Anna Netrebko & Yusif Eyvazov Attend Domingo 40th Anniversary

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Anna Netrebko and fiancé Yusif Eyvazov attend the 40th Anniversary of Plácido Domingo's Salzburg Festival stage debut. Performers for the July 30 concert included Maria Agresta, Ana María Martínez, Krassimira Stoyanova, and Rolando Villazón. See a photo of the singers on stage from the Gala, after the jump.

Regardez Tout Le Gala Du Tricentenaire De l'Opéra Comique

Watch the entire gala celebrating 300 years of the l'Opéra Comique with opera stars Anna Caterina Antonacci, Sabine Devieilhe, Patricia Petibon, Julie Fuchs, Stéphane Degout, and more. "Carmen, Lakmé, Pelléas et Mélisande, La Fille du régiment... Autant de chefs d'oeuvre de l'art lyrique nés sur les planches de l'Opéra Comique. Depuis sa création en 1715, cette prestigieuse maison fait rayonner l'opéra à la française, accueille des artistes de renom, programme des oeuvres de tous les répertoires. Un lieu chargé d'histoires que cette soirée de gala ambitionne de résumer. A grand renfort d'images d'archives, d'interventions et bien évidemment de chants, apprêtez-vous à voir défiler trois siècles de création artistique. En maître de cérémonie, Michel Fau. Avec son impertinence habituelle, l'homme de spectacle redonnera vie aux petits et grands moments de la célèbre institution. A ses côtés, chanteront Anna Caterina Antonacci, Sabine Devieilhe, Julie Fuchs, Patricia Petibon, Frédéric Antoun, Stéphane Degout et Vincent Le Texier. Des chanteurs d'envergure internationale, familiers de la Salle Favart, qui interprèteront les airs qui ont marqué l'Opéra Comique et l'art lyrique en général. Ils seront accompagnés dans ce voyage dans le temps par Jérôme Deschamps, des chanteurs de l'Académie de l'Opéra Comique, le choeur Accentus et l'orchestre Les Siècles dirigé par François-Xavier Roth. « Si l’Opéra Comique m’était conté », une soirée exceptionnelle pour un lieu qui l'est tout autant. Le 28 décembre, Arte diffusera une version enrichie de ce Gala du tricentenaire. Sujets documentaires et témoignages viendront s'ajouter à la captation du 13 novembre. La soirée sera également diffusée en direct sur France Musique." [Source] More photos and the video are after the jump.

Uncovering Elena Obraztsova Treasures As 75 Years Is Celebrated

Operatic Tsaritsa: The legendary
 Elena Obraztsova

For over 50 years, Elena Obraztsova has been a fixture on the operatic scene. Her debut was at the Bolshoi Theater in a production of Boris Godunov in 1963 and as of last week the performer was still singing with plenty of full voice during a gala celebrating her 75th birthday with stars like Anna Netrebko, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Maria Guleghina, José Cura, Julia Lezhneva, Hibla Gerzmava and Olga Peretyatko. In her native Mother Russia, Ms. Obraztsova recorded a trove of music for the label Melodiya over the years. The label was later acquired by EMI and many of the recordings never made it to the CD format barring the arias disc with Giuseppe Patanè that first appeared in Japan and eventually on Russian import. Thanks to the scrupulous work of Melodiya digitizing much of the mezzo-soprano's back catalog, these albums are now available in MP3 format and reveal a surprising depth for the song repertoire by this monumental artist. The majority of her recorded legacy features the works of Soviet neo-romantic composer Georgy Sviridov. Music recorded between 1977-1983, with the composer at the piano, shows how the opera singer placed her esteem of his work alongside Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff whose works she also laid down for posterity. Whether arias,

One of the prized solo recordings to 
make a commercial release worldwide.

