Classic Ross Amico

Tag: Anthony Roth Costanzo

Akhnaten Takes the Helm at Opera Philadelphia

When shopping for a new general director, one could do worse than engage the first monotheistic pharaoh.

It has been announced that countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, who created a sensation as Philip Glass’ “Akhnaten” at New York’s Metropolitan Opera, will become the next general director and president of Opera Philadelphia. On June 1, Costanzo will replace David Devan, who directed the organization for 13 years. It will be Costanzo’s first administrative position in an arts organization.

In 2018, Costanzo sold out three performances at the Barnes Foundation of “Glass Handel,” a large-scale operatic art installation given its premiere at Festival O. It went on to further sell-out runs in New York and London. His most recent appearance with Opera Philadelphia was in 2022, when he led the fundraising concert “Only an Octave Apart” with Justin Vivian Bond, based on their studio album of the same name.

Costanzo, who graduated from Princeton University in 2004, is scheduled to sing in Christoph Willibald Gluck’s “Orfeo ed Euridice” at the Met, beginning on May 16.

April 25, 2024
Anthony Roth Costanzo Returns to Princeton

It’s been all high notes for countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo since he graduated from Princeton University in 2004.

This weekend, he returns a conquering hero – the winner of a 2022 Grammy Award (his third nomination), for his recording of John Corigliano’s “The Lord of Cries,” and the recipient of the Metropolitan Opera’s 2020 Beverly Sills Artist Award – to sing two works with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra.

Costanzo will perform not only music by Baroque master George Frideric Handel – the aria “Quella fiamma” from the opera “Arminio” – but also a recent piece by Princeton alum Gregory Spears, “Love Story” – on a text by Tracy K. Smith, who served as U.S. Poet Laureate from 2017 to 2019 – written specifically for Costanzo on a commission from the New York Philharmonic in 2021.

Princeton University graduate student Nina Shekhar’s “Lumina,” also premiered by the NYP, will open the program, which will conclude with a dramatic rollercoaster – and an audience favorite – Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4.

Music director Rossen Milanov will conduct at Richardson Auditorium, Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m. A pre-concert talk will precede the Sunday performance at 3 p.m.

In recent years, Costanzo has proved himself an Akhnaten for the ages, in New York and elsewhere. His performance in Philip Glass’ opera about the first monotheistic pharaoh was revelatory and a high point of the Met’s streaming during the pandemic.

Costanzo headlined Corigliano’s Dracula opera at its debut in Santa Fe in 2021. He’s also created roles in Jimmy Lopez’s “Bel Canto” and Jack Heggie’s “Great Scott.” Clearly, opportunities for countertenors have expanded well beyond the 18th century.

Witness Costanzo’s versatility firsthand this weekend with the PSO. For tickets and information, visit princetonsymphony.org.

January 12, 2024
Free Opera Week at the Met: Glass, Verdi & More

Good Lord! Two Philip Glass operas in one week! I offer this mild oath in tribute to the monotheistic pharaoh at the center of Glass’ “Akhnaten.”

Even if you think Minimalism drives you up a wall, try to catch the Metropolitan Opera production, which features an uncanny performance by Princeton University alumnus Anthony Roth Costanzo in the title role, impressive sets, evocative costumes, and plenty of jugglers (!).

The Met will also offer two – count ‘em – two Rossini operas, “Armida” and “Semiramide.” The Met’s Rossini has been among the more gratifying revelations for me since the COVID-era streaming began. It sounds a little silly to state the obvious, but he’s a very theatrical composer!

Oh yeah, and there will be two by Verdi, as well, including “La Forza” with Leontyne Price.

The Met continues to make good on its pledge to stream free opera for the duration of the house’s shutdown. Each opera is accessible for approximately 23 hours, starting every day around 7 p.m. EDT. Handel’s “Rodelinda” streams through 6 p.m. today, at metopera.org.

Here’s a complete schedule of this week’s offerings. You’ll find teasers and bonus materials when following the link:

https://www.metopera.org/user-information/nightly-met-opera-streams/week-14/

Monday, June 15
Rossini’s Armida
Starring Renée Fleming, Lawrence Brownlee, John Osborn, Barry Banks, and Kobie van Rensburg, conducted by Riccardo Frizza. From May 1, 2010.

Tuesday, June 16
Rossini’s Semiramide
Starring Angela Meade, Elizabeth DeShong, Javier Camarena, Ildar Abdrazakov, and Ryan Speedo Green, conducted by Maurizio Benini. From March 10, 2018.

Wednesday, June 17
Gluck’s Iphigénie en Tauride
Starring Susan Graham, Plácido Domingo, and Paul Groves, conducted by Patrick Summers. From February 26, 2011.

Thursday, June 18, and Friday, June 19
Verdi’s La Forza del Destino
Starring Leontyne Price, Giuseppe Giacomini, Leo Nucci, and Bonaldo Giaiotti, conducted by James Levine. From March 24, 1984.

Saturday, June 20
Philip Glass’s Akhnaten
Starring Dísella Lárusdóttir, J’Nai Bridges, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Aaron Blake, Will Liverman, Richard Bernstein, and Zachary James, conducted by Karen Kamensek. From November 23, 2019.

Sunday, June 21
Philip Glass’s Satyagraha
Starring Rachelle Durkin, Richard Croft, Kim Josephson, and Alfred Walker, conducted by Dante Anzolini. From November 19, 2011.

June 15, 2020

Tag Cloud

RECENT POSTS