(Credit: Monika Ritterhaus) A lot of modern opera is based on original and new stories. But it wasn’t always like that. For hundreds of years, operas in the standard repertory, regardless of their style (baroque, classical, romantic, impressionistic) were based on some other story or event. So in honor of that unique aspect of opera (other art forms are also {…}
With the Met Opera set to reopen this March with a historic production of “Don Carlos,” it’s time to get to the question of what exactly are the different versions of the opera. We’ve already spent some time on OperaWire exploring that question, but we thought it might be fun to go into some specifics in the quiz format. So {…}
For this week’s edition of the quiz, we will shine a spotlight on Verdi’s “Macbeth.” Verdi’s “Macbeth” is one of the great Italian operas in the repertory and arguably one of the most unique. Verdi initially composed it in 1847 at the height of his “galley years” where Bel Canto traditions most influenced his musical output. However, given his close {…}
As the 2021-22 season approaches, we want to take stock of an opera that is set to make some major premieres at the start of the season. The work in question is “Fire Shut Up in My Bones,” a work that premiered a few years back to tremendous reviews. For this latest installment of the Opera Quizzes, we take a {…}
As we did with the last quiz, we’re going to have some fun with some of opera’s major repertory staples. This week we look at Verdi’s seminal “Rigoletto.” The quiz will not only test your knowledge of its musical passages, story points, as well as some other miscellaneous information. My hope is that this quiz will provide some new and {…}
(Credit: Richard Termine) Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor” is one of the canon’s most renowned and beloved works. And for this week’s quiz, we’re taking a deep dive into the famed work. The quiz will not only test your knowledge of its musical passages, but also its differing versions (the French and Italian) as well as some other miscellaneous information. My {…}
Over the past few years, few LGBTQ+ operas have managed as much mileage as Laura Kaminsky, Kimberly Reed, and Mark Campbell’s “As One.” The chamber opera has seemingly played everywhere (and continues to do so) and has firmly established its foothold as a staple of the modern operatic repertory. So for this week’s quiz, we take a look at the {…}
Over the last few years, few tenors have made their mark quite the way Korean Yonghoon Lee has. The tenor has built up an enviable career that has seen him perform all over the world at the major companies including the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House, Opéra National de Paris, Opernhaus Zürich, Vienna State Opera, San Francisco Opera, and many, {…}
Sumi Jo is one of most renowned opera sopranos of the last 30 years. Since the late 1980s until today, the soprano has developed a major international career that has taken her through the major international opera competitions to its major stages all the way to Hollywood, the World Cup, and the Olympics. She has performed for an Oscar-nominated song, {…}
A few week’s ago, our quiz focused on Chinese composer Tan Dun. This week we continue to spotlight Asian opera artists, but this time shifting our focus to the singers dominating the world stages. So for this quiz, we will offer up a prompt and it will be your job to pick which singer it best applies to. As always, {…}
One of the great modern Asian composers to have a major impact on the opera world is Tan Dun. Noted for his wide-ranging compositional style, he has also mastered the operatic form over the past 30 years. In this week’s quiz, we take stock of his work in opera. We present you with a statement and you must match it {…}