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Lyric Opera Of Chicago's William Mason Steps Into San Diego Role

May 30, 2014, 9:29 am
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"The former general director of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, one of the premiere opera companies in the country, will serve as a temporary artistic adviser at San Diego Opera for the next six months. William Mason came out of a well-earned retirement — he spent more than 50 years in the opera business — to guide the troubled opera company towards stability. 'I’ve had such a wonderful career in opera, it was a chance to give something back,' Mason said. Mason says he was interested in the gig because it was not just about helping on the artistic side, despite the title. He says he realized the company needed someone with general director experience as well. In addition to helping flesh out the 2015 season, the opera’s 50th anniversary, and offer direction on the operas already booked for 2016, Mason will advise the board on how to govern the newly organized company and weigh in on financials and fundraising until a new general director is appointed. That person, says Mason, needs to have a fresh outlook. 'They need somebody new,' Mason explained. 'I’m 72 years old. I have no new ideas, and I’m not trying to formulate any.' His old ideas worked well for the Lyric, which remained in the black throughout Mason’s tenure, without sacrificing quality, says Marc Scorca, president of Opera America, a national umbrella organization. Scorca says Mason’s vast experience and popularity in the opera world will send a message internally and to the outside world that the ship has been righted. 'I think Bill will not only provide continuity in many ways but he’ll also provide a different leadership style that will win new friends for San Diego Opera,' said Scorca." [Source]
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Priti Gandhi Makes Transition From Center Stage To Behind Scenes

May 30, 2014, 1:00 pm
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"For soprano Priti Gandhi, the past two months have had all the melodramatic highs and lows of grand opera. But fortunately, her story is ending more happily than those of the tragic divas she’ll play Saturday in a North County opera recital. Gandhi is one of five singers who will join the Center Chorale and Festival Orchestra for 'Opera's Greatest Moments' at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido. The longtime Del Mar resident gave up her full-time singing career last fall for a desk job with the San Diego Opera. Then in March, she and her co-workers were stunned when the opera’s ex-leadership announced it would shut down the struggling 49-year-old company this spring. Since then, a groundswell of support from repentant board members, employees and the opera-going public have rescued the company — and Gandhi’s job — from extinction. 'I’m so grateful, so humbled and so overjoyed,' said Gandhi, 41. 'I feel renewed by the faith that San Diego has shown us.' Over the past 19 years, San Diego Opera fans have watched Gandhi grow up on the Civic Theatre stage. Fresh out of UCSD in 1995, she joined the company’s chorus, then spent two years each with the touring vocal ensemble and as a resident artist. In 2000, she made her solo debut in the company’s A Streetcar Named Desire. The Mumbai-born singer spent the next 13 years performing internationally with opera companies in France, England, the Czech Republic, Mexico and throughout the U.S. But the peripatetic life of a starving artist grew stale and she was grateful when an opportunity came along last September to apprentice with Marianne Flettner, the company’s 30-year artistic administrator. When Flettner retires next month, Gandhi will assume her position." [Source] Watch several videos after the jump of Ms. Ghandi discussing the San Diego Opera and her career as a singer.




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Diana Soviero Honored By The Gerda Lissner Foundation

May 31, 2014, 7:29 am
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Singers Joseph Dennis, Mario Chang, Ryan Speedo Green, Paul Han, Shirin Eskandani, Alison King, Maya Lahyani, Jonathan Kelly, Arlene Shrut, Honoree Diana Soviero and Alexey Lavrov. (Photo: Howard Heyman)
"On the evening of Wednesday, May 7 at the New York Athletic Club in New York City, The Gerda Lissner Foundation showcased their 2014 winners and honored internationally acclaimed soprano Diana Soviero. Stephen De Maio, President of The Gerda Lissner Foundation, spoke enthusiastically about the winners and how proud he is of the awards given to so many throughout the years to help them attain their goals. He thanked Trustees Barbara Ann Testa, Dorothy Moore, Karl Michaelis and Michael Fornabaio, Vice President/Treasurer of The Gerda Lissner Foundation, for their efforts and all of the operatic notables present. Stephen De Maio was recently honored by Opera Index at their Spring Lunch. The Newark born De Maio, a legend himself, asked Opera News editor and author Brian Kellow to host the program and introduce the honoree, New Jersey born (Jersey City) internationally acclaimed soprano Diana Soviero. Kellow elaborated on Soviero’s great career and the impact she had on her audiences everywhere. The New York City Opera, The Metropolitan Opera, La Scala in Milan, Covent Garden–not bad for a 'Jersey girl.' Kellow mentioned how the arts influenced his life and how the 1945 film Spellbound impacted him. He then thanked Soviero for the influence her performances gave all of us as Cio Cio San,
Mimi, Liu, Tosca, Violetta, Juliette, Manon Lescaut and Suor Angelica to name a few. Soviero said a spark was forged 'way back' and she knew that there was a world out there waiting for her to articulate the emotions that lay deep in her heart as a young Sicilian-American girl with big dreams. Those dreams came true and the career was spectacular....After the concert, we all went into the main dining area for a delicious dinner. The guests would fill an operatic 'Who’s Who.' Met Opera soprano legends Elinor Ross and Martina Arroyo (Martina Arroyo Foundation), Gloria Gari from the Giulio Gari Foundation, famed sopranos and judges Elaine Malbin and Teresa Apolei, Maestro Eve Queler, Sachi Liebergesell from The Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation, Murray Rosenthal, President of Opera Index, Philip Hagemann and Janet Stovin, Vice Presidents of Opera Index, Scott Barnes, Performance coach for opera and theatre singers, PBS’s Midge Woolsey and husband economist Jerry Stolt, Steven Mercurio composer/conductor, F. Paul Driscoll, Editor of Opera News, Ken Benson manager and longtime opera lecturer, Rebecca Paller from the Paley Center, presenters Joyce Greenberg and Louise Martone-Peluso, Mr. and Mrs. Donald Di Grazia of Met Opera Patrons Box Office and son Damian, Cornelia Beigel from The Gerda Lissner Foundation, Brooklynite Bill Ronayne from The Mario Lanza Society, Cav. Uff. Aldo and Lisa Mancusi from the Enrico Caruso Museum in Brooklyn and opera lecturer Lou and Kathleen Barrella. " [Source]
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Red Ribbon Celebration Concert Performances At Life Ball 2014

