Verdi’s opera Un ballo in maschera was inspired by a real historical event: the assassination of King Gustav III of Sweden during a costume ball in 1792. Verdi had a run-in with the censors, who were scandalised by the idea of depicting regicide on stage. His masked ball is set in America and focuses {...}
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After his spring 2024 PCMS appearance, Matthew Polenzani returns to the stage of the Perelman Theater alongside pianist Ken Noda to regale the audience with an unforgettable evening of singing on December 16. The first half of the program features Schubert’s Schwanengesang, a deep exploration of {...}
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Bizet’s Carmen, a fiery masterpiece of seduction, obsession, and tragedy, stars Isabel Leonard opposite Matthew Polenzani, who returns to the Metropolitan Opera to star as Don Josè on November 14, 17, 21 and 29. Conductor Fabien Gabel leads the performances, also featuring Adam Plachetka as Escamillo and {...}
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In October, Matthew Polenzani returns to the role of Jason in Cherubini’s Medea at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Based on Euripides’ play, this is a story of betrayal and revenge, taken to the extreme. Reunited with Sondra Radvanovsky in this opera and the same David McVicar production they starred {...}
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