Deutsche Oper Berlin 2014-15 Season with Rolando Villazon headlining

The Deutsche Oper Berlin has announced its 2014-15 season. The season will feature a number of great stars including Rolando Villazon in Don Carlo, Elina Garanca in Der Rosenkavalier, and Lyudmila Monastyrka takes on Abigaille. There will be a Lohengrin with Klaus Florian Vogt, Anja Harteros, and Waltraud Meier. Harteros will also be in  Tosca and a single concert Ariadne auf Naxos. 

 The premieres are:

• Oresteia by Xenakis - in the Deutsche Oper car park
• The Rape of Lucretia - c.Nicholas Carter d. Fiona Shaw - the Glyndebourne production will be shown in the Haus der Berliner Festspiele
• Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk  c.Donald Runnicles d.Ole Anders Tandberg, with Evelyn Herlitzius and Sir John Tomlinson
• La rondine c. Roberto Rizzi Brignoli d. Rolando Villazon 
• Roméo et Juliette c. Donald Runnicles d.Sasha Waltz
• Faust c. Marco Armiliato d.Philipp Stölzl, with Teodor Ilincai, Ildebrando D'Arcangelo and Krassimira Stoyanova

Elina Garanca Gives Birth

In a written Statment Mezzo Soprano Elina Garanca has announced the birth of her second daughter 
Here is the statement: 

Conductor and diva announce new baby
January 13, 2014

Our social secretary reports:

Karel Mark Chichon and Elina Garanca are delighted to announce the birth of our daughter, Cristina Sophie Chichon, a sister for Catherine Louise. Cristina was born on 10 January 2014 and both mother and little Cristina are doing very well.

Our family is now complete and we embrace the future full of joy and new experiences.

Recent HD's That Need a DVD Release

Two years ago I posted an article on performances that never obtained a DVD release and that should. These performances were a number of historical telecasts starring some of the best from the past. Out of the list only one was released, the Andrea Chenier from the Met with Pavarotti and Maria Guleghina. However the rest are still on a shelf collecting dust. Some of them have been added to the Met opera on Demand but the rest are either on Youtube or not available. The following is a list of recent performances that have made history or that are exceptional but have been ignored by distributors.

Salzburg Festival 2014 Announces Lineup

The Salzburg Festival has announced their lineup for the summer. Many of the rumors have been confirmed including Anna Netrebko and Placido Domingo joining forces for a new production of "Il Trovatore." One of the other highlights will be Juan Diego Florez and Elina Garanca singing a concert a performance of "La Favorita."  Waltraud Meier and Peter Seiffert will also join forces with Rene Pape and Ekaterina Gubanova for an abridged concert performance of "Tristan und Isolde." Cecilia Bartoli is also taking on La Cenrentola while Ildebrando d'Arcangelo will sing his acclaimed interpretation of "Don Giovanni. 

The Complete List Below  

Elina Garanca To Change Repertoire

The Latvian Mezzo soprano recently told the Kurier her desire to change repertoire and revealed that she wants to sing Verdi. 

She stated, "As I turn 40 I want to sing more Verdi, and look more at the dramatic repertoire. I dream of Amneris in Aida, that would be the summit. I have Parsifal at home right now, and I'm looking at Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde. Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana is already scheduled, and in Don Carlo is on the books for 2016."

Alice Coote and Sophie Koch To Replace Elina Garanca

The Met press office has just released the following press statement: “Elina Garanca has withdrawn from her 2013-14 Met engagements because she is pregnant with her second child, who is due this winter. Garanca was originally scheduled to sing Octavian in three performances of Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier and Charlotte in a new production of Massenet’s Werther. Two star mezzo-sopranos will replace her in these performances: Alice Coote in Der Rosenkavalier and Sophie Koch, making her Met debut, in Werther.“

Aleksandra Kurzak Pregnant; Elina Garanca Rumored as Well

Polish coloratura soprano Aleksandra Kurzak has announced that she is pregnant to Roberto Alagna's child. The singer posted the following comments on facebook: Today is my birthday, and the most happy one, so let's make it official...
We are expecting BABY!!!

