Tenor Peter Hofmann’s career took a rather interesting turn for what many would consider an opera singer. Born on August 22, 1944, the heldentenor was a major attraction in a number of Wagner operas, including “Lohengrin,” “Die Walküre,” and “Parsifal” among other. However, at age 45, when he would have supposedly entered his peak vocal years, he left opera and {…}
When you think of Claude Debussy’s operatic output, his lone opera “Pelléas et Mélisande” immediately springs to mind. But did you know that the composer, born on August 22, 1862, actually had a few more operas in the pipeline? Here is a rundown of those other works that never came to fruition. Rodrigue et Chimène This would have been Debussy’s {…}
It’s the final week of the Salzburg Festival, but before it concludes “Lucrezia Borgia” will open in two concert performances with a stellar cast that includes Juan Diego Flórez and Ildar Abdrazaov with Marco Armiliato conducting. But it is Krassimira Stoyanova that headlines the performances in the title role and forays once again into the Bel Canto repertoire. Throughout her career Stoyanova has {…}
Arturo Chacón Cruz is one of the major Mexican tenors setting the opera world on fire. On August 20, 1977, he turns 40, giving OperaWire a chance to look at 40 fun facts about the tenor, who is now entering his prime. He was born in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora. Chacón Cruz graduated from the Houston Grand Opera Studio… …and Boston {…}
One of the great tragedies of 2016 was losing tenor Johan Botha in the midst of his vocal prime. At just 51 years of age, he still had, at the very least, a few solid years of singing to impart on us. Those who heard Botha will rarely forget his beautiful tenor, a delicate instrument by nature capable of ripping {…}
Poor Antonio Salieri. Born on August 18, 1750, the prolific composer’s fate in posterity has not been a kind one. Despite composing a plethora of operas that were quite popular at the time of his death, his legacy has unfortunately been linked to a legend that is far from true. You know the story: the composer was the rival of {…}
“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 Marc Forster’s “Quantum {…}
Sharon Sweet and Krassimira Stoyanova. Two sopranos born on August 16 with rather different careers. The former was a well-known American dramatic soprano who took on a wide range of Italian and German repertoire, most prominently singing operas by Wagner and Verdi. The latter, a Bulgarian with a far lighter voice, has slowly dug into that very same dramatic repertoire, {…}
Walter Scott, born on August 15, 1771, is among the most important English-language writers, his works essential parts of the literary canon. In fact, he created some true masterpieces that would go on to inspire some of the greatest opera composers as well. Here is a look at the important operas based on the works of Scott. Ivanhoe Scott’s most {…}
