Opus Arte

This month’s newly released opera productions are dramatic masterpieces, exposing ways in which complication is implicit to the human experience, in very different ways.

The new opera season often brings with it something very exciting – new operas. Whether first works by up-and-coming stars or premieres from industry professionals, it is always interesting to witness the fledgling outings of a brand new work.

Photo © Clarchen & Matthias Baus

Puccini’s La fanciulla del West is available on Blu-ray for the first time ever – brought to life in typically spectacular fashion by De Nederlandse Opera.

Photo © Alberto Arzoz

The Royal Opera’s new season is underway with a rich and varied assortment of operas scheduled for the run-up to Christmas.

Photo © Catherine Ashmore

Placido Domingo is set to star in a very special production of Rigoletto – filmed on location in the streets of Mantua, Italy, and broadcast live on the BBC over two nights, September 4th and 5th.

This innovative approach to an opera that is 160 years old begs the question: what other opera productions have been tackled in ways either inspired or insane?

Photo © Neil Rickards

The First Night of the Proms is one of the most anticipated dates of the classical music season. This year, 76 concerts are taking place at the Royal Albert Hall, in addition to a series of Chamber Proms and matinee concerts at Cadogan Hall and a selection of special events before the season culminates in the famous Last Night and the Proms in the Park, in Hyde Park on September 11.

Photo © Catherine Ashmore

Plácido Domingo stars in the title role of Verdi’s opera Simon Boccanegra at the Royal Opera House this month (until 15 July). Domingo has often sung the tenor role of young revolutionary Gabriele Adorno in this opera (including for The Royal Opera in 1997). Now he is tackling the baritone role of political master and former corsair Simon Boccanegra, Doge of Genoa.

       © Mike Hoban, 2009

The summer festival season is upon us; picnics, hazy evenings and beautiful music amidst beautiful scenery. Here is just a tiny snapshot of some of the festivals bringing classical music to life across Europe over the warmer months.

©Zachary Walsh, 2010

On the first true summer day of 2010, the Holland Park Opera season opened surely the most famous of all: Bizet’s Carmen.

As the first rays of summer warm the English countryside, the outdoor music season emergences from the wings and takes centre stage. Now in its 14th year, Opera Holland Park is gearing up for another season of interesting and eclectic live performance in one of London’s prettiest parks.

©Richard Thomas 2006

Dates have been released for the entire Royal Opera House 2010-11 season and booking is now open for all performances.

The new season kicks off with Così fan tutte, an opera buffa, or comic opera, by Mozart...

© Peter Suranyi (8/8/2009)

The first opera of 2011 at the Royal Opera House is Il barbiere di Siviglia, the barber of Seville, a deft comedy from the pen of Rossini. It is performed here by a young cast, endeavouring to capture the playfulness and witty touches of this Italian opera from 1816...

© Peter Suranyi (8/8/2009)

14 May 1747 – the first performance of Williams Gluck’s opera, La Semiramide riconosciuta. Gluck had joined a travelling opera troupe led by Pietro Mingotti, which had resulted in the composer’s first successful opera outing. As a result, he was commissioned to produce this piece to celebrate the birthday of Maria Theresa of Austria. The opera was a success, despite the librettist, Metastasio’s utter disregard for the music of Gluck.

April 23rd is St. George’s Day in England, commemorating the country’s patron saint. It may not be a bank holiday (that’s a national holiday to those not familiar with the UK’s bizarre semantics) but that is no reason to not celebrate. To help with that, here is a look at some of the best composers and classical music to come out of the country represented by the St. George’s Cross.

23 April 1858 – birth of English composer and suffragette Dame Ethel Smyth. Ethel wrote six operas as well as assorted choral and chamber music, having studied at the Conservatory in Leipzig and befriending contemporaries including DvoÅ™ák and Tchaikovsky. She composed ‘The March of the Women’, the anthem of the women’s suffrage movement, and served two months in Holloway prison for breaking windows at the command of Emily Pankhurst.

© National Portrait Gallery, London

© Riggwelter (15/8/2006)

French opera has its own unique, rich history and so it follows that France boasts some of the most venerated opera houses in the world.