A pleasing new season at La Scala seems to tick all the right boxes, with half the programming dedicated to the Italian repertoire, some rarities, important international operas and a world premiere. The season will also mark the 40th Anniversary of Riccardo Chailly’s collaboration with the theatre, and the 95th birthday of Franco Zeffirelli.The 2017-2018 Season kicks … [Read more...]
Toscanini was born 150 years ago today… a quick summing up of a man and his career
Arturo Toscanini is the epitome of what a conductor should be according to the mass imagination. Like Caruso and Callas, his fame went beyond the concert halls, past the record-buyers and radio listeners, and reached into the minds of those who had never heard him perform. His sometimes-fiery temperament and energetic conducting style supported the popular image of the … [Read more...]
Interview with Fabio Luisi, the Florence Opera’s new Musical Director
Fabio Luisi is the new music director of Florence’s Opera di Firenze and its spring festival, known as the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. Zubin Mehta, who has been chief conductor of the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino since 1985, will stay on as principal conductor emeritus.Luisi is currently the principal conductor at the Metropolitan Opera and general music … [Read more...]
The first Berkshire Opera Festival opens its doors with Madama Butterfly
The Berkshires in Massachusetts is about to welcome the Berkshire Opera Festival which aims “to entertain and enrich the lives of people of all ages and backgrounds throughout the Berkshire region by providing accessible and affordable performances of a broad range of operas with the highest artistic standards”. No mean task in 2016, but its founders, Jonathon Loy and Brian … [Read more...]
Lawrence Brownlee’s singing down in the crypt
On 9 December, Lawrence Brownlee will will take a break from the Metropolitan Opera stage to give an intimate performance of spirituals in the underground crypt beneath The Church of the Intercession in Harlem. Brownlee will be accompanied by pianist and frequent collaborator Damien Sneed, and the concert will feature songs from their acclaimed Spiritual Sketches album, among … [Read more...]