Jamie Barton is one of the fast-rising stars of the opera world. Born on Oct. 17, 1981, you might already call her an operatic superstar, her performances drawing the most enthusiastic raves from critics the world over. Her showcase at the Met in 2016-17 in Dvorak’s “Rusalka” was continually lauded as “scene-stealing” and she just seems unstoppable. In looking at {…}
Rolando Panerai was one of the great baritones of the mid-1900s. Born on Oct. 17, 1924, the Campi Bisenzio-born singer would add around 150 operas to his repertoire, an obscene number by any standards. As one might expect, he was a massive exponent of the Italian repertoire, particularly in the operas of Verdi where he sang everything from the great {…}
The last few years have been difficult for baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky and his beloved opera fans, including yours truly. A brilliant actor with a rich and layered voice, Hvorostovsky is a consummate artist if there ever was one. Even on days when his voice is not at its peak (as was the case at the recent Metropolitan Opera gala), he {…}
Leona Mitchell had a tremendous opera career. For years, the soprano, born on Oct. 13, 1949, was a leading singer at the Metropolitan Opera, dominating in such operas as “La Bohème,” “Carmen,” “Don Carlo,” “Die Zauberflöte,” and “La Forza del Destino,” among others. Her first-ever “Madama Butterfly” at the Met was proclaimed “a wedding of her beautiful, lyric voice to {…}
Luciano Pavarotti is one of the greatest tenors of all-time, his artistry leaving a massive legacy behind him. The tenor, born on Oct 12, 1935 in Modena, will always be remembered for his charming disposition which was matched by the color of his voice. His ability to transcend the opera stage and reach millions around the world with a variety {…}
Leyla Gencer, born on Oct 10, 1928, was one of the greatest bel canto sopranos to ever grace the opera stage. She dominated a plethora of often over-looked Donizetti operas and sang everything she could by Bellini. And most importantly, she dominated some of the lesser known works of Giuseppe Verdi, a composer she may share a birthday with (his {…}
Next to Richard Wagner, is there an opera composer that stands as tall as Giuseppe Verdi? Born on Oct. 9, 1813, the composer’s output far outpaced many opera creators before and after. But what is most fascinating is that his works endure to this day. While some of his greatest works have always held a spot in the operatic canon, {…}
Francisco Araiza, born on Oct. 4, 1950, is one of the greatest Mexican tenors of all time. He pioneered a path for many singers from Latin America, including such stars as Ramón Vargas and Javier Camarena. He had a tremendously diverse repertoire, stretching from Mozart and Rossini, all the way to Wagner, from whom he took on lead roles in {…}
Bass Ruggero Raimondi built a great career that saw him dominate in the great Italian repertoire. Born on Oct. 3, 1941, Raimondi was a student at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan, would go on to a win the National Competition for young singers in Spoleto, and then become one of the best in the world. Besides having a world {…}
There is perhaps no tenor more lauded for his interpretation in the German repertoire than Fritz Wunderlich. The German tenor worked mostly in his home country until his untimely death in 1966. American audiences were robbed of his Metropolitan Opera debut, and there is surely a hole missing where his growth as an artist would have been fostered. In honor of {…}
Ettore Bastianini, Pablo Elvira, and Cornell MacNeil share a birthday – September 24. Two of these men, MacNeil and Bastianini were born on the same exact day. All three were baritones, overlapping a ton of repertoire. Of the three, Elvira’s career is perhaps not quite up to the legendary status of the other two men, with Bastianini often crowned as {…}