Highlights | Canadians in Munich, Mäkelä takes Chicago, 24-25 opera in Winnipeg, Calgary & Quebec

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Welcome to La Scena Musicale’s weekly Highlights, a roundup of classical music news from Canada and beyond. It’s season announcement time, and Canadian artists are popping up across the classical music globe.

Sondra Radvanovsky (Lady Macbeth) in Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Macbeth. Photo: Ken Howard

Bavarian State Opera

Munich’s fabled Bayerische Staatsoper (Bavarian State Opera) recently announced its 24-25 season, with several Canadian singers in the mix. Bass-baritone Gerald Finley will star in the title roles of Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman and Verdi’s Macbeth. He’ll share the stage with fellow Canadian Sondra Radvanovsky as his Lady in the Verdi, while the soprano also takes on the titular role in Puccini’s Turandot. Mezzo-soprano Rihab Chaieb returns to the Munich stage as Lola in Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana while fellow Canadians bass-baritone Philippe Sly and mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo sing Figaro and Cherubino in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro.

Soprano Sarah Dufresne, fresh off her two-year contract as a member of Royal Opera’s Jette Parker Young Artists Programme, will sing Semele in Claus Guth’s new production of Richard Strauss’s Die Liebe der Danae. Tenor Zachary Rioux, a member of the company’s Opera Studio sings multiple roles throughout the season in Aida, Lucia di Lammermoor, The Cunning Little Vixen, Lucrezia Borgia and Don Carlo.

Full details about the Bavarian State Opera’s 24-25 season can be found here.

Canadian tenor Zachary Rioux

Manitoba Opera

Winnipeg’s premiere opera company has announced two Italian favourites as its 24-25 mainstage productions: Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love and Puccini’s La bohème. Casting includes many Canadian singers, several making their company debuts. Elixir marks the return of soprano Andriana Chuchman as Adina, a role she sang to great acclaim at The Metropolitan Opera. As her hapless suitor Nemorino, the company welcomes American tenor Jonah Hoskins, the 2021 Second Prize winner of the Placido Domingo Operalia competition. Huckster Dr. Dulcamara finds baritone Peter McGillivray in another of his signature buffo roles, with American baritone Jorell Williams as Belcore.

Bohème welcomes Quebec artists Suzanne Taffot as Mimì and Hugo Laporte as Marcello, Munich-based Canadian tenor Zachary Rioux as Rodolfo and Toronto soprano Charlotte Siegel as Musetta, a role she recently sang at the Canadian Opera Company. Rounding out the cast of bohemians are baritone Clarence Frazer as Schaunard and bass-baritone Alex Halliday as Colline.

Full details about Manitoba Opera’s 24-25 season can be found here.

Canadian mezzo-soprano Carolyn Sproule. Photo: Fay Fox

Opéra de Québec

Opéra de Québec’s 24-25 season includes Rossini’s comedy, en français, Le Comte Ory headlined by two French artists, tenor Philippe Talbot in the title role and soprano Judith Fa as Countess Adele. French-Canadian baritone Jean-Kristof Bouton sings Raimbaud, with mezzo-soprano Florence Bourget in the delicious pants role of Isolier. The company caps off its season with Verdi’s Il trovatore which also sees French singers in leading roles including tenor Christophe Berry as Manrico and soprano Irina Stopina as Leonora. Two Canadians round out the cast: mezzo-soprano Carolyn Sproule as the vengeful Azucena and baritone Hugo Laporte as Conte di Luna.

Full details about Opéra de Québec’s 24-25 season can be found here.

Canadian soprano Kirsten LeBlanc. Photo: Brent Calis

Calgary Opera

Late last week, Calgary Opera revealed its 24-25 season which will open on November 2 with Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Canadian singers in the cast include baritone Phillip Addis in the title role, Midori Marsh as Donna Anna, Aviva Fortunata as Donna Elvira and Neil Craighead as Masetto and the Commendatore. Italian baritone Guido Loconsolo sings Leporello and Chinese tenor Chuan Wang is Don Ottavio.

Winter will be warmed up by Donizetti’s comedy Don Pasquale (popular these days in Canada given this season’s productions in Toronto and Vancouver) headlined by Canadian artists John Fanning in the title role, Lucia Cesaroni as Norina, John Tessier as Ernesto and Phillip Addis as Dr. Malatesta.

The company’s mainstage season closes with a double bill of Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle and Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi. Italian baritone Giuseppe Altomare, who sang the titular role in Calgary Opera’s 2022 Macbeth, returns in both title roles, with American soprano Sara Gartland as Judith/Nella, Canadian soprano Kirsten LeBlanc as Lauretta and American tenor Christopher Oglesby as Rinuccio.

Full details about the Calgary Opera’s 24-25 season can be found here.

Conductor Klaus Mäkelä at the Royal Concertgebouw, Amsterdam. Photo: Marco Borggreve

Klaus Mäkelä new MD of Chicago Symphony as of 27-28

The Chicago Symphony recently announced Finnish conductor Klaus Mäkelä as its new Music Director as of the 27-28 season. He will take on the leadership role held by Riccardo Muti for 13 seasons until 2023. Mäkelä is currently music director at both Orchestre de Paris and the Oslo Philharmonic. In addition to his new role in Chicago, he will assume directorship of Amsterdam’s fabled Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 27-28.

In a press release, Mäkelä remarked that “from 2027/28 my main responsibilities will be my partnerships with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Until then I remain committed to my ongoing collaborations with the Orchestre de Paris and Oslo Philharmonic. I look forward to all the music-making we have planned for the next three seasons and to returning to both institutions on a regular basis after my official tenures are completed.”

Mäkelä’s Chicago appointment has stirred up a lot of online chatter and cultural comment around his youth, perceived inexperience, and preponderance of artistic responsibilities. The break-up of his recent relationship with superstar pianist Yuja Wang and the subsequent cancellation of her participation in their joint concerts has added further fuel to the fire. There has also been speculation around the role that agents with powerful clients play in influencing the hiring of soloists.

Canadian bass-baritone John Relyea (Sarastro) in ENO’s The Magic Flute. Photo: Manuel Harlan

Funding cuts continue to have repercussions for UK opera companies

Arts Council England’s (ACE) ongoing funding cuts continue to have repercussions for the UK’s major opera companies. Welsh National Opera recently announced salary reductions to its orchestra that would effectively reduce them to part-time status. Cuts had previously caused the company to cancel some of its touring to cities like Liverpool. At the same time, English National Opera’s season finale performance of The Magic Flute marked the last time its chorus and orchestra will be working on full-time contracts. ACE’s demands on the company to leave its permanent London Coliseum home caused it to recently announce an eventual move to Manchester.