On Jan.6 Hibla Germava will celebrate her 46th birthday with a special day off. The soprano made to sure to make it clear on her calendar that it was her birthday and that she would not be singing. In celebration of Germava’s birthday, Operawire takes a look at some of the achievements thus far in her career. 1994 First Prize {…}
On Jan. 4 Grace Bumbry will celebrate her 80th birthday. The mezzo soprano is recognized as one of the pioneers in the world of classical music who paved the way for future African-American opera and classical singers. The mezzo had the distinction of having a powerful and big voice that sang with commitment and intensity. She was also recognized for her agility and bel canto {…}
On Jan.3, 1843 Donizetti’s comic masterpiece “Don Pasquale” made its premiere with immediate success. It immediately became part of the standard repertoire and a piece that was translated into French, and performed all over the world. Since its premiere the opera has been performed more than 700 times and has been recorded by many great artists. To celebrate the works {…}
He has described his work as a conductor to that of “football” manager. He hates the label “eliticism” when referring to the world of opera, instead seeing it as an art for everyone. He loves all kinds of music and was once a lounge-bar pianist. If there is one thing that you can admire about Antonio Pappano, who was born {…}
On Dec. 30, 1835 Donizetti’s “Maria Stuarda” made its premiere with the admired soprano Maria Malibran. The opera did not get a good reception due to the two sopranos being in poor voice and as a result of Malibran ignoring the censors. The result was an opera that would be ignored for 130 years and one that would not be {…}
On Dec. 31 Diana Damrau will make her role debut as Juliette in Gounod’s “Romeo et Juliette” in a special New Year’s Eve gala at the Metropolitan Opera. The occasion will also mark the premiere of Bartlett Sher’s acclaimed staging from the Salzburg Festival. With such a momentous occasion Operawire takes a look at past Juliettes who have graced the {…}
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 {…}
For many, 2016 was a tough year for many reasons. There were many lost political battles, violence exploded around the world and many beloved artists and celebrities saw their lives come to an end. The opera world was particularly devastated in 2016 with the loss of many major stars, some of them rather young. The following is a list of {…}