May 31, 2014, 7:55 am
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Jennifer O'Loughlin
"Schon früh am Morgen herrschte auf dem Wiener Flughafen hellste Aufregung, denn das Flugzeug mit den hochkarätigen Stargästen wurde erwartet - die Ankunft wurde natürlich, wie könnte es anders sein, spannend gemacht, denn bis zum Schluss war nicht klar, wann der Flieger wirklich landen würde. 'Ich freue mich schon,' zeigte sich Life Ball-Organisator Gerry Keszler aufgeregt, seine Gäste bald begrüßen zu dürfen. Um 9.40 Uhr war es dann endlich so weit: der Life Ball-Jet landete in Wien." [Source] More photos after the jump.
Ildar Abdrazakov

Luca Pisaroni and Thomas Hampson


Luca Pisaroni and Thomas Hampson

Ricky Martin, Elisabeth Himmer-Hirnigel, and Gery Keszler

Thomas Hampson

Vesselina Kasarova

Billy Zane

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Anna Netrebko Goes Leafy Green For The Garden Theme Of "Life Ball"

May 31, 2014, 8:13 pm
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Russian soprano Anna Netrebko returns to her second home state of Austria for Life Ball 2014 in Vienna that has a theme of "Garten der Lüste." She attended last year and got some personal time with former President Bill Clinton. We look forward to pictures of her with this year's performer, Ricky Martin. "The Life Ball in Vienna is the biggest charity event in Europe supporting people with HIV or AIDS. The event is organized by the nonprofit organization AIDS LIFE, which was founded in 1992 by Gery Keszler and Torgom Petrosian. AIDS LIFE supports aid organizations devoted to helping people who are HIV-positive or have AIDS. The team entrusted with the allocation of funds thoroughly examines each petition. Moreover, it is an explicit goal of AIDS LIFE to raise public awareness." [Source] Full-length photo of the ensemble is after the jump.
Anna with Yusif Eyvazov
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Karlheinz Böhm, Son Of Karl Böhm And Thea Linhard, Passes Away

