Johannes Martin Kränzle may not have the world-renown name of many major singers, but he certainly has the experience and recordings to illustrate his strength as an artist. The baritone has a varied selection from which listeners can choose from, ranging from high profile video recordings to more intimate listening experiences. Here are some of his vital albums. 1. Alberich {…}
Francesco Tamagno, born on December 28 in 1850, had a tremendously successful career throughout Europe and America. But his single biggest moment, the one for which he is remembered, is for premiering Verdi’s “Otello” in 1887. The tenor was also one of the first ever to record his voice and those immortal renditions are a major link to the great {…}
Polish tenor Piotr Beczala was born on this day, December 28, exactly 50 years ago. In celebration of the tenor’s big day, Operawire shares 50 facts about the operatic superstar. Piotr Beczala was born on Dec. 28, 1966. He is from Czechowice-Dziedzice in southern Poland. He studied under Sena Jurinac in Switzerland. He is married to Katarzyna Beczała. Beczala is known for choosing his roles wisely {…}
On Dec. 27, 1888, Raffaele Attilo Amedeo Schipa, better known as Tito Schipa, came into the world. Over the span of his 77 years, he would give the world glorious music in many forms. He was of course best known as a tenore di grazia, though he managed a number of Verdi and Puccini operas while conquering Italian roles by {…}
December 26 marks the premiere of three major operas of the Bel canto repertoire. Donizetti’s “Anna Bolena” premiered the day after Christmas in 1830 while his “Lucrezia Borgia” premiered in 1833 of that same date. Meanwhile, Bellini’s “Norma” premiered on the 26th of December in 1831. All three works share similarities in that they are some of the most difficult works {…}
Johannes Martin Kränzle is slowly becoming a recognized artist in the world of opera. After studying violin and composition for years, the baritone turned to opera and has not looked back ever since. Even after a setback from Bone Marrow Disease, Kränzle’s return to the stage has had critics raving. This week, with many artists taking a break, Kränzle will {…}
The holidays are upon us and most will be together to celebrate them. There will a lot of downtime and this will give families a chance to catch up on movies or simply relax and listen to some great music. For families interested in enjoying an opera together, the following is a list of works that family and holiday friendly {…}
Thursday December 22 is the 158th birthday of one of the greatest opera composers of all time – Giacomo Puccini. The Italian composer is best known for his brilliant melodic invention and his operatic output, while relatively small when compared with the likes of Italian predecessors such as Verdi, Rossini or Donizetti, is among the most popular in the entire {…}
Rolando Villazon recently announced that he had helped raise over $5,000 in supporting USA for UNHCR and the aid it is providing for refugees. Humanitarian efforts in the world of opera are not new and there have been many other major singers like Villazon that have or continue to contribute to great causes. The following is a look at some {…}
