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 {…}
Frederica Von Stade is one of the most beloved mezzo-sopranos. Her infectious charisma and gorgeous voice have made her a legend and a mentor for many singers. Throughout her career, she sang numerous works from Rossini, Donizetti, Cherubini, Mozart and Massenet. However, one of the collaborations that has flourished in recent years is her relationship with Jake Heggie. The first work {…}
Elena Souliotis and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau were both born on May 28. The former came into the world in 1943 while the latter came 18 years earlier in 1925. Both singers had tremendous careers, the German baritone among the greatest lieder interpreters of all time. Meanwhile, the soprano was one of the leading interpreters of the Italian repertoire. Ultimately they are {…}
Teresa Stratas was recognized as one of the finest singing actresses of her time. Stratas, born on May 26, 1938, was known for her commitment to the stage and for her wide repertoire. She created the role of Marie Antoinette in Corigliano’s “The Ghost of Versailles,” she dominated the Oscar-nominated Zeffirelli movie “La Traviata,” she had a fine relationship with {…}
Beverly Sills was one of the greatest sopranos of her time and she became an American icon, not only for her singing but also for her outreach and her work promoting young upcoming singers. While she died 10 years ago, her voice still lives on and in celebration of her birth on May 25, OperaWire takes a look at why {…}
For many Richard Wagner is the greatest composer in the history of opera. The German master, born on May 22, 1813, revolutionized not only how opera was created, but he also changed the direction of musical composition, among other things. Everyone knows him for the 10 operas that he wrote, starting with “Die Fliegende Holländer” and concluding with “Parsifal,” though {…}
Olga Peretyatko, born on May 21, 1980, is one of in-demand coloratura sopranos of her time. She is currently dominating the role of Gilda in Verdi’s “Rigoletto,” Violetta in Verdi’s “La Traviata” and Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor.” However, before Olga Peretyatko was a huge star in the opera world the soprano was a household name at the Rossini Opera Festival {…}
Everyone remembers Francesco Maria Piave for his extensive association with Giuseppe Verdi. The librettist, born on May 18, 1810, famously wrote 10 librettos for the famed composer, including such masterworks as “Rigoletto,” “La Traviata” and “Macbeth.” But his output was not limited to just Verdi works. In fact, he wrote a plethora of librettos for other composers. Here is a {…}
Yesterday we took a look at two titanic sopranos that shared a birthday. Today, May 18, we turn our attention to two important basses that were also born on the same day. Ezio Pinza’s birth came on this day in 1892 while Boris Christoff’s came in 1914. Both artists led rather different careers with the former finishing out his career {…}
Zinka Milanov was born on May 17, 1906. Exactly 12 years later, on May 17, 1918, Birgit Nilsson was born. The two women would go on to markedly different careers, though they both performed at the greatest houses in the world and would perform with many of the same artists, albeit in different operas. Both women were dramatic sopranos, and {…}