(Credits: © Aymeric Giraudel / Seattle Symphony official website) Mezzo-sopranos Karine Deshayes and Delphine Haidan will give a recital at Opéra de Vichy on Feb. 19, 2021. The program for the concert includes the works by Adolpha Le Beau, Brahms, Strauss, Gounod, Delibes, Saint-Saëns, Tchaikovsky, and Rossini. Due to the French government’s COVID-19 regulations, the concert will be held without {…}
(Credit: Pierre Petit) When Giacomo Meyerbeer died on May 2 in 1864 in Paris, he was one of the most performed composers of his time. Among the surviving manuscript documents in the Meyerbeer archive in Berlin is to be found a prayer that Giacomo Meyerbeer wrote on 8 December 1863, a few months before his death: “Great almighty God! … {…}
Giacomo Meyerbeer is one of the most influential composers of all time. Such noted composers as Verdi, Wagner, Berlioz, Massenet, Donizetti, Halevy, Dvorak, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, Gounod, Thomas, Liszt, and Chopin, among others, came under his spell at one point or another in their respective careers. And yet, Meyerbeer’s works are often neglected in the modern era. Born on Sept. 5, {…}
Meyerbeer’s “L’Africaine,” or “Vasco da Gama” has never quite established its foothold in the operatic canon. Despite being one of the composer’s most mature operas, the work, which premiered on April 28, 1865 is so massive that it has often been cut down in modern performances to accommodate its running time. The work has seen champions in the likes of {…}
Everyone knows the composer. Verdi’s “Otello.” Rossini’s “Il Barbiere di Siviglia.” Etc. But few pay attention to the writer, the person who actually provides these great geniuses with the text for their music. Eugene Scribe, born on Dec. 24, 1791, is one of the most notable librettist in all of opera, and yet he doesn’t quite come up in conversations {…}
These days Giacomo Meyerbeer is not the most well-known of opera composers. It is actually quite a sad statement to make as the composer, born on Sept. 5, 1791, was arguably the Steven Spielberg of his day. His operas were the toast of the town in Paris, known for their tremendous showmanship and memorable music. To be Meyerbeer was the {…}
April 28 marks the anniversary of the world premiere of Giacomo Meyerbeer’s “L’Africaine,” his final opera. While he was a titan in his day, Meyerbeer has struggled to find footing in the modern operatic culture and many of his works, including “L’Africaine” remain obscure and unknown. And yet there are some unique features about this work that make it a {…}
Born on Feb. 25, 1873, Enrico Caruso was arguably the most important opera singer in the entire history of the art form. Maybe only Maria Callas rivals him in putting the art form into the collective consciousness of 20th century audiences. Caruso, who was beloved for his simple nature and brilliant voice, was a man capable of selling out any {…}
