Claudio Monteverdi, baptized on May 15, 1567 (he’s now 450), is known as the father of opera, his “L’Orfeo” widely recognized as the very first opera in existence. To this day, we know of two other complete works, “L’Incoronazione di Poppea” and “Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in patria,” which are both parts of the canon. But this was not his only {…}
Nadine Sierra is one of opera’s rising stars. The soprano, who turns 29 on May 14, 2017, has recently added the Richard Tucker award to a long list of major accomplishments. At such a young age, one can only expect more tremendous success to come. In just a short time she has already established herself in some of the greatest {…}
Jules Massenet and Gabriel Fauré were born on the same day three years apart. May 12, 1842, brought us the former and three years later, his impressionist counterpart was born. The two were prominent French composers of their time, though one is better known for his orchestral works and the other for his opera. Fauré did compose two operas and {…}
Everyone knows Nina Stemme for her dramatic skills, particularly for her Wagner repertoire. As a matter of fact, she is the leading Brünhilde and Isolde of our time and she is in demand all over the world. But in fact, Stemme did not begin with this repertoire and before her breakout Isolde with Plácido Domingo, this singer did a number {…}
Luigi Illica is a rather famous man in the world of opera. If you don’t believe me, then look at his body of work. “Manon Lescaut,” “La Bohème,” “Tosca,” “Madama Butterfly.” And those are just the Puccini selections. The librettist also authored such prominent opera works as “La Wally” and “Andrea Chénier.” But the majority of Illica’s output has been {…}
Michael Fabiano has steadily grown into one of the most sought after tenors in the world. From the first time, he appeared at the Metropolitan Opera’s Met National Council Auditions to his fiery Met debut, the young singer has shown so much passion on stage that reminds one of the golden age. But there is one composer that he has {…}
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 {…}
To this day, Ruggiero Leoncavallo’s identity has been defined by one opera. And perhaps for all of eternity, the Italian composer, born on April 23, 1857, that opera, “Pagliacci,” will be his only recognizable contribution to culture. Of course, “Pagliacci” is a masterful opera that is one of the finest dramatic creations in the genre and there is no shame {…}
Fiorenza Cossotto is widely considered one of the greatest mezzo-sopranos of the 20th century and arguably this writer’s favorite mezzo of all time. In honor of her 82nd birthday, OperaWire has decided to take a look at some of our favorite recordings the mezzo recorded throughout her lengthy and prolific career. “La Favorita” with Alfredo Kraus Donizetti’s operatic masterpiece was one of {…}
When you hear the name Leonard Warren, you always hear another name – Verdi. The baritone, born on April 21, 1911, was dedicated to the great Italian and practically sang every great baritone role that Verdi wrote. You name it. For many, he was the ultimate Rigoletto (he performed the opera 89 times at the Metropolitan Opera), while others will {…}
Natalie Dessay may have retired from the opera stage, but her art continues to live on. And while she admits to never having felt comfortable on the stage, her performances show otherwise. Born on April 19, 1965, OperaWire takes a look at some of her unforgettable roles on stage. Olympia in ‘Les Contes d’Hoffmann’ The role of Olympia was perhaps the {…}