May 31, 2014, 9:18 pm
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Karlheinz Böhm (center) with his wife Almaz (left) and daughter Aida (right).
Böhm played opposite Romy Schneider in Sissi.
"Karlheinz Böhm (March 16, 1928 – May 29, 2014), sometimes referred to as Carl Boehm or Karl Boehm, was an Austrian actor. He took part in 45 films and became well known in Austria and Germany for his role as Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria in the Sissi trilogy and internationally for his role as Mark, the psychopathic protagonist of Peeping Tom, directed by Michael Powell. He was the founder of the trust 'Menschen für Menschen,' which helps people in need in Ethiopia. He also received honorary Ethiopian citizenship in 2003. Having two citizenships, he saw himself as a world citizen: His father was the Austrian conductor Karl Böhm, his mother the German-born soprano Thea Linhard. He was an only child, and spent his youth in Darmstadt, Hamburg and Dresden. In Hamburg he attended elementary school and the Kepler-Gymnasium (a grammar school). A faked medical certificate enabled him to
His father, Karl Böhm, stands at right while
composer Richard Strauss plays the piano
emigrate to Switzerland in 1939, where he attended the Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz, a boarding school. In 1946, he moved to Graz with his parents, where he graduated from high school the same year. He originally intended to become a pianist but received poor feedback when he auditioned. His father urged him to study English and German language and literary studies, followed by studies of history of arts for one semester in Rome after which he quit and returned to Vienna to take acting lessons with Prof. Helmut Krauss. From 1948 to 1976 he acted in about 45 films and also in theater. With Romy Schneider, he starred in the Sissi trilogy as the Emperor Franz Joseph,
which limited him to one specific genre as an actor. He made three American films in 1962. He played Jakob Grimm in the 1962 MGM-Cinerama spectacular The Wonderful World of
His parents Karl Böhm and Thea Linhard
the Brothers Grimm and Ludwig van Beethoven in the Walt Disney film The Magnificent Rebel. (The latter film was made especially for the Disney anthology television series, but was released theatrically in Europe.) He appeared in a villainous role as the Nazi-sympathizing son of Paul Lukas in the MGM film Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, a Technicolor, widescreen remake of the 1921 silent Rudolph Valentino film. During 1974 and 1975, Böhm appeared prominently in four consecutive films from prolific New German Cinema director Rainer Werner Fassbinder: Martha, Effi Briest, Faustrecht der Freiheit , and Mutter Küsters' Fahrt zum Himmel. Böhm's voice acting work included narrating his father's 1975 recording of Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev and in 2009 as the German voice for Charles Muntz,
A young portrait of Karlheinz Böhm.
villain in Pixar's tenth animated feature Up. From 1981, when he founded 'Menschen für Menschen,' Böhm was actively involved in charitable work in Ethiopia, for which in 2007 he was awarded the Balzan Prize for Humanity, Peace and Brotherhood among Peoples. In 2011 Karlheinz Böhm and his wife Almaz were awarded the Essl Social Prize for the project Menschen für Menschen. He married Almaz Böhm, a native of Ethiopia in 1991. They had two children, Nicolas (born 1990) and Aida (born 1993). Karlheinz had five more children from previous marriages, among them the actress Katharina Böhm (born 1964). In February 2013 it was reported that he was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, he lived in Grödig near Salzburg until his death in May 2014. [Source]
An early photo of the Böhm family: Almaz, Aida, Nicolas, and Karlheinz.
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Mary Elizabeth Williams Discusses "Nabucco" And Marriage

June 1, 2014, 7:00 am
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Verdi Bad Girl: Mary Elizabeth Williams will play the role of Abigaille in Nabucco beginning in June.
"Mary Elizabeth Williams is soaking up the sights of Venice when I call. It’s little over a week until the soprano will be on stage in Cardiff for the opening night of Welsh National Opera’s new production of Nabucco and she’s got a few days off from rehearsals. But despite the short break from work, she’s still immersed in opera – for she’s in the Italian city to support her husband, Lorenzo Decaro, who’s appearing in Tosca at Teatro La Fenice. 'I’ve been to Venice before but it was so long ago that I hardly remember a thing,' says the 37-year-old who is originally from Philadelphia but now lives in Milan. 'I’m just here for a couple of days and we’ve been doing lots of walking around and enjoyed dinner with my husband’s colleagues. I like to eat local food and shop and just hang out. But I leave
The opera duo exchange wedding vows.
(Photo: Facebook)
tomorrow and head straight to Cardiff for rehearsals.' The couple have only been married for two months. They tied the knot during an intimate ceremony at Williams’ mother’s house in America little over a year after meeting when they played on-stage lovers in Aida in Palermo, Italy. 'I suppose it’s been a whirlwind by today’s standards – he asked me to marry him at Christmas and we figured if we didn’t get married now it could be difficult as we’re both working all the time.' She admits that she was 'hesitant' at first about starting a relationship with another opera singer. 'I don’t like to have romances on the road – I like to keep it professional and I avoid tenors at all costs as typically they’re very high maintenance,' she laughs. 'I was very reticent but he was very gentlemanly and patient and he always made it clear he was interested without stalking me. He won me over, I’m lucky.'" [Source] For more information about the Nabucco performances at Welsh National Opera, click here.
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Christa Ludwig Reveals A Lifetime Of Learning In Candid Interview

June 1, 2014, 8:22 am
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An early portrait of the mezzo-soprano.
The Berliner-Morgenpost sits down with mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig to discuss a wide range of topics at her home in Klosterneuburg. In the interview she reveals her feelings about disliking the word "Masterclass"; Maria Callas and Anja Silja possessing voices non-beautiful voices; singers today knowing about sex, but not eroticism; why she wasn't hired more in Berlin by Fricsay; how Birgit Nilsson had vocal cords that could withstand anything; recording Fidelio over 14 days; doing a recital with steroid-induced pianist Tzimon Barto; and how she thinks her life today is quite boring. Read the whole interview here.
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Francisco Araiza Leads Gala To Celebrate 150th Strauss Anniversary