romances, or folk songs, it is clear that Ms. Obraztsova was first and foremost a nationalist. The most surprising treat in the discography is a disc of Schumann lieder featuring the complete Frauenliebe und leben alongside excerpts from Liederkreis, 12 Gedichte, Myrthen, and 6 Gedichte von N. Lenau und Requiem. Her rendition of "Mondnacht" rivals that of German baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Next to the contributions of fellow Russian stars Irina Arkhipova and Galina Vishnevskaya, the collection of music put forth by Elena Obraztsova is admirable. There are still albums of hers not available to the public, including a disc of Bach & Händel arias, Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, Vivaldi's Gloria, Cavalleria Rusticana with tenor Zurab Sotkilava, Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder, Brahm's Rhapsody for Alto, and a collection of Viennese operetta with conductor Algis Ziuraitis, but there are others still in print on various labels including Deutsche Grammophon (Un Ballo in Maschera, Aida, Alexander Nevsky, Werther, Samson et Dalila, Rigoletto), Sony (Adriana Lecouvreur), Decca (Cavalleria Rusticana, Andrea Chénier), EMI (Nabucco), as well as a slew of recordings on private labels and live performance documents. After the jump: Learn more about Elena Obraztsova, see all of the recordings currently available digitally, and watch the 75th birthday concert in its entirety.

Elena Obraztsova stands center stage as international opera stars pay hommage last week.

San Francisco Gala Beauty Captured By Photographer Jason Henry

With couture by Lela Rose, Tom Ford, Pierre Cardin, Carolina Herrera, Nina Ricci, Badgley Mischka, Marchesa, Herve Leger, and Oscar de la Renta, dominating the scene at the 2014 San Francisco Opera Gala, it's likely the real star was photographer Jason Henry who captured much of the festivities for the Chronicle. The San Francisco Opera opened its 92nd season with a cocktail reception, dinner, a performance of Bellini's Norma and an after party. An important element to major events is to document the evening with images that show who attended and which designer they chose to wear for the occasion. However, it takes true talent to give the viewer a real sense of being taken on a journey and truly feel the atmosphere of a room through a camera lens. Jason Henry does exactly this through his impeccable photos that feel whimsical, artistic, and focused, all at the same time. Below is a sampling from the evening [click images to enlarge]. Unfortunately the gallery lacks photos of the singers Jamie Barton (Adalgisa), Marco Berti (Pollione), and Sondra Radvanovsky (Norma) who performed in the opera and surely attended the post-performance festivities in their own regal garments. Go here to see the full gallery of 115 photos of attendees. More about photographer Jason Henry after the jump.

Latonia Moore Set To Return To Ozarks For Opera Gala

The soprano costumed by Peter J. Hall for Aida
at the Dallas Opera in 2012 (Photo: Daylon Walton)

"Opera in the Ozarks, a nationally acclaimed training ground for emerging opera professionals, proudly presents its summer Gala Concert featuring star alumni of the program and the exceptional operatic voices of tomorrow. The special concert is a tribute to Jim Swiggart, Opera in the Ozarks’ longtime General Director who is now General Director Emeritus. Metropolitan Opera artist Latonia Moore is headlining the show along with American tenor Joel Burcham. Both are Opera in the Ozarks alumni. The Gala Concert will be held on Sunday, July 13, at 4 p.m. at Bentonville’s Arend Arts Center (1901 S.E. J Street). There is a silent auction scheduled for 3 p.m. with a reception following the concert. Tickets are $27, on sale now at opera.org. The Gala Concert features Moore and Burcham in scenes and arias from Bizet’s Carmen, Ponchielli’s La Gioconda, Massenet’s Hérodiade and Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin accompanied by the Opera in the Ozarks Orchestra. The entire Opera in the Ozarks’ company comes together as the chorus for extended excerpts from Mascagni’s passionate Cavalleria rusticana. And, the majestic final scene from Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg has been adapted as a tribute to Swiggart." [Source]

Washington National Opera Throws Japanese Themed Ball

"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)

Francisco Araiza Leads Gala To Celebrate 150th Strauss Anniversary

"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.

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

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.

Red Ribbon Celebration Concert Performances At Life Ball 2014

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

Austria's "Life Ball" To Host A Galaxy Of (Opera) Stars Tonight

Anna Netrebko and Piotr Beczała perform at last year's gala concert for Life Ball.

"Tickets for the Red Ribbon Celebration Concert 2014 presented by Novomatic available on www.burgtheater.at or www.culturall.com! Stars of the opera like Anna Netrebko, Vesselina Kasarova, Jennifer O'Loughlin, Juan Diego Flórez, Piotr Beczała, Yusif Eyvazov, Luca Pisaroni, Ambrogio Maestri and Ildar Abdrazakov lend their voices to the good cause. The soloists are accompanied by the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Cornelius Meister. Fashion icon Vivienne Westwood will create the stage design of the concert. Red Ribbon Celebration Concert 2014 - May 30, 2014, concert beginning: 8 p.m. at Burgtheater, Universitätsring 2, 1010 Vienna." More information about the star power attending the event, as well as photos from this year's theme Garten der Lüste [including the NSFW David LaChapelle posters....], after the jump.

