In this issue...
July 2010
Editor's Notes Recent News
Featured productions In Memoriam
Reviews by our critics Featured CD's
Featured Article Highlights during August
Sir Charles Mackerras
EDITOR'S NOTES
It is with a great deal of sadness that we note the deaths of two musical giants who both contributed greatly in the opera arena.
Sir Charles Mackerras died on 14 July 2010 aged 84 from cancer. The hard working conductor was working right up to the end of his life having just conducted Così fan tutte at Glyndebourne and was due to conduct two concerts at the BBC Proms. See below for more tributes to Mackerras.
Later in the month the death was announced of the tenor Anthony Rolfe Johnson at the age of 69. Turning to music relatively late in life Rolfe Johnson was particularly associated with the works of Benjamin Britten. Click here to read an obituary of Rolfe Johnson from the Telegraph..
Watch out next month for our round up from the summer opera festivals!
Michael Sinclair
Editor
Anthony Rolfe Johnson
RECENT NEWS
>>Placido Domingo to play lead role in special performance of Rigoletto that will use real-life locations in Italian city of Mantua.
(Guardian Unlimited)
more>>
>>Scottish arts face £2 million funding cut. SNP ministers have asked Scottish Opera and other arts institutions to prepare for cuts of up to 10 per cent.
(Telegraph)
more>>
>>Opera star to try some musical-theater gunplay. The soprano Deborah Voigt has signed on to play Annie Oakley next year at Glimmerglass.
(New York Times)
more>>
FEATURED PRODUCTIONS
Photo: Wilfried Hösl Photo: Stephen Cummiskey Photo: Catherine Ashmore
DIE SCHWEIGSAME FRAU
Bavarian State Opera
Hawlata, Wyn-Rogers, Borchev, Spence, Damrau
(c) Nagano (d) Kosky
THE DUCHESS OF MALFI
English National Opera
Huckle, Watts, Tong, Burkhard, Sporsen, Hytteng
(c) Higgins (d) Barrett/Doyle
DIE MEISTERSINGER
Welsh National Opera
Terfel, Sherratt, Dodd, Stout, Purves, Very, Roocroft
(c) Koenigs (d) Jones
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IN MEMORIAM - SIR CHARLES MACKERRAS
Sir Charles Mackerras
Earlier this month the renowned conductor Sir Charles Mackerras passed away. Born in New York state, Mackerras was brought up in Sydney, Australia, but spent most of his life in England after emigrating there in 1947.
He was a champion of many composers, but he will be particularly remembered for his work on the operas of Janacek. Most recently he conducted Così fan tutte at Glyndebourne and The Cunning Little Vixen at Covent Garden.
Click on the links below to read a selection of obituaries of Sir Charles Mackerras.
FEATURED CD'S
BUY NOW AT AMAZON.COM!
Diana Damrau
Coloraturas
BUY NOW AT AMAZON.COM!
Danielle de Niese
Diva
HIGHLIGHTS DURING AUGUST 2010
1 Aug The Salzburg Festival mounts a new production of Lulu directed by Vera Nemirova and with Patricia Petibon in the title role. 8 Aug Nikolaus Lehnhoff directs a new production of Elektra for the Salzburg Festival with Daniele Gatti conducting.
1 Aug Valery Gergiev conducts a concert performance of Salome at the Verbier Festival with Deborah Voigt in the title role. 11 Aug The 2010 Rossini Opera Festival gets underway in Pesaro with a new production of the rarely performed Sigismondo.
4 Aug Les Chorégies d'Orange performs Gounod's Mireille with Nathalie Manfrino in the title role. 31 Aug Glyndebourne Festival Opera bring their production of Hansel und Gretel to The BBC Proms in a semi staged performance.
REVIEWS BY OUR CRITICS
Rokumeikan at the New National Theatre Tokyo (photo: Chikashi Saegusa)
> Rokumeikan
New National Theatre Tokyo
by Kris Kosaka
> La fanciulla del West
Opera Australia
by Sarah Noble
> Simon Boccanegra
The BBC Proms
by Colin Anderson
FEATURED ARTICLE
Managing the Met’s wardrobe engineering
If a diva gains weight on the sly, it is Lesley C. Weston’s duty to discreetly ensure that her costume expands in sync with her rib cage when she sings that big aria on opening night.
Read the article>>
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