June 1, 2014, 8:46 am
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"El tenor mexicano Francisco Araiza y las sopranos Joo-Hee Jung (Corea) y Marija Vidovic (Croacia) participarán el próximo 1 de junio en la Gala Strauss, un programa conmemorativo por los 150 años del natalicio del alemán Richard Strauss (1864-1949) y los 80 años del Palacio de Bellas Artes. La función única, a celebrarse en la Sala Principal del recinto de mármol, es una producción de la Ópera de Bellas Artes y contará con la Orquesta de Cámara de Bellas Artes (OCBA), bajo la batuta del serbio Srba Dinic. Las autoridades del Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes (INBA) recordaron que en todo el mundo se ha desplegado un amplio abanico de celebraciones en honor al compositor alemán, cuyo aniversario es el próximo 11 de junio. Strauss, añadió, se hizo famoso por una serie de poemas sinfónicos de tono experimental que ahora son pilares del reperto rio orquestal." [Source] For more information about the Palacio de Bellas Artes, click here. Listen to samples of both soprano guest artists, after the jump.


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Lyric Opera Of Chicago Gets Acoustic Makeover On Stage

June 1, 2014, 8:52 am
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The proposed backdrop that could add recital capabilities to the cavernous opera house. 
"In the latest collaboration between the renowned Chicago architect Jeanne Gang and a Chicago-area arts institution, Gang and her firm, Studio Gang Architects, have designed a new acoustical shell for Lyric Opera the company will use for its concert performances at the Civic Opera House beginning in the fall, Lyric announced Wednesday. The dynamic, modular stage enclosure, to be unveiled at Lyric's 60th anniversary concert on Nov. 1, will be the first concert shell to be created by the architectural firm, although Gang and her partners have dealt with similar acoustical design issues in previous projects, she said. 'This is a unique project for us,' she said of the new concert shell, which Lyric plans to use for performances distinct from the operatic productions that constitute its main stage season. Lyric Opera officials have not disclosed the cost or funding sources for the project. Construction of the shell is scheduled to begin next week, followed by acoustical tests of the completed enclosure later in the summer. Their intention, officials said, is to replace Lyric's existing stage shell with a more efficient, more visually appealing enclosure that will improve the projection of acoustical sound in the cavernous, 3,500-seat Ardis Krainik Theater and relate, in a design sense, to the Art Deco style of the stage proscenium, with its receding perspective. 'We thought it would be far more interesting if there was something connected to the space, so it wouldn't look like it simply dropped in from outer space,' Gang said." [Source]
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Hei-Kyung Hong Wins $300,000 Ho-Am Prize From Samsung Group

June 2, 2014, 9:55 pm
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The soprano in the MET Opera gallery.
"Samsung Group yesterday honored the five winners of the annual Ho-Am Prize, who were announced last month. Lee Sang-yup, a professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (Kaist), operatic soprano Hong Hei-kyung and three others received the prestigious award along with 300 million won ($294,319) each at the Ho-Am Art Hall in central Seoul. The other winners are Nam Hong-gil, a professor at Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology in Daegu, Seung K. Kim, a professor at Stanford University, and the Rev. Kim Ha-jong. 'The brilliant achievements of the recipients are proud assets for Korea and these people are models to emulate in our era,' said Kwun Sook-il, head of the National Academy of Sciences, during a congratulatory speech at the award ceremony yesterday. 'The winners of Ho-Am awards are the hope and future for our society.' About 550 leaders of Korean politics, business, academia, media, culture and sports, as well as foreign emissaries based in Korea, were in attendance, according to the Ho-Am Foundation. The Ho-Am Prize is given to Korean citizens who make the biggest contributions each year in science, engineering, medicine, the arts and philanthropy. The foundation said the winners are chosen through a four-month review process with seven expert panels screening candidates in each area." [Source]

According to the Ho-Am website: "Prima Donna Hei-Kyung Hong, recipient of the Prize in The Arts, is a renowned operatic lyric soprano. Since her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1984, she has captivated audiences in Europe and the U.S. with her enchanting voice, extensive repertoire, and performances with world leading opera companies, symphony orchestras, musicians and conductors. In the process she has further elevated the credence of Korean vocalists on the international stage." In addition to the cash, recipients also are presented with a Diploma and pure gold (187.5g) medal. [Source]
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San Francisco Opera "Show Boat" Cast Garners Excellent Reviews

