Plácido Domingo needs no introduction. He not only holds the record for most roles sung in opera for a single individual, but also has a lengthy career that has spanned half a century. And this week he celebrates his 50th anniversary at the Vienna State Opera in a special gala. The tenor made his debut at the Vienna State Opera {…}
This article is a joint collaboration between David & Francisco Salazar. This past weekend saw the end of the Metropolitan Opera’s 2016-17 season. This week we will take a look back at the greatest moments that this season brought us, beginning with the top performers that we enjoyed. Since ladies should always go first, we start with the top 10 {…}
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 {…}
This week the Royal Opera House will revive Nicholas Hytner’s production of Verdi’s “Don Carlo” and with it, an intriguing rising star will appear as Elisabetta. The soprano in question will be Kristin Lewis who will make her Royal Opera debut after Krassimira Stoynova canceled the production. Lewis is slowly building her name internationally as she gained acclaimed in Italy, {…}
