Irish National Opera Brings Vivaldi’s L’Olimpiade to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

It is already a spectacle to approach and enter the newly built Royal Opera House in Muscat,Sultanate of Oman. Thanks to Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, the current emperor, opera enthusiasts have another destination not to miss. Built in the classical theatre style with a luxurous and spacious foyer and a semicircle auditorium with platea, stalls and circles it is a noteworthy example of a fair synthesis of traditional and arabic architecture. The result offers space for 1100 listeners and...

Big interest for the first opera production of Mr.Koepplinger, the new head of Munich´s second opera house the beloved Gaertnerplatztheater, under the direction of Brigitte Fassbaender, famous singer and highly regarded manager of the Strauss festival in Garmisch this Don Pasquale is a very fine elaboration of an old and traditional story. Mrs Fassbaender´s subtile characterization of each character and the cleverly transformation into the 20thcentury is very entertaining and...

World famous opera festival at Macerata is dedicating this season to the famous set designer Josef Svoboda having died 10 years ago. The reinstallation of his legendary ' Traviata of the mirrors` together with director Henning Brockhaus, established in 1992, is the central production this year next to Carmen and La Boheme. Allievi et maestri (students and masters) being the catchphrase of the festival putting the youth and their destiny at its core. The opening of the evening...

Puccini's masterpiece is a celebration to youth for young Italian director Damiano Michielotto. After having staged numerous operas by Rossini, Donizetti and Mozart Puccini is getting his favorite composer.    In his interpretation action never stops. In a fast pace he brilliantly tells us the story in a modern times environment and social description. The 4 friends do not represent serious artists more over they are 4 different characters of young kids of possible rich...

Valencia´s stunning opera house is holding its 5th Festval del Mediterrani. Luigi Cherubini´s Medea being its most remarkable new production. Director Gerardo Vera together with Alejandro Andujar responsible for stage design, Juam Gomez Cornejo for light and Alvaro Luna for video creation develop a convincing dramatic and vival presentation of the story. Stage design is simple and remains the same with minor changes - a wide step being the centrer piece and bringing...

The last performance of the Festival del Mediterrani was dedicated to Richard Wagner, Tristan and Isolde in a "halfstaged" performance. Valencia´s wonderful operahouse designed by Spanish architect Calatrava is itself a perfect scene. Always compared to a fish or boat, swimming in the water, entering the opera house is the perfect start for the performance. You get yourself on bord of the ship, the performance being held in the opera´ s own...