June 3, 2014, 7:00 am
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Morris Robinson lets loose with his booming voice for the role of Joe at the War Memorial Opera House.
"A couple of highlights: There's granite-voiced bass Morris Robinson, as the stevedore Joe, pacing himself through 'Ol' Man River,' aligning with the show's African-American chorus to build this iconic number -- part spiritual, part dirge -- into a majestic cry for justice. There's actor and comic Bill Irwin, as Cap'n Andy Hawks, who is all fluid motion and spark-plug energy: clowning, moon-walking or floating like Fred Astaire. His face is plastic. He is pure expression and heart -- an unforgettable performance. Not that Show Boat is light fare. What it is is an intensely American hybrid, celebrating vaudeville, jazz, opera, spirituals and popular song. It addresses distinctly American themes: racism against African-Americans and opposition to inter-racial marriage, especially. These themes play out aboard the Cotton Blossom, a floating theater -- a showboat with its own troupe, led by Cap'n Andy. His daughter, Magnolia Hawks (soprano Heidi Stober, perfect as the ingenue), is the story's pivot. We follow her through her ill-fated marriage to gambler Gaylord Ravenal (baritone Michael Todd Simpson) in the 1880s, and then through single motherhood and her resolute fashioning of a career in the 1920s New York theater. A subplot involves Magnolia's best friend, Julie La Verne (soprano Patricia Racette), who is bi-racial and has been 'passing' for
white. Discovered by the authorities, she and her white husband, Steve, are forced to leave the troupe, which performs to segregated audiences. There's tragedy aplenty, though the show's underlying message is one of joy. To hear 'You Are Love' sung by Stober and Simpson is to hear a classic operatic duet, as fragrant as Puccini. 'Can't Help Lovin' Dat
Patricia Racette as Julie La Verne
Man,' as ignited by Racette and chorus, will ring in your ears long after the curtain falls (though the soprano really found her mojo on 'Bill,' a heartbreaker). As Queenie -- Joe's wife, as well as cook on the Cotton Blossom -- soprano Angela Renée Simpson leads two powerful numbers: 'Mis'ry's Comin' Aroun'" (ominous gospel) and 'Hey, Feller' (foot-patting jazz), which foreshadow two sides of Gershwin's Porgy and Bess. Simpson sings with bell-clear chest tones and blues, marrying the two worlds at the heart of this remarkable show. The choruses are on fire. The dancers are off the charts, thanks to choreographer Michele Lynch. As the vaudeville duo Schultz and Schultz, Kirsten Wyatt (a total sketch as Ellie Mae) and John Bolton (as Frank) spell comic relief. Carmen Steele, who portrays Young Kim, Magnolia's daughter, is a natural actor and pure-voiced singer. [Source]
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Belgium's Vlaamse Opera Latest Rooftop To Host Honey Bee Colonies

June 3, 2014, 10:00 am
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Opera Buzz: Chef Nobels (r) and Rik Janssens (l)
Following suit of the Palais Garnier in Paris and Wien Staatsoper in Vienna, Vlaamse Opera becomes the most recent addition to placing bee colonies on the roof. The idea to put 160,000 bees on the roof was generated by chef Seppe Nobels from the restaurant Graanmarkt 13 in Antwerp. Four hives are under the supervision of beekeeper Rik Janssens. Hoping to produce 30-45 kilograms of "opera honey" annually, the opera intendant Aviel Cahn says he hopes it will help the environment as well. A portion of the proceeds from honey sales will go to the opera. In addition to being sold in the gift shop, guest singers will be offered the sweet nectar when performing with the opera.   
The facade of Vlaamse Opera in Antwerp, Belgium
"The first public opera performances in Antwerp date back to 1661. Performances took place on the stage of the Schouwburgh van de Oude Voetboog (theatre of the guild of crossbowmen) at the Grote Markt. The theatre gradually lost its popular Flemish character as French artists were engaged and the performances were no longer performed in the local (Dutch) language, but in French, the adopted language of the Flemish elite. In 1709 a new theatre was installed in the "Tapissierspand", a former covered market for tapestry where alternately Italian and French operas were performed. The new auditorium burnt down in 1746 and was replaced by a new "Grand Théâtre" which opened in 1753. During the period of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, the theatre was promoted to "Théâtre Royal". At that time the
Elegant interior of the opera house
old theatre was already in decay and it became too small to house the growing public. Plans were made to tear down the old building and to replace it by a new and more prestigious building. In 1829 the last performance was given in the "Tappisierspand". The new theatre opened after the Belgian revolution in 1834. (This building is presently known as the Bourlaschouwburg and is used today for regular theatre performances.) The French repertoire (and, to a lesser extent, the Italian repertoire in French translation) continued to dominate. The opera house closed in 2005 for a 2-year renovation of the entire building. In November 2007, exactly 100 years after the grand opening in 1907, the opera opened again for a new season." [Source, Source]
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Silvana Dussmann: A Study In Dramatic Soprano Vocal Prowess

