Opera Lovers Network

Mirella Freni, an exemplary Italian prima donna for nearly 50 years, whose voice was ideally suited to lighter lyric roles but maintained its bloom even as she took on weightier, more dramatic repertory in midcareer, died on Sunday at her home in Modena, in north-central Italy. She was 84.

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Mirella Freni, Matchless Italian Prima Donna, Dies at 84 Ms. Freni was acclaimed for her exquisite singing in lighter lyric roles. In midcareer she also dared to explore weightier ones.

Robert Carsen’s 2017 production of Der Rosenkavalier updates the opera from its mid 18th-century setting to 1911, the eve of the devastating First World War.

Over the top sets with large rooms and colorful furniture, the Marschallin’s enormous bed, cannons in Faninal’s house and an overpopulated bo****lo are meant to signal the decadence and impending doom of Viennese society.

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Camilla Nylund makes impressive Met debut in Rosenkavalier revival The Met revives Robert Carsen's updated production of Der Rosenkavalier with a strong cast led by Camilla Nylund. Sir Simon Rattle led the Met Orchestra in an inspired and detailed reading of the score.

George Balanchine left his choreographic mark on 20th-century dance like no other artist of his ilk. His routines are celebrated and revived season after season, and his creative baby, the New York City Ballet, is still at the forefront of balletic dance in the United States.

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REVIEW: George Balanchine's 'The Nutcracker' at NYC Ballet - Hollywood Soapbox Hollywood Soapbox reviews George Balanchine's The Nutcracker at the New York City Ballet. The beloved holiday tradition continues through Jan. 5.

Ever since his coronation opera Gloriana bombed at its 1953 premiere, Benjamin Britten has never quite owned the stage of his country’s figurehead opera house in the wholehearted way one might expect. Perhaps, though, that is changing, after Deborah Warner’s Billy Budd earlier this year comes this equally big-scale Death in Venice, staged here for the first time in 25 years.

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Death in Venice review – Britten's opera dazzles and glows Mark Padmore’s impressive central performance powers David McVicar’s luxurious if earthbound revival of Britten’s final opera