs Antonenko in Tosca and Pique Dame. Elina Garanca will bring her acclaimed Octavian to Der Rosenkavalier while Ramon Vargas will sing Don Carlos, Werther, and Simon Boccanegra. Nina Stemme will also return as Minnie in La Fanciulla del West. For more Click Here 

Notable DVD and CD Releases for the Month January and February

The January slate of DVDs looks dry at the moment. As a result I have decided to preview some of February's releases. 

The first release is the Met's latest "Eugene Onegin" starring Anna Netrebko and Mariusz Kwiecien. The release the marks the Met's first DVD release since Verdi's Rigoletto. It also marks the second Onegin the company releases. The production which opened the 2013-14 season also stars Piotr Beczala and was conducted by Valery Gergiev. 

La Traviata Livestream

The exciting soprano Diana Damrau will open La Scala in a New Production of La Traviata. ARTE will live stream the opera at 3 pm for those of you are excited for this work. Piotr Beczala will sing Alfredo and Zeljko Lucic will sing Germont. So if you saw Rigoletto at the Met last year, then you know what to expect.


Here is a Video La Scala Just released 

Deutsche Grammphon Announced Eugene Onegin

The Yellow label announced the DVD for the Met's Eugene Onegin yesterday on Youtube posting two videos from the performance. The company secretly added the videos did not appear on their facebook page or on the companies website. However based on these two videos the company is getting ready to launch the DVD in the company months.

 

Rusalka Preview 2013-2014

Renee Fleming returns to her acclaimed turn in Dvorak's Fairy Tale Rusalka. Piotr Beczala, Dolora Zajick and Emily Magee round out the cast in Otto Schenk's classic production.

Eugene Onegin Preview 2013-2014

The Metropolitan Opera will open the 2013-2014 season with Anna Netrebko and Mariusz Kwiecien in Deborah Warner's acclaimed production of Eugene Onegin.

 

Deborah Warner's production premiered at the English National Opera to great reviews and universal praise. Critic's stated, "Warner proved conscientious in delineating character and relationships in the action and interaction of the principals." They also stated "Deborah Warner's superb production of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece scores both visually and emotionally."The production is updated to the 19th century and according to Warner the opera is "rich and emotional."

Notable CD and DVD Releases For the Month of June

The month of June will conclude the Tutto Verdi celebration as well as will bring a new CD by Alekandra Kurzak and Cecilia Bartioli's new Norma. Additionally Renee Fleming's Ariadne Auf Naxos will finally be released.

The most anticipated release of the month is by far Cecilia Bartoli's Norma. The new recording also stars Sumi Jo and John Osborn and brings a new critical edition that should prove revealing for audiences and the musical world around. It may also split many but it is one to listen to if for mere curiosity. 

Las Vegas Rigoletto Coming to DVD

The art work to the Met's new Rigoletto has been revealed. The production by Michael Mayer was a huge hit and stars Piotr Beczala, Zeljko Lucic and Diana Damrau in the principal roles. The DVD will be released on May 21 months before it is televised on PBS.

Faust Opens Tonight

Des McAnuff's Faust opens tonight with Piotr Beczala John Relyea and Marina Poplavskaya. The prodution will conducted by Alain Altinoglu.

For more on the production click on our preview linked here.

For our review of the production click here 

Rigoletto Opens tomorrow

After having seen the rehearsal of Rigoletto I decided not to do a preview for Rigoletto so that I do not assume anything. I am pretty sure that many will enjoy the production which is in Las Vegas. The opera is very much traditional and it will not have much controversy as Micael Mayer is very respectful to Verdi. The production stars Piotr Beczala, Diana Damrau, and Zeljko Lucic. Michele Mariotti conducts. 

For pictures and information click here 

For videos click here 

Met's Rigoletto Rehearsal pictures

Rigoletto stills have been revealed on the Facebook. The photos show a glimpse of Piotr Beczala, Diana Damrau and Zeljko Lucic in character and on stage. Enjoy!

Met Rumors 2013-2014

Courtesy of La Cieca from Parterre, here are the HD operas rumored to be scheduled for the 2013-2014 season.

There are seven new productions scheduled of which Two Boys by Nicol Muhly is rumored to not be HD material. A projected new staging of I puritani will almost certainly not happen, with Natalie Dessay presumably relieved of all further bel canto duties, and the men in the cast—Lawrence Brownlee, Mariusz Kwiecien and Michele Pertusi—rolled over into other projects in spring 2014.

 Here are new productions scehduled:

Anna Netrebko's La Boheme to be released on DVD!

The Salzburg production of La Boheme will be released this November by Deutsche Grammphon. The production stars Anna Netrebko, Piotr Beczala, Nino Machaidze and Massimo Cavalleti and is conducted by Danielle Gatti. The production was by Damiano Michielleto

La Boheme from Salzburg

The full performance of La Boheme from Salzburg has now been uploaded on Youtube. Here it is!

La Boheme Production pictures from Salzburg

Here are the first LaBoheme pictures from Salzburg. The productio opens August 1 and will broadcast on ZDF, ORF and NHK

Enjoy!

The cast of La Boheme from Salzburg

Here is the first picture of La Boheme from Salzburg in rehearsals with the whole cast. 

Faust Preview 2012-2013 Season

Des McAnuff's incomprehensible production returns to the Met starring Piotr Beczala and Marina Poplavskaya.

The Production
Last year the Met unveiled The English National Opera's production of Faust replacing Andrei Serban's visually lavish production of Faust. Gelb's reason for replacing a production that had only been shown 13 times was because he wanted a more theatrical Faust. However what he got was an incomprehensible and confusing production. Rather than pleasing the audience with a dazzling, energetic and colorful take on the simple love story, Gelb bored audiences and critics alike. The production which takes place during World War 2 in Faust's laboratory has interesting and diverting sequences as well as interesting lighting effects. However when McAnuff is forced to work with the heavy material, he runs out of ideas and relies on the singers to engage the audience. As an audience member it did not matter how beautiful the singers were singing because I was confused and uninterested by the action. Critics were also not impressed by the work. They stated that "there was something about an atomic bomb, and Faust being a middle aged man with a mid life crisis who actually DRINKS the poison and then suddenly has a flashback because he returns to that moment where he drank the poison and dies as the final curtain comes down. Confused? So was I. McAnuff mentioned a flashback sequence, but only confusion arises from this: in a flashback, someone goes back to their youth, which Faust promptly does after Mephistopheles gives him the potion. However, Faust does not immediately turn young when he drinks the poison. He remains old, and invokes the devil to make him young again and the story proceeds as it normally does. It could have been interpreted that he flashed back when the devil showed up except McAnuff shoots this interpretation in the foot the moment Faust returns to the moment when he drank the poison the first time at the end of the performance." Critics also questioned many aspects of the production including where  Marguerite goes when she dies, Where are those stairs leading her to at the end, Is there a heaven in a universe where Science has presumably become/ destroyed God, and why is the Atomic Bomb concept abandoned after the Walpurgis Night Scene and make no impact on the opera's final scene. The point is the production was unclear and unfocused. Gelb's decision left me never wanting to see another Faust until this production is removed forever from the Met.

Parting thoughts on the 2011-2012 Metropolitan Opera Season

by Francisco Salazar

Another Met season has passed and like the ones prior  there were many successes, disappointments, and failures. Like last year, I will give an analysis of what I believe were the successes, failures, surprises, and disappointments of this season. As a disclaimer, I would like to emphasize that the following comments are my opinions and that I will not write about every single work I saw or was presented this year. I respect those who believe that everything I say is completely wrong and I welcome any contradictory arguments. Enjoy!