For years Olga Borodina was one of the leading mezzo-sopranos in the world, singing in all the major opera houses and dominating the lyric and dramatic mezzo repertoire. She possessed comic timing in multiple Rossini roles and was a dramatic tour de force in roles like Amneris, the Princess of Bouillon and Laura in “La Gioconda.” She also brought brilliance to the {…}
Riccardo Muti, born on July 28, 1941, is one of the greatest conductors of all time. He has specialized in the Italian repertoire, particularly the works of Verdi and has been incredibly valuable in bringing some of the composer’s early works to the fore. Muti has also been recognized for performing works without cuts and sticking to what is written {…}
“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 Quentin Tarantino’s “Django {…}
Richard Wagner is one of the most controversial figures in all of history, his antisemitic statements often creating staunch adversaries to his art. And just as the man was condemned for his abject racism, some of his operas have been at the heat of controversy. Take the “Ring,” for example, with many seeing Mime and Alberich as anti-semitic symbols. But {…}
Liana Aleksanyan has had a rollercoaster year making an unexpected debut at the Teatro alla Scala and establishing herself as one of the most acclaimed Cio-Cio Sans of her generation. This week she continues her ascension in the opera world headlining “Aida” at the Macerata Opera Festival. The assumption of Aida brings Aleksanyan to another stage in her career as she takes {…}
Giuseppe Di Stefano is one of the great Italian tenors in history. For many, he possessed the most beautiful timbre of any lyric tenor and some fans lament the tenor’s insistence on singing operas that were often darker and heavier than his lyric could seemingly handle. And yet, one of the reasons why Pippo, born on July 24, 1921, was {…}
The Operalia Competition is just days away and in anticipation of the famed event, we will take a look back down memory lane at the opera singers who became stars after big performances at the competition. For today’s installment, we will look at the major stars from this decade. Here are the winners of that decade who have since risen {…}
Licia Albanese was one of the leading Madama Butterflies of her time while Anja Harteros has become one of the go-to spinto Sopranos, performing a wide range roles from the Strauss, Verdi and Wagner repertoire. The two sopranos, while coming from different fachs and specializing in different repertoire, still had a number of roles in common. La Traviata This was one of {…}
The Operalia Competition is just days away and in anticipation of the famed event, we will take a look back down memory lane at the opera singers who became stars after big performances at the competition. For today’s installment, we will look at the major stars to come out of the early 2000s. Here are the winners of that decade {…}
