Opera Now September 2023

Love is the predominant emotion at force in opera. Discussions have been centered recently around misogyny in historical operatic love stories, such as the recent production of Britten’s Rape of Lucretia at Merola Opera in San Francisco. Women are often used as a vehicle for the plot – the love object for a man. Much as these portrayals and masterpieces have their important place, it is exciting to see new operas appearing with strong female protagonists, such as Intelligence by Jake Heggie and 10 Days in a Madhouse at Opera Philadelphia, which is previewed in this issue. An opera with an non-traditional depiction of love at its centre and as its force is Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites – an opera which has stolen the show this summer at Glyndebourne and…

Working as a répétiteur – aposition that demands excellence as both accompanist and coach – requires a complex blend of skills. What led you to the role? As a teenager at Chetham’s School of Music I enjoyed accompanying my friends. This enthusiasm continued when I studied music at the University of Manchester, where I met Martin Pickard, a répétiteur at Opera North. Martin introduced me to operatic repertoire and demonstrated the skills needed to be a répétiteur. I knew it was the job for me. What are the differences between accompanying song and opera? In opera, representing the sound of the orchestra is vital: répétiteurs prepare by listening to recordings, looking at the orchestral score and editing anything that is misrepresented in the piano reduction. It’s essential to understand the…

Resonus Classics has announced the release of a new recording of Ethel Smyth’s one-act opera Der Wald. Released on 8 September, the recording of Smyth’s 1901 opera is made by the BBC Symphony Orchestra and BBC Singers under John Andrews and features soloists Natalya Romaniw, Claire Barnett-Jones and Robert Murray. Radio stations Classic FM and BBC Radio 3 have both fallen to new record lows for listeners, according to new figures from Radio Join Audience Research covering the second quarter of 2023. Classic FM saw a loss of 69,000 listeners from March 2023 dropping 1.5% to 4.48 million. BBC Radio 3 has lost 228,000 listeners since March 2022, a drop of 11.8% to 1.70 million. This goes against the overall industry trend, with commercial radio listeners increasing by 8%. The…

Arts Council England (ACE) and the English National Opera (ENO) have together released a statement confirming that the ENO will receive a grant of £24 million to cover from April 2024 to March 2026. The ENO has also been given more time to establish a new main base outside the capital by March 2029. The ENO’s new home city will be revealed in December this year, with the move to be completed by March 2029, rather than by March 2026 as originally suggested. During the 2024-26 period, the ENO will transition to a new business model, delivering a ‘substantial opera season’ every year in London while developing a ‘significant performance and engagement programme’ in their new home city. The decision follows months of campaigning from the classical music sector in…

The Russian soprano Anna Netrebko has filed a lawsuit against the Metropolitan Opera and its General Manager Peter Gelb for terminating her singing contracts following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. She is ‘seeking damages for national origin discrimination, defamation, and breach of contract.’ The suit, filed in the US district court in Manhattan, asks for $360,000 in damages for lost performance and rehearsal fees. Netrebko claims the Met caused her ‘severe mental anguish and emotional distress’ saying she’s experienced ‘depression, humiliation, embarrassment, stress and anxiety, and emotional pain and suffering.’ The Met made the decision to drop Netrebko in February 2022 due to her reported closeness to the Kremlin and past pro-Kremlin views. At the time, the soprano said she was ‘neither a member of a political party nor am I…

Glyndebourne and Pegasus Opera Company have announced the names of four singers who are taking part in a mentoring programme on which the opera companies partner. Launched to address the underrepresentation of classical singers from diverse backgrounds on opera stages, the partnership between Glyndebourne and Pegasus Opera is now in its second year. The programme offers aspiring and emerging artists of African and Asian heritage coaching and mentoring opportunities The four singers selected to take part are sopranos Jasmine Flicker and Moloko Letsoalo, Baritone Carlos Felipe Cerchiaro and bass Masimba Ushe. The participants will have opportunities to observe rehearsals and shadow established artists at the 2023 Glyndebourne Festival. They will also receive opportunities to perform for Glyndebourne artistic staff and to get feedback aiding their development. Representatives from Glyndebourne will…