San Diego Opera Announces 2014-15 Season After Rescue

Seats at San Diego Civic Theatre
wait to be filled with opera fans.

"San Diego Opera’s Board of Directors voted today to rescind the decision to close the Company after nearly two months of careful analysis, deliberation and fundraising. The Company originally announced its closure and the sale of its assets on March 19, 2014. The original closure date was scheduled to occur on April 14, 2014, the day after the Company’s final sold-out performance of Don Quixote. A vote by the Board on March 31, 2014, delayed that closure by two weeks until April 29, 2014. Another vote by the Board on April 18, 2014, extended that closure date to at least May 19, 2014. Today’s vote on May 16, 2014, overturns the original decision to close. 'The public spoke, we listened, and we’re open for business,' shares Board President Carol Lazier, 'and do we have some great news to share with you!' In light of this news, San Diego Opera is announcing its 2015 season, the Company’s 50th. La bohème, Don Giovanni, and Nixon in China are the three operas being performed at the San Diego Civic Theatre. The Company will also celebrate its 50th anniversary with special Gala Concerts of favorite arias, duets, ensembles and choruses with the San Diego Symphony at Copley Symphony Hall. Additional events and performances are in the works, and will be announced shortly. The Company has also announced that the ongoing crowd funding effort has resulted in a total of $2,116,376 in donations from 2461 of donors as of midnight Sunday, May 18, 2014. 48% of these donors have never given before and represent gifts from six countries – Austria, Australia, Canada, England, Italy, Mexico & 36 States. The gifts range from $10 – $50,000 with a median gift of $100. Now that the $1 million goal has been reached, and the Company has announced a 2015 season, both triggers of the escrow account have been met and donations will be moved from the escrow account into the Company’s 2015 fund to be used for the just-announced season." [Source] See details of the season, including artists performing, after the jump.

Aprile Millo Triumphant Return To Italy In Puccini's "Il Tabarro"

Soprano Aprile Millo returned to the Italian city of Genoa for the role of Giorgetta in Puccini's Il Tabarro. The opera was performed in concert version at Teatro Carlo Felice. Watch a video excerpt after the jump.

Opera Index To Honor Mezzo-Soprano Rosalind Elias

"On Sunday, January 12, 2014, Opera Index will presents its 35th Distinguished Achievement Award to mezzo-soprano Rosalind Elias, described as one of the finest singing actresses of our time, at its Winter Gala in the Grand Salon of the JW Marriott Essex House, 160 Central Park South, beginning at 6 p.m. with a reception in the Petit Salon. The three-time Grammy and two-time Emmy Award-winning artist made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1954 and over her half-century-long career, has sung more than 50 roles. Ken Benson, renowned artists manager and longtime Opera Index supporter, will present the award to Ms. Elias." [Source]

First Public Performance of Anna Netrebko Singing Lady Macbeth

As part of the opening night gala for the new Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, soprano Anna Netrebko sang selections from Macbeth (Verdi), Don Giovanni (Mozart), and Iolanta (Tchaikovsky), extraordinarily back-to-back. Many more pictures, and a video of the entire gala, are after the jump.

Stars Celebrate $56 Million Renovation of New York's City Center

The newly painted ceiling of New York's City Center (Photo: Luke Szczygielski)

The 88-year old institution celebrated its re-opening on Tuesday after a massive overhaul of the Moorish style auditorium's lobby, restrooms, backstage areas and hall seating. "Much was made of the various programming that has graced the City Center stage. There have been musicals, represented on Tuesday by Patti LuPone (who sang 'Everything's Coming Up Roses' from Gypsy), Brian Stokes Mitchell (who sang 'It Ain't Necessarily So' from Porgy and Bess, which has been produced at City Center) and Donna Murphy (who, in an homage to our city, sang 'I Happen to Like New York,' a song she also performed a decade ago at a gala right after Sept. 11, she explained at the dinner following at Cipriani 42nd Street. "I love that song," she said). There has been plenty of dance. And there has been opera, which was represented Tuesday by Denyce Graves, who sang from Samson and Delilah. 'Feel free to sing along,' Ms. Graves said. 'I know it's been on a Ragu spaghetti commercial, so you may recognize it.'" [Source]

Read lots more about the details of the renovation over on WQXR , there is photo coverage over at TheaterMania and three more anecdotes from the evening are after the jump.

