News & Press
July performances
June 8, 2018
On July 4, Kristine Opolais makes an appearance at the Ljubljana Summer Festival, where she performs with the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, led by Italian conductor Sesto Quatri. The program includes opera arias by Verdi, Puccini, Boito and Catalani.
Later in the month she travels to the USA, where on July 14 she stars in a semi-staged performance of La Bohème at the Tanglewood Festival. She’s joined by tenor Piotr Beczała as Rodolfo, soprano Susanna Phillips as Musetta, baritone Franco Vassallo as Marcello, baritone Davide Luciano as Schaunard, and bass- baritone Luca Pisaroni as Colline. Andris Nelsons conducts.
Afterwards, Ms. Opolais travels to Latvia to sing the at the opening gala for the Jūrmala Festival on July 24. She shares the stage with baritone Kalvis Kalniņš, violinist Vineta Sareika, accordionist Ksenija Sidorova, guitarist Mikus Akots, violinist Daniils Bulajevs, and Latvia’s Centenary Youth Symphony Orchestra, with conductor Ainārs Rubiķis on the podium.
Announcement: Withdrawal from ‘Lohengrin’ in London
May 8, 2018
Kristine Opolais will withdraw with a heavy heart from Lohengrin at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. She is incredibly sorry to disappoint her fans in London, but looks forward to returning to the house in 18/19 as Tosca. Following a routine abdominal medical procedure, Ms Opolais will take break from her schedule for the next weeks to ensure a full recovery. She sends tremendous gratitude for everyone’s support.
Personal statement
March 27, 2018
Sharing, with regret, that Andris Nelsons and Kristine Opolais have divorced following seven years of marriage. Both Mr. Nelsons and Ms. Opolais are united in putting their daughter at the center of their private lives. With complete respect and admiration for one another, Mr. Nelsons and Ms. Opolais look forward to continuing their artistic relationship together. The family asks for privacy at this time and no further comments will be given.
Upcoming DVD release featuring an interview with Kristine Opolais about Maria Callas
February 19, 2018
An upcoming DVD release for Kristine Opolais tells the story of one of the most magic moments of music: Maria Callas’ return to the opera stage in 1964. Her Tosca at the Royal Opera House became a sensation after her glorious career had been said to be over, with the singer herself passing over to legend.
The film tells the story of the event from today’s perspective and features interviews with Antonio Pappano, Kristine Opolais, Thomas Hampson, Rolando Villazón, Rufus Wainwright, Anna Prohaska, Wolfgang Joop, Jurgen Kesting and Brian McMaster. As a bonus the performance of Tosca’s second act is included. It is one of the most dramatic acts in opera history. The film recording is one of the few opportunities to see Maria Callas on stage and witness her emotional dramatics and vocal competence.
This film will be released on March 23 and is already available for pre-order via Amazon.
Shostakovich with the Boston Symphony Orchestra
February 4, 2018
“[Kristine Opolais] sang with a coolly lustrous tone and at times a fierce dramatic intensity, bringing a quasi-operatic sense of character and drama to individual songs.”
Jeremy Eichler – Boston Globe
Cosmopolis: Kristine Opolais
February 2, 2018
Seit meinem ersten Interview mit Kristine Opolais ist rund ein Jahrzehnt vergangen. Dazwischen liegt eine Weltkarriere. Dabei musste die lettische Sopranistin schon mal kurzfristig einspringen. Weltweite Schlagzeilen machte 2014 das kurzfristige Ausscheiden von Anna Netrebko bei einer Produktion von Giacomo Puccinis Manon Lescaut an der Bayerischen Staatsoper München – damals gerade als „Opernhaus des Jahres“ gefeiert. Kristine Opolais sagte mir im Januar 2018 im Interview in Riga, dass sie eigentlich bereits auf dem Weg zur Met gewesen sei, als die Anfrage aus München kam. In New York war sie für eine Wiederaufnahme von La Bohème engagiert gewesen, wurde jedoch vom Intendanten freigegeben. Sie hatte nur eine Woche, um sich auf die Rolle als Manon Lescaut unter der Leitung des Pariser Dirigenten Alain Altinoglu vorzubereiten. Sie rettete nicht nur die von Hans Neuenfels – der sich erstmals an Puccini versuchte – inszenierte Oper, sondern führte diese zusammen mit dem gefeierten Tenor Jonas Kaufmann zu einem Triumph.