To the dismay of New York opera fans, the original Metropolitan Opera House,
located at Broadway and 39th Street, was to be torn down and replaced by a new hall
a mere 30 blocks away.
Category: Commentary
An Aria of Lincoln Center — The Metropolitan Opera
Barcelona’s Liceo Opera in Financial Crisis
Confronting a financial shortfall, the Gran Theatro del Liceo in Barcelona has announced a reduction in performances this season with two scheduled operas
cancelled.
Bayreuth Festspielhaus
In an interview, Katharina Wagner, 33, granddaughter of the composer and co-director of the Richard Wagner Bayreuth Festival, spoke of the declining state of the legendary Festival House on the “Green Hill” at Bayreuth.
The Smola Prize
A Swiss soprano and an Australian baritone shared the 20,000 Euro Emmerich Smola Prize awarded on Monday.
Angela Meade Wins Beverly Sills Artist Award
The seventh annual Beverly Sills Artist Award, carrying with it a $50,000 prize, was awarded to American soprano Angela Meade.
Vienna State Opera Keeps It’s Team
Jan. 31, 2012. The recent announcement of the extension of the contract for
Dominique Meyer, the General Director of the Vienna State Opera was a firm
endorsement of his leadership by the Austrian government. Meyer, 57, the first
French person to hold the office, will continue now through August 31, 2020.
Interview with Lise Lindstrom — An Intelligent Soprano’s Guide to Turandot and Salome
Lise Lindstrom, who made a notable splash in the opera world (debuts at La Scala and at the Met) with her portrayals of Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot, has recently undertaken the still more demanding role of Salome.
Vivica Genaux — An Interview
I spoke with Vivica Genaux in December 2011, when she stopped in New York at
the end of one of her concert tours.
The English Oratorio: A Celebration (Barbican Hall, London)
When we think of the ‘English oratorio’, the composer whose name
most readily comes to mind is George Frideric Handel, the ‘adopted’
Englishman who in the first half of the eighteenth-century both anticipated and dictated English musical and theatrical taste.
San Francisco Opera — Bad News Tempered by Good
February 4, 2012. With a budget of $71 million dollars, the San Francisco Opera announced a deficit for the FY 2011 year. But the numbers, in the Opera’s press release, contain some good news to offset the negative bottom line.