Joyce DiDonato is a fierce artist and one of the finest of the 21st century. She didn’t land at the number one spot of our top singers of 2017 list for no reason. DiDonato, born on Feb. 13, has been the champion of all people and in the opera world she has shown an ability to slip from one piece {…}
Bass Paata Burchuladze, born on Feb. 12, enjoyed a tremendous operatic career. He made a student debut in 1976 and would go on to perform all around the world in a wide range of repertoire ranging from Verdi, to Tchaikovsky, to Mozart, to Mussorgsky, among many, many others. But the bass was always tied to his home country of Georgia, {…}
Layla Claire has become one of the most promising lyric sopranos of her generation. Throughout the past years, she has specialized in the works of Mozart and Handel as well as Britten. And this week she will add yet another major role to her repertory, “Alcina.” After canceling her highly anticipated debut in the role earlier this year at the {…}
“Opera Meets Film” is a feature dedicated to exploring the way that opera has been employed in cinema. We will select a section or a film in its entirety, highlighting the impact that utilizing the operatic form or sections from an opera can alter our perception of a film that we are viewing. This week’s installment takes a look at {…}
On Monday, soprano Evelyn Herlitzius kicks off her first year on the North American opera scene. For years, the German soprano has dominated Europe as a leading interpreter of the German repertoire. She has dominated Dresden, Berlin, Vienna, Milan, Baden-Baden, Salzburg, and Paris, among others, in such operas as “Elektra,” “Tristan und Isolde,” “Wozzeck,” “Lohengrin,” and Wagner’s “Der Ring des {…}
Verdi’s “Otello” is one of the world’s greatest operas. For many, it is THE Italian opera. Premiering on Feb. 5, 1887, the penultimate opera in Verdi’s legacy is a work that is also the conjugation of all the styles that he had been playing with for decades. While many would look to “Falstaff” as a subversion of everything that had {…}
“Opera Meets Film” is a feature dedicated to exploring the way that opera has been employed in cinema. We will select a section or a film in its entirety, highlighting the impact that utilizing the operatic form or sections from an opera can alter our perception of a film that we are viewing. This week’s installment returns to Quentin Tarantino’s {…}
Franz Schubert, born on Jan. 31, 1797, is universally hailed for his incredible ability to write for the voice. His song cycles are among the most beloved in the entire repertoire, championed by the world’s greatest singers. But Schubert also composed opera, though to this day, none have managed to establish a foothold in the standard repertoire. Here is a {…}
Daniel Auber, born on Jan. 29, 1782, was one of France’s leading composers in his day. During his time he was a master of the ópera comique and featured prominently throughout his home-country. He had a long-running collaboration with noted librettist Eugène Scribe. In sum, he has over 30 works to his name. And yet, he isn’t part of the {…}
