Thea Musgrave is one of Britain’s most distinguished composers known for more than 160 pieces, including 13 operas, 11 choral works, and 21 orchestral works. Her work has been performed all over the world and she has garnered great respect in the classic musical world. And this week, she celebrates her prolific 70-year career with her 90th birthday. After a remarkable {…}
As fate would have it, “Cavalleria Rusticana” and “Pagliacci” are more famously known as “CavPag.” The two works both premiered in middle May, two years apart (“Cavalleria Rusticana” premiered on May 17, 1890 and “Pagliacci” arrived in theaters on May 21, 1892) and have become virtually inseparable. A quick look at their corresponding histories shows many uncanny similarities and differences. {…}
“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, given the start of {…}
Jan Dvořák is one of today’s most innovative composers in the world. He has described his music as “somewhere between Bach, Wagner and Dr. No.” The composer is influenced by pop and rock, as well as some of the old masters in the classical canon. And this week German audiences are set to hear the world premiere of his second opera {…}
Nadine Sierra is enjoying one of the most spectacular careers in the opera world. On this day, May 14, 2018, she turns 30, already having managed a historic career by modern standards. So in celebration of the big 3-0 we look at 30 fun facts on Sierra. 1. She is a native of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 2. Sierra trained at {…}
Mozart’s operas feature some of the most nuanced, human-like characters in all of the operatic repertory. And if his characters were real humans living and breathing today, in the year 2018, chances are they’d have a smartphone attached to the palm of their hand, filled with apps that they’d use to navigate the twenty-first-century world around them. From Snapchat to {…}
“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 features Sam Mendes’“Spectre.” Not {…}
Mariella Devia is no mysterious name for opera lovers. She is a legend and diva who has for so long become synonymous with Bel Canto, dominating the works of Bellini, Donizetti, and Rossini. She has also performed some of Verdi’s works, as well as those of Offenbach, Cherubini, Auber, and Mozart, among others. She has also made a huge international {…}
“Wozzeck” is, for many, the crowning achievement of Alban Berg’s career. While the opera premiered on December 14 1925, Berg actually saw the premiere of the play upon which he based the opera on May 5, 1914. We chose to celebrate that day because it was from that initial experience that the opera germinated in the composer’s mind. So here {…}
