fidelio

NY Opera Fest 2018 Preview: Why You Should See Heartbeat Opera’s Timely ‘Don Giovanni’ & ‘Fidelio’ Productions

With the New York Opera Fest 2018 officially underway, OperaWire will be showcasing small previews for each major participant at the festival, as we did during last year’s event. However, we are doing things a bit differently this year and giving the floor directly to each company to speak to you, the reader, directly. Enjoy! Heartbeat Opera has a penchant for doing things differently. Unlike most opera companies, where the…

Fun Facts About Sergei Leiferkus’ Met Opera Career

Russian Baritone Sergei Leiferkus, born on April 4, 1946, is recognized for his unique vocal quality. If you haven’t heard him before, then you should, because he has one of the most individual sounds you’ll ever hear. In fact, here’s an excerpt from a role we will talk about in a bit. In any case, the baritone enjoyed a solid career in the world of Italian and Russian opera, performing…

Heartbeat Opera’s 2018 Festival to Feature Radical ‘Fidelio’ & ‘Don Giovanni’

Heartbeat Opera has just announced that it will be showcasing Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” and Beethoven’s “Fidelio” this May in radical interpretations. “Don Giovanni,” which will play for six evenings will feature a mostly female creative team with orchestration inspired by Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet. The production will be directed by Louisa Proske with Felicia Moore as Donna Elvira, Leela Subramaniam as Donna Anna, and Samarie Alicea as Zerlina. Matthew Gamble will…

‘Vestas Feuer,’ Beethoven’s ‘Other’ Opera

Beethoven only ever finished one opera – “Fidelio.” But this wasn’t the only work he attempted to create. In fact, the famed composer did intend to make a name for himself on the stage, but it never came to fruition outside of “Fidelio.” One other attempt was “Vestas Feuer.” With a libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder,” Beethoven made his attempt at the work in 1803, around the time that Schikaneder gave…

5 Notable Non-Wagnerian Roles By Tenor René Kollo

Rene Kollo (or René Kollodzieyski, as he was born on Nov. 20, 1937), was a renowned Wagnerian tenor. He took on every major leading role by the great composer, recording almost all of his interpretations to great acclaim with the best of conductors. His Siegfried was recorded with Wolfgang Sawallisch, his Lohengrin and Walther von Stolzing with Herbert Von Karajan, and his Tannhäuser with Georg Solti, just to name a…

Opera Profile: Beethoven’s “Fidelio”

“Fidelio” first premiered on Nov. 20, 1805 and is the only opera composed by Ludwig Van Beethoven. While he was originally working with librettist Emanuel Schikaneder, who wrote “The Magic Flute,” difficulties with the composition, as well as the annulment of their contract, freed up Beethoven to work with Joseph Sonnleithner on what would become “Fidelio.” While it remains a point of speculation as to why a composer such as…

Jon Vickers’ 5 Greatest Roles

Jon Vickers, born on Oct. 29, 1926, built up a career as one of the finest dramatic tenors of his time. He conquered a wide range of repertoire across a wide range of houses, became associated with quite a few roles, and then went on to make acclaimed recordings with other major superstars. Vickers’ career got kickstarted in 1957 when he appeared in the Covent Garden in “Un Ballo I…

Andrea Chénier & Opera’s Greatest Patriotic Revolutionaries

It is the month of revolutions with a number of major countries acquiring their respective independence in the month of July. Just to list some – the United States, France, Algeria, Colombia, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Peru, Slovakia, Rwanda, Somalia, and Venezuela. All of these nations and many more claim their independence day during this month. Independence didn’t come for free for many countries but through struggle and firm leadership from…

Best of Metropolitan Opera 2016-17: Anna Netrebko, Plácido Domingo Lead The Top 10 Casts Of the Year

After looking at the top female and male singers as well as the finest maestros of the 2016-17 season, we now turn the spotlight on the 10 best-assembled casts of the season. This was a truly difficult piece to put together as this Met season had great casts for almost every single opera. But the casts listed below were simply exquisite with no weak spots whatsoever. As always, bear in…

Renée Fleming, Nina Stemme & Bryn Terfel Headline BBC Proms 2017

The BBC Proms has announced its summer schedule and as always there will be a lot of offerings for opera lovers. Here is a look at what audiences can look forward to. July The BBC Proms opens with John Adam’s choral masterwork “Harmonium” on Friday, July 14, 2017, at the Royal Albert Hall in London. This concert will include the BBC Proms Youth Choir and award-winning pianist Igor Levit, who…

Nadine Sierra is enjoying one of the most spectacular careers in the opera world. On this day, May 14, 2018, she turns 30, already having managed a historic career by modern standards. So in celebration of the big 3-0 we look at 30 fun facts on Sierra. 1. She is a native of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 2. Sierra trained at the Mannes College of Music and Marilyn Horne’s Music Academy of the West. 3. She was the youngest person to ever receive the Marilyn Horne Foundation Award, 4. She became a Young Artist with the Palm Beach Opera at age…