June 3, 2014, 10:51 pm
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Born in Vienna, soprano Silvana Dussmann was destined to perform the German repertoire of Mozart and Strauss. After studying with Rita Streich and Gerhard Kahry, she won first prize for operetta at the Vienna Belvedere Competition in 1987. Her debut was as Lisa in Franz Lehár's Das Land des Lächelns at the Volksoper Wien opposite Nicolai Gedda. She soon became an ensemble member of the Tiroler Landestheater Innsbruck, where she sang
roles such as Ilia (Idomeneo), Konstanze (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Micaëla (Carmen), Laura (Der Bettelstudent), and Rosalinde (Die Fledermaus). Subsequently in 1990 she debuted in the title role of Emmerich Kálmán's Die Csárdásfürstin at the Seefestspielen Mörbisch. By 1992 she was engaged by Opernhaus Graz where she extended her repertoire to roles like Violetta (La Traviata), Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier), Agathe (Der Freischütz), and Angèle Didier (Der Graf von Luxemburg). Beginning in 1994, Ms. Dussmann began performing at the Wiener Volksoper as Musetta (La bohème), Marchesa del Poggio (Un Giorno di Regno), Frau Fluth (Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor), Vitellia (La Clemenza di Tito), Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Countess Almaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro), and the title role in Norma. In 1996 she was reviving her portrayals of Musetta and Rosalinde for the Wiener Staatsoper. She went on to perform at the Aalto-Musiktheater in Essen, the Bayerischen Staatsoper in München, Israel Philharmonic in Tel Aviv, and Opera Bonn. At Wiener Festwochen in
1999, she caused a sensation as Rosalinde in the new production of Die Fledermaus conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt and directed by Jürgen Flimm that was broadcast via
radio and television. Two years later she returned to the festival to sing the opening the opening concert with the Wiener Symphonikern under the direction of Georges Prêtre. That same year, at the Aalto-Musiktheater Essen, she made a role debut as Chrysothemis (Elektra) and sang the role of Leonora (Il Trovatore) in a new production. 2001 also marked the role debut as Elisabetta in Roberto Devereux at the Wiener Staatsoper and a concert performance of Norma with the Münchener Philharmonie with conductor Marcello Viotti. She made her debut at the Hamburgischen Staatsoper as Rosalinde (Die Fledermaus). Other triumphs include her first Kaiserin (Die Frau Ohne Schatten) at Oper Frankfurt and a new production at the Deutsche Oper Berlin of Die Tote Stadt under Christian Thielemann in which she sang the role of Marietta. She repeated her interpretation of Elisabetta (Roberto Devereux) at the Wiener Staatsoper to great public acclaim and sang her first Verdi Requiem with the Orchestre National de Lyon in 2004. The following season she appeared as the Kaiserin at the Wiederaufnae in Frankfurt and a new production at the Théatre de la Monnaie in Brussels, followed by a Norma at the Berlin Staatsoper, as well as role debut as Amelia (Un Ballo in Maschera) and performances as Vitellia in Frankfurt. One
of the highlights in the 2008-09 season was concert performances of Norma at the Frankfurter Alten Oper and with the Orquestra Gulbenkian in Lisbon. The press also proclaimed her successes as the Kaiserin in Essen and Chrysothemis in Vienna and Hamburg. More recent achievements include her debut in 2012 as Isolde (Tristan und Isolde) at the Staatstheater Braunschweig, followed by Ariadne (Ariadne auf Naxos) at the Aalto-Theater in Essen. She returned to the Bayerische Staatsoper in December 2012 to sing Rosalinde and to Aalto-Theater in Essen for performances as the Kaiserin during July 2013. Other recent engagements include a new productions of Elektra in Toulouse and Die Fledermaus under Zubin Mehta in Berlin. She also was a soloist in Beethoven's 9th Symphony with the Rundfunk Sinfonie Orchester Berlin. During the summer of 2014, the soprano will appear at the Salzburger Festspiele in Der Rosenkavalier with the Wiener Philharmoniker with conductor Franz Welser-Möst. She will follow these performances by appearing as Abigaille in Nabucco at the Opéra National de Lorraine in November and December. Upcoming roles that the soprano plans to add to her repertoire include Senta (Der Fliegende Holländer), Leonore (Fidelio), and the title roles in Medea and Tosca. In addition to opera, Ms. Dussmann is a
sought-after concert soloist. She has sung concerts in Amsterdam, Antwerp, Bergen, Dublin, Ghent, Los Angeles, Lisbon, Lyon, New York, San Diego, Sao Paolo, Tel Aviv, Tokyo, and Washington. Her repertoire includes Magnificat (Bach), St. Matthew Passion (Bach), Die Schöpfung (Haydn), Mirjam's Siegesgesang (Schubert), Requiem (Verdi; Mozart), Stabat Mater (Rossini), Wesendonck-Lieder (Wagner), Vier Letzte Lieder (Strauss), and 9th Symphony (Beethoven). Amongst the conductors with whom she has collaborated are Bertrand de Billy, Rudolf Bibl, Giuliano Carella, Asher Fisch, Carlo Franci, Valéry Gergiev, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Zubin Mehta, Arnold Oestman, Kazushi Ono, Seiji Ozawa, Georges Prêtre, Peter Schneider, Stefan Soltesz, Christian Thielemann, Marcello Viotti, Sebastian Weigle, and Simone Young. Stage directors with whom she has worked include Klaus Maria Brandauer, Nicolas Brieger, Jürgen Flimm, Matthew Jocelyn, Christof Loy and Christof Nel zusammen. [Source, Source] 
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Leyla Gencer And Grace Bumbry In Unconventional Performance