No news on how this development will affect her performances at the Met in November. However Congratulations.

An email from Ernesto Palacio, manager to Elina Garanca, states, “Elina Garanca is waiting for a second baby. Would arrive on December. She would cancel Rosenkavalier at the Met, Carmen in London and MAYBE Werther at the Met.”

In other baby news, La Cieca is also hearing rumors that Elina Garanca is pregnant and that she may cancel Werther for this Met season. Nothing has been confirmed.

Werther Preview 2012-2013

The world's leading tenor Jonas Kaufmann and mezzo soprano Elina Garanca team up for the first time at the Metropolitan Opera for Massenet's Werther

Richard Eyre will direct one of the years most anticipated operas of the season. The Carmen director returns to the Met in a production that will be set in the 1890s. Richard Eyre has described Werther as a "chamber opera" and therefore will attempt to bring the characters "as close to the audience as possible." He will reduce the space to focus on the characters.

Verdi Requiem On DVD and CD

According to Decca and Deutsche Grammphon the Verdi Requiem with Jonas Kaufmann, Elina Garanca, Rene Pape, Anja Harteros and conducted by Daniel Barenboim will be released on DVD, Blu Ray and DVD. The recording is scheduled for August 5th but does not have a proper cover yet. Enjoy!

2014-2015 Met Opera Season Rumor

After the long awaited 2013-2014 was announced we now have some news on the next season. 2014-15 looks to be even more exciting with 6 new productions and even more exciting revivals.

Opening night will  be with a new production of Le nozze di Figaro, a production that is in a bit of flux at the moment since Anna Netrebko elected not to add Contessa Almaviva to her stage repertoire at the moment.  As it stands now, the new Mozart  will be conducted by James Levine in a production by Michael Grandage. The cast will be Maija Kovalevska, Marlis Petersen and Mikhail Petrenko but by the lack of stars the Met will most likely add a more marketable singer to the list.

Five further new productions dot the season:

The Death of Klinghoffer. Director: Tom Morris (ENO production]

Iolanta/Duke Bluebeard’s Castle. Conductor: Valery Gergiev. Director: Mariusz Trelinski. Cast includes Anna Netrebko and Alexei Tanovitski in theTchaikovksy, with  Nadja Michael and Mikhail Petrenko in the Bartók.

The New Year’s Eve extravaganza this season will be The Merry Widow, Conductor TBA. Susan Stroman directs Renée Fleming; later in the season the show returns with Susan Graham and Rodney Gilfry.

La Donna del Lago. Conductor: Michele Mariotti.  Director: John Fulljames.Joyce DiDonato, Daniela Barcellona, Juan Diego Florez.

Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci. Conducto: Fabio Luisi. Director: TBA. Marcelo Alvarez, Barbara Frittoli.

The repertoire will further include revivals of:

Aida with Liudmyla Monastyrska, Dmitry Belosselskiy.

Un Ballo in Maschera  with Sondra Radvanovsky, Yonghoon Lee.

Il Barbiere di Siviglia.

La Boheme with Maria Agresta.

Carmen with Elina Garanca/Anita Rachvelishvili, Roberto Alagna, Anita Hartig/Ailyn Perez.

Les Contes d’Hoffmann with Susanna Phillips, Matthew Polenzani.

Don Carlos with Barbara Frittoli, Nadia Krasteva, Jonas Kaufmann/Yonghoon Lee, Simon Keenlyside, Ferruccio Furlanetto. Chef d’orchestre for the first-ever Met performances in the original French will be Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

Don Giovanni

Ernani  with Placido Domingo as Don Carlo.

Faust with Anna Netrebko, Joseph Calleja, Rene Pape. [This production was described to La Cieca as "hanging by a thread," with nobody involved feeling enthusiastic about the project.]

