Soprano Lucia Popp was born on Nov. 12, 1939, and destined for a rather potent career at an early age. Born in the Slovak State, she originally set out on a course to study drama at the Bratislava Academy. She originally started taking voice lessons as a mezzo-soprano but eventually graduated as a soprano. At age 23, she made her {…}
Alexander Borodin, born on Nov. 12, 1833, was one of the major Russian composers of the 19th century, often grouped with the famed five that included Mily Balakirev, César Cui, Modest Mussorgsky, and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. While we remember him today as a major composer, he actually saw his work as a chemist as his most important work. He was most {…}
Born in Pant Glas on Nov. 9, 1965, Bryn Terfel has turned into the most prominent Welsh singer of all time. His interest in music started from his early years, with the bass-baritone learning traditional Welsh songs. He moved to London in 1984 to study at the Guildhall School of Music and graduated five years later as the winner of {…}
Piero Cappuccilli had the distinction of being one of the great Verdi baritones of his time. Born on Nov. 9, 1926, Cappuccilli was born in Trieste and was originally intent on becoming an architect. He was heard by Luciano Donaggio, who encouraged him to pursue a vocal career; while Cappuccilli was reluctant he was eventually persuaded and made his opera {…}
Thomas Quasthoff has overcome many challenges that a lot of classical singers have never had to consider. The bass-baritone, born on Nov. 9, 1959, in Hildesheim, had to deal with serious birth defects that resulted from his mother’s exposure to thalidomide during her pregnancy. The result was that his physical limitations (he is four foot four inches) denied him entry {…}
Lamberto Gardelli, born on Nov. 8, 1915, became one of the great conductors of the Italian repertory during the “Golden Age” of opera. He was born in Venice and studied at the Liceo Musicale Rossini and Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. He started off as a pianist before eventually turning into a conductor. He was an assistant to Tulio Serafin {…}
When it comes to simple beauty of voice and legato, Joan Sutherland tops most people’s lists. “La Stupenda,” as she came to be known, was born on Nov. 7, 1926 in Australia and learned singing from her mother, a mezzo-soprano. Sutherland made her concert debut in 1947 in a performance of “Dido and Aeneas” before making her stage debut in {…}
Berlioz’s “Les Troyens” is not only his greatest opera but arguably one of the greatest not only in the French repertoire but the entire canon at large. The work had its world premiere in three acts on Nov. 4, 1863, before surprisingly disappearing from the repertoire for decades. In fact, the first staged performance of the work didn’t even take {…}
Vincenzo Bellini is one of the most famous composers of the bel canto era. Born on Nov. 3, 1801, the composer would become well-known for his expansive melodies that would become the inspiration for many Italian composers thereafter. His first opera was “Adelson e Salvini,” which had its premiere in February of 1825 at the Teatro del Conservatorio di San {…}
Victoria de los Angeles is arguably the greatest soprano from Spain in the history of opera. Born on Nov. 1, 1923, the soprano studied voice and guitar at the Barcelona Conservatory, graduating at the age of 18. She actually gave her operatic debut at the Liceu in Barcelona in 1941, when she was still a student. Her formal professional debut {…}
When many people think of opera, Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” is undeniably one of the first ones to come to mind. The work, which premiered aptly on Oct. 29, 1787, is perfect for the Halloween spirit with its shapeshifting nature and its blend of numerous genres. It’s opening notes frighten, but before long the work moves from a drama about sexual {…}