Marilyn Horne Returns to New Jersey To Celebrate Opera

Days Gone By: Marilyn & Henry

"Do the stars predict a promising future for Opera New Jersey? It certainly seemed so Sunday night, as diva Marilyn Horne and three of her former students — now rising stars themselves — lent their luster to the organization’s 'Celebrate Opera' Gala. The event, which was held Sunday evening at the Hyatt Regency Princeton, honored Ms. Horne for her long and glorious singing career and her continuing work as a teacher and promoter of young artists. For her part, Ms. Horne said that she was delighted to be back in New Jersey. She said she remembered fondly the nine years she had spent in the state with the late Henry Lewis, who was then her husband, as well as the conductor and music director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra....After dinner, three young singers entertained the gala audience with a half-hour concert. All had been associated with the Marilyn Horne Foundation, which presents young singers in recitals throughout the country. (In May 2010, the foundation’s programs became part of Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute.) Baritone Keith Phares sang 'Largo al factotum' from The Barber of Seville, as well as arias by Ravel and Korngold. He recently appeared with Opera New Jersey as Falke

Keith Phares

Rinat Shaham

Erica Strauss

in Die Fledermaus and has sung with many major companies, including San Francisco Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, the Opera Company of Philadelphia, and Glimmerglass Opera. Mezzo-soprano Rinat Shaham sang art songs by Richard Strauss and Poulenc, as well as 'Habanera' from Carmen. She just performed the title role in that opera with The Opera Company of Philadelphia. As a recital artist she has sung with some of the world’s pre-eminent conductors. Soprano Erica Strauss has sung with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Metropolitan Opera, and Sarasota Opera. Also a recital artist, she sang an aria from Rusalka as well as songs by Chaminade and Rossini. All three singers joined in the trio 'Soave sia il ventro' from Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte.” [Source]

San Francisco Opera Gala Opening Night Event One Week Away

Iréne Theorin will portray
Puccini's icy princess.

"It’s not too late to part-take in of the most prominent events in the San Francisco musical and social scene. On September 9th, join Encore!, the San Francisco Opera’s club for opera aficionados, as they host the opening night gala at City Hall. As the second largest opera company in North America, the San Francisco Opera has been host to opera’s jewels like conductor Sir Georg Solti, director Francis Ford Coppola and lirico-spinto soprano Renata Tebali. The 2011/12 season will feature John Adams’ Nixon in China, a long sought after program. This magical evening will begin with cocktails at 5PM, followed by an elegant seated dinner at 6PM in City Hall and then attendees will head to the War Memorial Opera house and enjoy a performance of Puccini’s Turandot. The festivities continue back at City Hall at around 11PM after the performance with dessert and dancing into the wee hours of the night. One must first join Encore! and then purchase tickets for the gala which at this point start at $425 for Dress Circle Rear placement. A table for 10 Patron tickets is $6,000 (call (415) 621-4403 for orders and use this form) and if you can only make the performance, tickets are still available starting at $129." [Source]

Check out an image from the Hockney production and watch a clip of Iréne Theorin singing the "Riddle Scene" from Turandot at Covent Garden after the jump.

Deutsche Oper AIDS Gala Raises €140,000

Singers taking a bow at the closing of the Opera Gala (Photo: Paul Esser)

The event held in Düsseldorf featured opera stars Eric Cutler, Takesha Meshé Kizart, Stefan Pop, Julia Novikova, Ketevan Kemoklidze and Axel Kober conducted. With many last-minute cancellations, including Ildebrando d'Arcangelo, the standout of the evening was pronounced to be Antonio Poli:
"Besonders spontan war der italienische Tenor Antonio Poli, der 24 Stunden vor Gala-Beginn angerufen wurde, von Wien aus anreiste und dem Vernehmen nach in einer Opernpause mal eben den deutschen Text der Lehár-Arie „Dein ist mein ganzes Herz“ einstudierte. Der Operettenschlager, im Chor gesungen von allen Gesangssolisten, war der beschwingte, gelungene Abschluss des Galaabends." [Source]