Dorothea Röschmann is one of the great German sopranos in the world, dominating the repertoire of Mozart, her Countess in “Le Nozze di Figaro” among the greatest out there. The soprano, born on June 17, 1967, has performed all around the world in both the US and Europe, taking on the operas of Mozart and other lighter repertoire. She recently {…}
Throughout her career, Helen Traubel was widely considered one of the great Wagnerian sopranos. Traubel, born on June 16, 1899, was particularly well-known for her Brünhilde in the Ring Cycle and Isolde in “Tristan und Isolde.” Do you know what else she was known for? Things that had little to do with opera. Here are some of Traubel’s extra-operatic talents. {…}
Richard Strauss, born on June 11, 1864, is one of opera’s greatest composers. And many of his operas, including “Elektra,” “Salome,” “Der Rosenkavalier,” “Die Frau ohne Schatten,” and “Ariadne auf Naxos,” are major repertoire staples. Others still get occasional performances, including “Arabella,” “Capriccio,” and “The Egyptian Helen.” But there are still others that for whatever reason simply never made the cut {…}
When Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde” premiered on June 10, 1865, it changed the world of music and art forever. Not only did it feature some of the most breathtaking music ever committed to a score, but it changed the way music could be written. The celebrated “Tristan” chord, which shattered the musical concept of a stable key, was only the {…}
Benjamin Britten’s “Peter Grimes” had its world premiere on June 7, 1945, and was immediately an operatic success. Hailed as a masterwork, Britten’s most famous opera has been a major staple in almost every opera house around the world. And while there have been numerous tenors that have staked their claim on the role, there are perhaps no artists better {…}
Roberto Alagna and Mario Filippeschi were both born on June 7, the former in 1963 and the latter in 1907. Starting half a century apart, the two tenors took a similar direction. Filippeschi was famous for his massive sound and gleaming upper register, tackling light lyric repertoire such as “La Bohème,” “Madama Butterfly,” “I Puritani,” “Lucia di Lammermoor,” and even “Guglielmo {…}
Alexander Pushkin is one of the greatest authors in the history of the world. He is also one of the writers who has had the greatest impact in the world of opera. Perhaps only such authors as Victor Hugo or William Shakespeare have seen as many of their works adapted to the opera stage as has Pushkin. And while those other {…}
Fedora Barbieri and Cecilia Bartoli, mezzo-sopranos born on June 4, could not be more diametrically opposed from a vocal standpoint. Unlike the past few articles showcasing two birthday-sharing singers together to see how their careers feature numerous similar roles, this article, which features two Italian mezzos, has none. At all. Bartoli and Barbieri never sang the same roles. They only have {…}
Jan Peerce and Neil Shicoff are two of the great tenors in the history of opera, and they were born just one day—and 45 years—apart. Peerce’s birthday is on June 3, 1904, while Shicoff’s is June 2, 1949. If you’ve read our previous work, you know what to expect here: an examination of the operas and composers that united these {…}
Peter Mattei and Robert Merrill do not share much in common. Their birthdays are one day apart in different eras, the former born on June 3, 1965, and the latter on June 4, 1917, and despite being baritones, they are a completely different class of that noble voice. Merrill will always be remembered for the darker timbre and weight that allowed {…}
We know the Enigma Variations. We know the Cello and Violin Concertos. We know his symphonic works. But we never got to hear a full opera from Edward Elgar, born on June 2, 1857—though this wasn’t due to lack of effort. The legendary English composer did actually get close to his one and only opera, but death took him too {…}