There are a ton of great Spanish artists throughout the history of opera. Juan Pons is one of them. Born in Ciutadella, Spain on August 8, 1946, Pons (or Joan Pons Álvarez as he was born), would really kickstart his career in the 1980s when he made his international debut at La Scala. That kicked off a career that featured {…}
Gabriella Tucci is one of the hidden Italian treasures of the 20th century. The soprano, born on August 4, 1929 in Rome, studied at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia and eventually made her debut at Spoleto in 1951. The opera? “La Forza del Destino.” Her stage partner? Beniamino Gigli. But her career took a bigger step forward when she shared {…}
Deborah Voigt is one of America’s most renowned artists. The soprano was born on August 4, 1960 to a religious family in 1960. Her career took a gradual course, though the soprano rather openly talks about her problems with confidence and her weight issues throughout her formative years in her biography “Call Me Debbie, a must-read in which opens about {…}
Rossini’s final opera is arguably his finest. “Guillaume Tell,” which had its world premiere on August 3, 1829, has never been his most popular. But in the work, the great composer took all the dramatic ideas he had developed throughout his career and encapsulated them into a cohesive and potent opera. The work has found popularity in the 21st century, {…}
Gundula Janowitz is a soprano who dominated a wide range of repertoire. Born on August 2, 1937, in Berlin, she would become a naturalized Austrian. She studied in her hometown of Graz and was already singing at a high level in her 20s. In 1959, she was engaged by Herbert Von Karajan to sing in “Le Nozze di Figaro,” the {…}
Tenor Hans Hopf is not one of the famed Wagnerians of the 20th century, but he certainly was one of the most reliable. Born on August 2, 1916, Hopf studied in Munich and Oslo in his formative years and made his formal stage debut in 1936 as Pinkerton in “Madama Butterfly.” Between 1939 and 1943, he would only appear with {…}
Born on August 1, 1926, Theo Adam would go on to be a major Wagnerian bass-baritone of the 20th century. Adam was born in Dresden and spent his formative years as a member of the Dresdner Kreuzchor before serving in the German Army during World War II. However, after the war ended, he resumed his musical studies and eventually made {…}
Olga Borodina is one of the great Russian stars of the early 21st century. The Russian mezzo, born on July 29, 1963, has built a solid international career all around the world, singing with such companies as the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, San Francisco Opera, and Houston Grand Opera, among others. She is treasured in her native {…}
Tenor Peter Schreier effectively transitioned from a solid career as a tenor to one as a conductor. Born on July 29, 1935, in Germany, he went to the boarding school of the famed Dresdener Kreuzchor where his talents were recognized by the conductor Rudolf Mauersberger. At 16, his voice broke and he started off on his path to being a {…}
Few conductors have had such enduring and impactful careers as Italian maestro Riccardo Muti. Born on July 28, 1941, the conductor studied composition and conducting at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan and would eventually work his way to principal conductor and music director of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. Since then Muti has been everywhere. He was the music director {…}
Enrique Granados is not necessarily known outside of Spain, but he remains a major composer. Born on July 27, 1867, Granados was born in Lleida, Spain and would go to study piano in Paris at the age of 20. Two years later, in 1889, he returned to Barcelona where his first opera, “María del Carmen” proved to be his first {…}