Catch Erwin Schrott in a theater near you

Erwin Schrott as Jean Procida in Les vêpres siciliennes

Last month we chose the performance of Verdi's Les vêpres siciliennes at Covent Garden as the production that we'd most like to see during the Verdi bicentenary. The cast was lead by barihunk Erwin Schrott as Jean Procida, along with an amazing cast that includes tenor Bryan Hymel as Henri and soprano Lianna Haroutounian as Helene under the baton of Antonio Pappano.

The opera is now being screened worldwide during the month of December for opera lovers across the globe to enjoy. You can find a performance close to you by clicking HERE. 

Erwin Schrott sings "Et toi, Palerme" from Les vêpres siciliennes:

Les vêpres siciliennes is in five-acts and was originally written in French for the Paris Opéra. It was translated into Italian shortly after its premiere in June 1855.  The libretto was written by Eugène Scribe and Charles Duveyrier from their work Le duc d'Albe, which was written in 1838 and offered to Halevy and Donizetti before Verdi agreed to set it to music in 1854.

The story is loosely based on a historical event, the Sicilian Vespers of 1282, using material drawn from the medieval Sicilian tract Lu rebellamentu di Sichilia. After its June 1855 Paris premiere, an Italian libretto was quickly prepared using a new title because Verdi realized that it would have been impossible to place the story in Sicily. Based on Scribe's suggestions for changing the location, it became Portugal in 1640 while under Spanish control. This version was first performed at the Teatro Regio in Parma on December 26, 1855.

Schrott can next be seen in his signature role of Dr. Dulcamara in Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore at the Vienna State Opera, Teatro Real in Madrid and Metropolitan Opera in New York.

Erwin Schrott in all-star Les vêpres siciliennes in London

Erwin Schrott

On October 10th, we celebrate the long-awaited bicentenary of Giuseppe Verdi's birth. Opera companies and music festivals across the globe have been programming a heavy dose of his music and numerous "Verdi Arias" CD's have been released. 

We sifted through the countless productions of Aida, Rigoletto, Traviata and other Verdi operas to find a performance that stood out as a "can't miss" production. A performance of the inexplicably underperformed Les vêpres siciliennes at the Royal Opera House in London jumped off the page at us. Not only is barihunk Erwin Schrott singing Jean Procida, but he's surrounded by an amazing cast that includes tenor Bryan Hymel as Henri and soprano Marina Poplavskaya as Helene under the baton of Antonio Pappano.

Erwin Schrott sings "Palerme! O mon pays!... Et toi, Palerme..." 

Les vêpres siciliennes is in five-acts and was originally written in French for the Paris Opéra. It was translated into Italian shortly after its premiere in June 1855.  The libretto was written by Eugène Scribe and Charles Duveyrier from their work Le duc d'Albe, which was written in 1838 and offered to Halevy and Donizetti before Verdi agreed to set it to music in 1854.

The story is loosely based on a historical event, the Sicilian Vespers of 1282, using material drawn from the medieval Sicilian tract Lu rebellamentu di Sichilia. After its June 1855 Paris premiere, an Italian libretto was quickly prepared using a new title because Verdi realized that it would have been impossible to place the story in Sicily. Based on Scribe's suggestions for changing the location, it became Portugal in 1640 while under Spanish control. This version was first performed at the Teatro Regio in Parma on December 26, 1855.

Performances at the Royal Opera House will run from October 17 through November 11. The November 4th performance will be broadcast to movie theaters worldwide, so check the website for a showing near you. 

Dmitri Hvorostovsky Coming to a Theatre Near You

Dmitri Hvorostovsky excels in Ernani

On February 2nd, Dmitri Hvorostovsky made his role debut as Don Carlo in Giuseppe Verdi's "Ernani" at the Metropolitan Opera. You can watch the "Siberian Hunky" baritone’s Ernani performances in a Live in HD cinema broadcast on February 25. There will be encore performances in the U.S. on March 14 and in Canada on March 31. Click here to purchase tickets for the Live in HD broadcast nearest to you.

Also, make sure to read this wonderful article from Opera News, which talks about his increasing focus on Verdi and his approach to his career. 

Trovatore at the Met (© Beth Bergman) & Posa in Don Carlo (© Johan Elbers 2012)

Verdi continues to be the focus of Hvorostovsky, as he heads to Vienna for a run as the title character in Simon Boccanegra from March 5-13. Marina Poplavskaya will perform Amelia and Ferruccio Furlanetto, who is de Silva in Ernani, will star as Fiesco. Limited tickets are available and can be purchased HERE. 

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