(© Laura Scaccabarozzi) When you talk about Verdi baritones in the modern era, few singers fit the bill quite like Amartuvshin Enkhbat. The Mongolian baritone possesses a potent voice with a confident upper range that can then transform into the most gentle of vocal caresses. His vast vocal palette has made him a go-to in the Italian composer’s iconic roles. {…}
Photos credit: Frances Marshall/Marshall Light Studio Lada Valešová, with her multifaceted role as a conductor, pianist, and coach, has a particular love for Janáček and Tchaikovsky. At 12 years old, an essential audition nudged Valešová towards a musical journey. Years later, she was working on operas such as “Cunning Little Vixen” and “Eugene Onegin.” Valešová has been recognized with a {…}
Photo credit: Amati Bacciardi Venice’s Teatro La Fenice is currently staging Verdi’s “I Due Foscari” with a stellar cast that includes soprano Anastasia Bartoli in the role of Lucrezia Contarini. Bartoli has hit the headlines over the past few seasons with a string of stunning performances across Italy. In 2023 alone she has appeared in a variety of diverse roles, {…}
This past week Latonia Moore opened the Metropolitan Opera season for the third time in her career, singing the role of Sister Rose in “Dead Man Walking.” Moore has become one of the most acclaimed Met stars in the past years following powerful turns in “Porgy and Bess,” “Fire Shut Up in My Bones” and “Aida.” She has been praised {…}
This past week, the Arizona Opera presented the world premiere of Greg Kallor’s second opera “Frankenstein.” Kallor is a composer and pianist whose first opera “The Tell-Tale Heart” will be performed at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He has also collaborated Dover and Escher String Quartets and Tuesday Musical and has also performed in recital at Carnegie Hall. {…}
Italian Maestro Daniele Callegari is scheduled to lead performances of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Nabucco” at The Metropolitan Opera this season, September through October 2023, and December through January 2024. The lead roles will be performed by George Gagnidze as Nabucco, Liudmyla Monastyrska as Abigaille, and Dmitry Belosselskiy as Zaccaria. Callegari made his American debut in 2007, leading a concert performance of {…}
(Photo: Amati Bacciardi) Soprano Anastasia Bartoli is a rising star on the Italian and European opera scene. Over the course of this year alone, she has received a string of glowing reviews including her performance as Cristina in “Eduardo e Cristina” at the Rossini Opera Festival. In October she will be performing Lucrezia in Verdi’s “I Due Foscari” at Venice’s {…}
In 1930, Spanish painter Elías García Martínez created a fresco of Jesus crowned with thorns in the Santuary of Mercy Church in Borja. It was called “Ecce Homo” or “Behold the Man.” Eighty-two years later, Cecilia Giménez, an 81-year-old amateur artist with minimal training, revealed to the media that she had attempted to restore the painting which had been affected {…}
On Sept. 10, Ramon Vargas celebrated his 40th anniversary as a singer in a gala at the theater where he first debuted, the Palacio de las Bellas Artes. Since that debut in 1983, Vargas has gone on to sing at every major theater in the world including the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Wiener Staatsoper, and many {…}