Ildebrando D’Arcangelo, born on Dec. 14, 1969, is one of the world’s most renowned Italian bass-baritones. Since his auspicious debut in the early 1990s, he has been a leading singer around the world, appearing at major opera houses under such conductors as Valery Gergiev, Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Chailly, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, and Seiji Ozawa, among many others. He’s become one of {…}
Hector Berlioz has always stood as a controversial figure in the world of classical music. Born on Dec. 11, 1803, his legacy has been one of confusion for many artists. On one hand, he is seen as an incredible genius, whose music is among the richest ever written, his orchestration revolutionary. Others find his music ambiguous in quality, with only {…}
Giacomo Lauri-Volpi is one of the most celebrated tenors in history, encompassing a wide-ranging repertoire and lengthy career. Lauri-Volpi, born on Dec. 11, 1892, was born in Lanuvio, Italy and found himself an orphan at just 11 years of age. From there he would build himself up under baritone Antonio Cotogni, and eventually find international acclaim. His career is one {…}
Sesto Bruscantini was a consummate shapeshifter as an opera singer. Born on Dec. 10, 1919, Bruscantini enjoyed a lengthy 45-year career filled with performances at some of the most famous houses on the globe including La Scala, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Rome Opera, Metropolitan Opera, Glyndebourne, the Vienna State Opera, and Salzburg Festival, among others. He was a unique breed {…}
Elizabeth Schwarzkopf is undeniably one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. Born on Dec. 9, 1915, the German soprano was best known for her work in German repertoire, becoming one of the greatest Richard Strauss interpreters of all time. She dominated the operas of Mozart and even made herself as a notable Wagnerian. She won a plethora of {…}
We all know “Cavalleria Rusticana,” the great masterpiece of Pietro Mascagni, who was born on Dec. 7, 1863. Unfortunately, that’s all most people in the opera world and outside of it, know about the Italian composer. It’s actually quite unfortunate, given that “Cavalleria” was his very first opera and that he would go on to write 15 total, his final {…}
Maria Callas is arguably THE greatest opera star in history. Born on Dec. 2, 1923, the Greek singer (who was born in New York City) would become a turning point in the history of the art form, with some going so far as to claim there was a period “Before Callas” and one “After Callas.” Leonard Bernstein called her “The {…}
Donizetti is one of the fathers of Bel Canto, having written over 70 operas, his first work coming at the age of 19. Born on Nov. 29, 1797, the composer has become well-known for such operas as “L’Elisir d’Amore,” “Don Pasquale,” “Lucia di Lammermoor,” “Lucrezia Borgia,” as well as the Tudor trilogy, which has been revived by many of the great {…}
Nathan Gunn is one of America’s great modern-day baritones. Born on Nov. 26, 1970, he has had a wide-ranging career that has seen him appear in a wide range of repertoire, from classics by Mozart and Rossini, to romantic works from the French masters, to a number of modern operas. The latter operas are the ones in which he has {…}
Tenor Alfredo Kraus is undeniably one of the greatest artists in the history of opera. Born 90 years ago on Nov. 24, 1927, the tenor had a superlative technique that allowed him to become one of the prolific tenors of his era. He excelled in the bel canto repertoire and took on the French masters, but he also specialized in {…}
English composer Benjamin Britten holds a reputation as one of the most prolific figures in 20th-century music. With a massive centennial celebration held worldwide just four years ago, his legacy is still preserved today as opera houses around the world continue to stage his legendary pieces. Britten was born on Nov. 22, 1913, and not a day has gone by where {…}