During the early twentieth century, Australian soprano Nellie Melba was one of the most in-demand singers in the world. Born May 19, 1861 as the eldest of seven children, Helen Porter Mitchell eventually adopted the name “Melba” in honor of her hometown, Melbourne. She studied music in Paris and debuted at La Monnaie in 1887 as Gilda in “Rigoletto.” After {…}
Albert Neimann was born on Jan. 15, 1831 in Erxleben, and would go on to become one of Germany’s greatest tenors. He lost his father at an early age and was raised by his mother. Initially he was trained to be an engine-maker but ran away to Dresden to create his own life, eventually becoming a singer. His debut came {…}
There is a common misconception that melodic opera in the vein of the great romantics of the 19th century is dead in the 21st century. Most composers today would have you believe that. But Daniel Catán never did and his masterpiece “Florencia en el Amazonas” bears this out better than anyone else. The work, which had its world premiere on {…}
(Credit: Ken Howard / Met Opera) Marina Poplavskaya was one of the notable Russian sopranos of the early 21st century. Born on Sept. 12, 1977 in Moscow, Russia, she would perform in the children’s chorus of the Bolshoi Theatre an eventually became a soloist of the Novaya Opera Theatre in 1996. From there she would debut at the Bolshoi Theatre {…}
Pauline Viardot was more than just a famed singer of her time. Today, she’s also increasingly remembered as a skilled composer. Born on July 18, 1821 in Paris, she grew up with a musical family. Her father was a tenor, a singing teacher, a composer, and an impresario. Her sister was a professional singer. She spent her childhood traveling and {…}
(Credit: Michal Manas) There is no other Czech composer with as much import to the opera repertory as Leo Janácek. Born on July 3, 1854, he started his musical career playing the piano and organ before devoting himself to the art of composition. His musical style is best known for its emphasis on folk music, which he researched heavily throughout {…}
(Credit: Javier del Real / Teatro Real de Madrid) Benjamin Britten’s “Gloriana” is one of his unique works, created to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The opera had its world premiere on June 8, 1953 with Joan Cross in the role of Queen Elizabeth and Peter Pears as Earl of Essex. Gerain Evans was Lord Mountjoy. It is {…}
Few tenors have had the ringing high notes of Mario Filippeschi. The tenor, born on June 7, 1907, actually started his musical life as a clarinetist, eventually joining the military. After some time in the armed forces, he was discharged and took on voice lessons, eventually debuting in Colorno in 1937 in the role of Edgardo in “Lucia di Lammermoor.” {…}
Tenor Jan Peerce was conductor Arturo Toscanini’s go-to tenor. He was born Jacob Pincus Perelmuth on June 3, 1904 and was raised in New York City as the third child of a family of Polish immigrants. He attended Columbia University and actually grew up playing the violin before eventually realizing that he was a lyric tenor. In 1932, he was {…}
“Lulu” was Alban Berg’s second opera. He worked on it between 1929 and 1935, but unfortunately never completed the work by the time of his death in 1935. The work had a posthumous world premiere on June 2, 1937 and was “completed” over 40 years later in 1979. Despite never being completed by the composer, the work has become a {…}
Of Rossini’s many comedies, “L’Italiana in Algeri” is among his most renowned. The work, which had its world premiere on May 22, 1813, was written by Angelo Anelli and was composed in less than a month. It has remained a fixture in the repertory since its world premiere, noted as a major vehicle for mezzo-sopranos such as Marilyn Horne, Teresa {…}
