We have gone through emotional anecdotes. We sifted through some of the essential nights in the new house’s history. Now we turn to the people that have made it great. In compiling a list of the 50 most influential people in the history of the new house, we realized rather early on that we would be leaving many people out {…}
The Metropolitan Opera celebrates its 50th anniversary Sunday with a massive gala featuring the greatest stars in opera. The company, which moved to Lincoln Center in 1966, is among the most renowned opera institutions in the world, a place where the greatest of all singers commune on one of the biggest stages in one of the biggest theaters. A few {…}
Now that that most of the major opera companies in the U.S are about to finish their 2016-17 season, most opera lovers will be left searching for what to see. While most festivals take place in Europe, many companies and festivals will be active introducing new works, bringing old classics and discovering new talent. The following is a list of {…}
May is Asian Heritage Month in the United States and in honor of cultural diversity, OperaWire will look at honoring the Asian opera stars making major headlines at this very moment. Yonghoon Lee There are few tenors at this moment who can truly dominate the spinto tenor repertoire like Yonghoon Lee does. The South Korean tenor has established himself as {…}
April 28 marks the anniversary of the world premiere of Giacomo Meyerbeer’s “L’Africaine,” his final opera. While he was a titan in his day, Meyerbeer has struggled to find footing in the modern operatic culture and many of his works, including “L’Africaine” remain obscure and unknown. And yet there are some unique features about this work that make it a {…}
Rolando Villazón is one of the most admired singers in the opera world for his sheer abandon on stage and his detailed characterizations. He has created some very memorable performances and has recorded a number of great albums. However, this week he steps offstage and goes back to the directing seat for Donizetti’s “Don Pasquale.” Villazón directed his first opera in {…}
Fiorenza Cossotto is widely considered one of the greatest mezzo-sopranos of the 20th century and arguably this writer’s favorite mezzo of all time. In honor of her 82nd birthday, OperaWire has decided to take a look at some of our favorite recordings the mezzo recorded throughout her lengthy and prolific career. “La Favorita” with Alfredo Kraus Donizetti’s operatic masterpiece was one of {…}
When you hear the name Leonard Warren, you always hear another name – Verdi. The baritone, born on April 21, 1911, was dedicated to the great Italian and practically sang every great baritone role that Verdi wrote. You name it. For many, he was the ultimate Rigoletto (he performed the opera 89 times at the Metropolitan Opera), while others will {…}
Natalie Dessay may have retired from the opera stage, but her art continues to live on. And while she admits to never having felt comfortable on the stage, her performances show otherwise. Born on April 19, 1965, OperaWire takes a look at some of her unforgettable roles on stage. Olympia in ‘Les Contes d’Hoffmann’ The role of Olympia was perhaps the {…}