June 7, 2014, 1:08 pm
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Grace Bumbry (left) and Leyla Gencer (right) appear backstage during performances of Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea at La Scala in 1967. Listen to the performance here.  See some other unique casting choices for this Baroque piece, after the jump.
"L'incoronazione di Poppea (SV 308, The Coronation of Poppaea) is an Italian opera by Claudio Monteverdi, with a libretto by Giovanni Francesco Busenello, first performed at the Teatro Santi Giovanni e Paolo in Venice during the 1643 carnival season. One of the first operas to use historical events and people, it describes how Poppaea, mistress of the Roman emperor Nero, is able to achieve her ambition and be crowned empress. The opera was revived in Naples in 1651, but was then neglected until the rediscovery of the score in 1888, after which it became the subject of scholarly attention in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Since the 1960s, the opera has been performed and recorded many times. The original manuscript of the score does not exist; two surviving copies from the 1650s show significant differences from each other, and each differs to some extent from the libretto. How much of the music is actually Monteverdi's, and how much the product of others, is a matter of dispute. None of the existing versions of the libretto, printed or manuscript, can be definitively tied to the first performance at the Teatro Santi Giovanni e Paolo, the precise date of which is unknown. Details of the original cast are few and largely speculative, and there is no record of the opera's initial public reception. Despite these uncertainties, the work is generally accepted as part of the Monteverdi operatic canon, his last and perhaps his greatest work. In a departure from traditional literary morality, it is the adulterous liaison of Poppea and Nerone which triumphs, although this victory is demonstrated by history to have been transitory and hollow. Moreover, in Busenello's version of the story all the major characters are morally compromised. Written when the genre of opera was only a few decades old, the music for L'incoronazione di Poppea has been praised for its originality, its melody, and for its reflection of the human attributes of its characters. The work helped to redefine the boundaries of theatrical music, and established Monteverdi as the leading musical dramatist of his time. [Source]







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Purina Dog Dreams Of Swimming To Rossini's "Largo al Factotum"

June 9, 2014, 9:39 pm
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In the commercial sequence for Purina's Pro Plan dog food, we see a Cardigan Welsh Corgi deep in sleep dreaming of a swimming race with another dog to fetch a ball. The music playing under the advertisement is the aria "Largo al Factotum" from Rossini's opera Il Barbiere di Siviglia. To learn more about the dog food, click here.
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Plácido Domingo's Sports History As A Soccer Player Served Him Well

June 9, 2014, 9:54 pm
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Plácido Domingo playing soccer in 1980.
"As the World Cup nears, soccer fanatics will inevitably jink the conversation toward the beautiful game. That includes Placido Domingo, who explains why at 73 he can still get down on one knee to declare his love to the soprano. 'I was a goalkeeper and I know how to throw myself onto the floor,' said the Spanish opera singer. Even if his sporting past has served him well in his career, the tenor-turned-baritone never expected to be where he is today, still singing on stages all over the world. Because of that unexpected longevity, he finds himself doing double duty as leading man and general director for the LA Opera, where he wrapped up its 28th season this past weekend as the love-struck monk Athanael in Massenet's Thais, the 139th role of his career. Around 18 years ago, Domingo took over the direction of the Washington National Opera, and then more than a decade ago became director of the young Los Angeles company. 'I really thought I would be singing for a very short time,' he told Reuters in an interview last week at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, where he first performed in 1967. 'That's the reason I started thinking of being a director of a theater. The voice is there, so I keep singing.'" [Source] A picture of the tenor playing soccer in 2011, can be found after the jump.
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Frederica Von Stade Continues Astonishing Stage Performances

