Opera Suggestions, II

I was happy to see that the Canadian Opera Company, in Toronto, is premiering a new work by Ian Cusson (a First Nations composer) and also programming Ariadne auf Naxos and The Turn of the Screw. For a while there I thought they were retreating into just Boheme and Traviata and the like forever, but I'm very happy they are taking at least a few risks.
 
I saw that :cheer: I don't know all of the singers in Empire of Wild, but Gordon Bintner was an excellent Onegin out here in Seattle. I also saw that the last opera, for the Company in Residence, Come Closer, has a librettist, Rachel Krehm, who is also singing one of the two roles! Way to go to write yourself a part :).

One of my favorite opera performances ever was Seattle Opera's Turn of the Screw. You're in for a treat. La Traviata is the closest to a warhorse. L'elisir d'amore is light, but the season is really impressive and has a great mix of operas.
 
At last a cultural outing; I went to Carnegie Hall yesterday for the annual appearance of The English Concert staging a Handel piece. This time it was the oratorio Hercules. The piece was unknown to me; I’ve never heard any of the music before, and I enjoyed it greatly.

It’s well-known among my opera friends that I prefer mezzos to sopranos and bass-baritones to tenors and prize countertenors above all else, but I liked everyone in this small cast. Soprano Hilary Cronin and tenor David Portillo were excellent.

I recommend this if it comes in tour near you.
 
I caught the HGO Butler Studio performance Of Mice and Men yesterday, and there is some amazing talent emerging. Tenor Demetrious Sampson as Lennie and bass-baritone Sam Dhobhany as George are two to watch. Bass-baritone Ziniu Zhao, whom I saw in an open master class and who is I believe 25 years old in real life, was a convincing decrepit old man in the role of Candy.

In other HGO/Butler Studio news, Elizabeth Hanje was selected as a Laffont Competition Finalist! She was assigned to my table at the Concert of Arias celebration dinner and is an absolute sweetheart. I had already planned to attend the Grand Finals Concert in person, and I really look forward to hearing her again.
 
I was listening to the Junction Fiber Millcast and last week one of the owners went to the Hopkins Center for the Performing Arts at Dartmouth, close to the Vermont/New Hampshire border, and saw her first opera: it was The English Concert's Hercules! Which was also her about-to-be-born-any-day-now baby's first opera.
 
kwanfan1818 said:
I was listening to the Junction Fiber Millcast and last week one of the owners went to the Hopkins Center for the Performing Arts at Dartmouth, close to the Vermont/New Hampshire border, and saw her first opera: it was The English Concert's Hercules! Which was also her about-to-be-born-any-day-now baby's first opera.
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Amazing! It got great reviews and Ann Hallenberg is outstanding
 
Just got the "Create Your Own Series" brochure for the 2026-27 Carnegie Hall season, and the vocal highlights are:

Opera:
  • Ring of the Nibelungen (Wagner, in concert), Orchestra of the Zurich Opera House, Gianandrea Noseda, conductor:
    • Das Rheingold-Thursday, March 18, 2027: Volle (Wota) Schmutzhard (Donner), Krogius (Froh), Vogt (Loge), Baumgartner (Fricka), Mikneviciute (Freia), Beinart (Erda), Purves (Alberich), Ablinger-Sperrhacke (Mime), Kares (Fasolt), Leigh (Fafner), Zukowski/Rahal/Miller (Rhine Maidens)
    • Die Walkure-Friday, March 19, 2027: Vogt (Siegmund), Kares (Hunding), Volle (Wotan), Mikneviciute (Sieglinde), Baumgartner (Fricka), Nylund (Brunnhilde), Herbert/Dan/Tuznik/Rehlis/Rahal/Miller/Stfanska/Beinart (Valkyries)
    • Siegfried-Sunday, March 21, 2027: Vogt (Siegfried), Ablinger-Sperrhacke (Mime), Volle (Der Wanderer), Purves (Alberich), Leigh (Fafner), Beinart (Erda), Nylund (Brunnhilde), Zukowski (Forest Bird)
    • Die Gotterdammerung-Tuesday, March 23, 2027: Vogt (Siegfried), Schmutzhard (Gunther), Purves (Alberich), Kares (Hagen), Nylund (Brunnhilde), Dan (Gutrune), Rehlis (Waltraute), Stefanska/Miller/Herbert (Norns), Zukowski/Rahal/Miller (Rhine Maidens)
  • Alessandro (Handel, in concert)-Sunday, May 2: The English Concert, Harry Bicket, conductor
    • Dumaux (Alessandro), Thomas (Rossane), Harvey (Lisaura), Chance (Cleone), Riches (Clito), Gregory (Leonata), another soloist TBA.
  • Tosca (Puccini, concert)-Friday, November 13 and Sunday, November 15, 2026, NY Phil, Gustavo Dudamel, conductor, Malcom J. Merriweather, Director, chorus
    • Rebeka (Tosca) Kaufmann (Cavaradossi), Tezier (Scarpia), Brady (Sacristan), Reisinger (Spoletta), Taylor (Sciarrone), Humbert Jr. (Jailer)
Vocal:
  • Opening Night Gala, Berliner Philharmoniker, Kirill Petrenko, conductor, with Jonas Kaufmann (Cilea, Giordano, Leoncavallo)-Thursday, October 8, 2026.
  • Sphinx Virtuosi with J'Nai Bridges and another soloist TBA-Friday, October 16, 2026. (McFarlane, Montgomery, Geter, Ravel, Perkinson, Stravinsky)
  • Orchestra of St. Luke's, Louis Langree, conductor, All Berlioz with Benjamin Bernheim (Les nuits d'ete)-THursday, November 5, 2026
  • Aigul Akhmetshina, Jonathan Palmer Lakeland, piano-Wednesday, November 11 (Britten, Guastavino, Tchikovsky, Blakirev, Massenet, Berlin, Satie, Bizet, Verdi, Rimsky-Korsakov, Velasquez, Weill, Garner, Gardel, Rachmaninoff, Vavilov, Montalvatge, Bernstein, and Styne.) What a list!
  • Il Pomo d'Oro with Michael Spyres-Thursday, April 8, 2027.
  • Jupiter Ensemble with Lea Desandre and Thomas Dunford, lute-Tuesday, November 17. 2026. (Provenzale, Cavalli, Viviani, Schurmann, Pallaviino, Philidor, Marais, Destouhes, Vivaldi, de Bottis)
  • Rihab Chaieb, Ammiel Bushakevitz, piano-Wednesday, November 18 (Saint-Saens, Aubert, Golijov, Jouini, Fairuz, All-Ghozzi, Ricketts, more.
  • Karim Sulayman, Tom Poster, piano-Wednesday, December 2, 2026 (Chausson, Faure, Berlioz, Saint-Saens, abral, Brel, Poulence, Barbara, Ravel, Hahn, Bizet, Moulinie)
  • Attacca Quartet with Caroline Shaw, vocals and viola-Friday, February 5, 2027
  • Orchestra of St. Luke's, Christophe Rousset, conductor, The Clarion Choir, Steven Fox, director-Thursday, February 11. Schubert's Mass No. 2 in G Major and Mozart's Requiem (Redpath, Barton, Staples, Green)
  • Jack Swanson, Bryan Wagorn, piano-Wednesday, February 24, 2027 (R. Schumann, Rossini, Liszt)
  • Vienna Philharmonic, Yannick Nezet-Seguin, conductor with Christiane Karg (Mahler's Symphony No. 4)-Saturday, February 27, 2027
  • Nadine Sierra, Bryan Wagorn, piano-Sunday, February 28. (no program listed)
  • The Met Orchestra Chamber Ensemble with mezzo TBA (probably Shaw)-Monday, April 5, 2027)
  • Philadelphia Orchestra, Yannick Nezet-Seguin, conductor-Tuesday, May 18: Mahler's Symphony No. 3 (Cargill, Philadelphia Symphonic Choir, Commonwealth Youth Choir, Philadelphia Boys Choir, Philadelphia Girls Choir)
 
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