Hansel and Gretel

Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk with Eva-Maria Westbroek, Brandon Jovanovich,Raymond Very.

Lucia di Lammermoor with Olga Peretyatko, conducted by Maurizio Benini.

Manon with Diana Damrau, Vittorio Grigolo.

Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg with Emily Magee, Karen Cargill, Johan Botha, Matthew Polenzani, Bryn Terfel, conducted by James Levine.

The Rake’s Progress with Lisette Oropesa, Stephanie Blythe, Gerald Finley.

La Traviata with Marina Rebeka, Francesco Demuro.

Die Zauberflote.

What do you guys think of this season!

Met Opera Review: Mozart's Clemenza Satisfies with Stellar Cast

By Francisco Salazar
(For 11/20/12 performance)

La Clemenza di Tito, Mozart's last opera, is rarely performed due to its convoluted plot line, difficult roles and most importantly because it is one opera many consider to be one of his weaker works. However for this year's revival the Met has assembled an incredible ensemble of singers both up and comers and superstars.

The opera tells the story of Vitellia who out of rage decides to take revenge on Tito for not choosing her as his wife. Vitellia asks Sesto, who is in love with her to kill Tito. Once Tito discovers the plot he must decide whether to bring the conspirators to death or forgive them.

The opera was first performed at the Met in 1984 in the current Jean-Pierre Ponnelle production and since has been sporadically performed with the last revival in 2008. The Ponnelle production while traditional still holds up quite well with its lavish backdrops, 18th century costumes and its outstanding lighting effects particularly during the Roman fire. The lights flicker at the beginning as if a fire is about to start and then when the quintet at the end of Act 1 climaxes the lighting gives off the effect that there is a real fire occurring. Another interesting effect is during Vitellia's final aria when the light gives off a chiaroscuro effect where she is confused about the right path to take. Overall there is nothing revolutionary about the production but it does well in telling the story without any distractions and allowing the audience to see the performers' raw emotions.

La Clemenza di Tito opens Tomorrow

Elina Garanca returns to the Met in Jean-Pierre Ponnelle's legendary production of La Clemenza di Tito. Giuseppe Fillianoti and Barbara Frittoli join the cast and Harry Bicket conducts Mozart's last opera seria. 

For more information view our preview linked here. 

For more information on Barbara Frittoli see our Don Giovanni Review linked here.

To see Frittoli and Fillianoti sing in Mozart's Don Giovanni click here.

Elina Garanca gets interviewed by the Met

La Clemenza di Tito opens on Friday starring Latvian superstar Elina Garanca. The Met recently caught with her and interviewed regarding the role of Sesto. Garanca revealed that this will be her last performances of the role that she is happy to play a pants role for the first time at the Met. For the whole interview click here. For more on La Clemenza di Tito check our preview linked here. 

The complete 2013-2014 Met operas (These are Rumors)

Last we revealed the HDs on my post Rumor article and today  Parterre has revealed the complete 2013-2014 Met Opera season which includes some of the casts and all the new productions. 

As it stands there will only be 6 new productions as I Puritani will be a revival. There is no soprano attached to the role. Other mystery casting is Wozzeck which was rumored to include Karita Mattila and Thomas Hampson but at the moment nothing is confirmed. And a surprise is that L'Elisir d'Amore will be revived with Netrebko and Ramon Vargas. Enjoy the list!

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:

Elina Garanca's new album

Deutsche Grammophon has just released the first images of Elina Garanca's new Album entitled Romantique. The album features works by Tchaikovsky, Saint Saens and Gounod and is conducted Yves Abel. The CD will be released in September.

La Clemenza di Tito Preview 2012-2013 season

 

Jean Pierre Ponnelle 's classic production of La Clemenza di Tito returns for the first time since 2008 with an all star cast that includes Giuseppe Filianoti, Elina Garanca, and Barbara Frittoli.