Every major discipline has its proverbial “Mount Everest,” the pinnacle achievement. The moment of “arrival” in which the person can feel a sense of accomplishment that few others, or only the true greats, have accomplished. In the soprano operatic repertoire, Bellini’s “Norma” is often viewed as that proverbial peak due to its taxing and wide-ranging nature. Lili Lehmann, one of {…}
What do Giuseppe Di Stefano, Mirella Freni and Fritz Wunderlich have in common? While the three opera stars never collaborated, they had a massive impact of Joel Prieto’s formative years. The tenor recently told OperaWire, in an exclusive interview, about how these three icons of opera transformed his life completely and still do in many ways. Early Turning Points It {…}
This article was a joint collaboration between David & Francisco Salazar. “I like playing the villain.” That quote, as generic as it is, has been uttered in some variation by numerous actors throughout history. There is an excitement that comes with being the bad guy or girl. Of committing acts onscreen or onstage that you could never imagine doing out {…}
The voice is any singer’s most precious treasure. Without it their career is over no matter how good you look or how wonderful of an actor you are. In modern opera, it is also something that is overlooked as careers increasingly get shorter with fewer rest periods and singers consistently being asked to walk on stage without rehearsals. This is {…}
Violetta, the heroine of Verdi’s “La Traviata,” is one of the iconic roles of the operatic repertoire, the measuring stick by which almost all sopranos are judged. Singing the role for many is an indication for them that they have “arrived” in the opera world. It is so imbued with depth and intensity that years and years of performance reveal {…}
The union between an opera singer and his or her craft is a love story, many of which come in two variations. The first origin story is like most love stories, a chance encounter on their way into adulthood. Their first love was some other profession or dream that, like many first loves, never quite came to fruition. Such has {…}
It is always a challenge to make a role debut in a season, particularly when it features some of the most challenging repertoire in the operatic repertoire. It is an even greater risk and challenge to make three in one season. But don’t tell Davinia Rodriguez as the soprano has spent this season doing just that and succeeding all the {…}
30 performances. Seven cities. Five house debuts and two role debuts. That is what tenor Brian Jagde faces in 2017. The first half of 2017 that is. The tenor, who has been growing in prominence over the last few years, is slated for a monstrous calendar year that will see him make more house debuts than he ever has before. {…}
“You could research my family as far back as the 1600’s and you wouldn’t find anyone anywhere involved in music,” declared mezzo soprano Antonella Delli Carpini during a recent chat with Opera Wire in anticipation of her upcoming performance as the mother in Menotti’s “Amahl and the Night Visitors” at Opera Breve. But now she is the first. And it {…}
On Dec. 8, Opera Breve will open its 2016-17 season with “Amahl and the Night Visitors.” The rarely-staged Menotti opera is a special work as it was the first opera made in the U.S for TV. OperaWire had the opportunity to interview Gary Ramsey, who is playing the role of King Melchior. The baritone was a late bloomer, coming into {…}