June 9, 2014, 10:08 pm
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"As is the case with movie actresses, opportunities decrease when female opera singers reach a certain age. There are only so many chances to be the Countess in Tchaikovsky's Queen of Spades, for example. So when the much-beloved mezzo Frederica von Stade retired from the opera stage in February 2011 at age 65, with a final outing as Mrs. De Rocher, the show-stealing featured part that Jake Heggie wrote for her in Dead Man Walking (2000), her many fans assumed that was the end. It wasn't. Ms. von Stade is back, this time at center stage in A Coffin in Egypt, a one-act chamber opera written for her by Ricky Ian Gordon. The work had its premiere at the Houston Grand Opera in March, went on to Beverly Hills and is now at Opera Philadelphia. Working with librettist Leonard Foglia, Mr. Gordon based the opera on Horton Foote's play of the same name. It's a ferocious character study. Myrtle Bledsoe, age 90, living in the tiny backwater town of Egypt, Texas, looks back on her life, and for the most part, it isn't pretty. In 1900, at 19, a beautiful, much-pursued city girl, she married a rich farmer, but the promise of that beginning was never fulfilled. Her husband, Hunter, cheated on her openly, first with a black prostitute, and later with a 17-year-old high-school girl whose father he shot and killed. His crime went unpunished, and Hunter and Myrtle's nephew, assuming he would be similarly immune, murdered his own father. Even Myrtle's daughters were no comfort to her; they blamed her for Hunter's tomcatting ways." [Source] Read the full Wall Street Journal review of the show here.
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Washington National Opera Throws Japanese Themed Ball

June 9, 2014, 10:37 pm
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"On June 7, the Washington National Opera held its annual fete, The Opera Ball, at the residence of Japanese Ambassador Kenichiro Sasae and his wife, Nobuko Sasae. More than 500 guests, including the District’s biggest opera fan, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), and Newt and Callista Gingrich, were treated to four opera performances and then dinner prepared by the Japanese embassy chefs under a custom-made chandelier of 1,000 origami paper cranes — a symbol of eternal good luck." [Source]
Norman Garrett, one of the evening's performers, sings to honored
and distinguished guests. Click image to enlarge. (Photo: Yassine El Mansouri)
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Evans Mirageas Explores Daily Makings Of "Carmen" In Cincinnati

June 10, 2014, 9:58 pm
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Evan Mirageas, The Harry T. Wilkins Artistic Director for Cincinnati Opera, has devised a unique marketing tool to spread the word about the company's upcoming production of Bizet's Carmen. On May 20, the first video hit YouTube titled "Evan's Daily Digest - Carmen Day 1." The videos now total 12 and continue to multiply. Each segment offers a day-to-day behind the scenes look at the building of the opera. Some episodes even feature trivia about locations the Cincinnati Opera has performed in the past, like the Cincinnati Zoo. Other factoids include why we say "break a leg" to performers just before curtain. It's an ingenious way to engage audiences before they arrive at the opera on opening night June 12. You can watch all of the videos by clicking here.  More about Evans Mirageas and rehearsal photos after the jump.
L'amour est un oiseau rebelle: Carmen (Stacey Rishoi) plays hard-to-get
during rehearsal for Cincinnati Opera's production, directed by Alain Gauthier,
that opens June 12. For tickets, click here.

EVAN MIRAGEAS
"Evans Mirageas is in his ninth season as The Harry T. Wilks Artistic Director of Cincinnati Opera. Widely considered one of the most talented and respected artistic leaders in the classical music industry today, Mirageas brings to Cincinnati Opera a broad range of experience in both opera and symphonic music, as well as a long history of successful part­nerships with many of the world’s leading singers and conductors. Mirageas’s varied career in classical music has included radio production with the nationally renowned WFMT radio station in Chicago, Artistic Administrator to Seiji Ozawa at the Boston Symphony, and Senior Vice President of Artists and Repertoire for the Decca Record Company. In addition, he is an award-winning record producer, lecturer, interviewer, presenter, and awards panelist. He is also the Vice President for Artistic Planning for The Atlanta Symphony. Since 1999, Mirageas has served as an independent artistic advisor to conductors, instrumentalists, sing­ers, symphony orchestras, opera companies, and other performing arts organizations throughout the United States and Europe." [Source]
Carmen, sung by Stacey Rishoi, flirts with the soldiers in rehearsal.
CARMEN 
"The mysterious Spanish beauty is an untamed spirit—hypnotic in her allure, coolly crushing hearts. When she tangles with José, an unsuspecting soldier, he’s blindsided, then spellbound, and soon, utterly obsessed. What begins as flirtation descends into something sinister...something from which Carmen may never escape. There’s a reason Carmen has endured as an all-time favorite—with one dazzling tune after another, Carmen never fails to satisfy. Our vibrant, new-to-Cincinnati production stars Stacey Rishoi in the title role, a singer admired for her 'seductive appearance and acting' and 'voice of fine beauty' (Opera News). As Carmen’s spurned lover, Don José, William Burden offers 'emotional range, high notes, and lyricism' (Chicago Tribune). Daniel Okulitch, 'full of swagger and rich, virile tone' (Opera Canada), is the cocky toreador, Escamillo. Laquita Mitchell is José’s trusting fiancée, Micaela." [Source]


Conductor Marc Piollet leads the orchestra in rehearsal.
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