Tenor Luigi Alva is one of the great Rossini and Mozart interpreters of the mid 20th century. Born in Peru on April 10, 1927, Alva served in the Peruvian Navy before focusing on singing. His opera debut came in 1949 in Lima and in 1953, he headed to Milan where he would make his debut in 1954 at the Teatro {…}
Austrian bass-baritone Walter Berry was born on April 8, 1929 and would go on to a strong and recognized career. He studied at the Vienna Music Academy and made his debut at the Vienna State Opera in 1947, becoming a permanent member of the company three years later. In 1952, he debuted at the Salzburg Festival, another organization with which {…}
Few tenors are as iconic as Franco Corelli. Born on April 8, 1921 in Ancona, he initially set out to follow in the footsteps of his father and studied naval engineering at the University of Bologna. During his studies, he entered a vocal competition as an amateur singer and was encouraged to pursue his voice further. He entered the Pesaro {…}
Herbert Von Karajan was one of the great conductors of all time. Born on April 5, 1908, he was a child prodigy at the piano and between ages 8-18, he studied at the Mozarteum. After graduation, he continued his studies a the Vienna Academy. He made his conducting debut at the Salzburg Festival in 1933, the same year he became {…}
Sergei Leiferkus was born on April 4, 1946 and would go on to a heralded international career. The native of Leningrad graduated from his local Conservatory in 1972, though he was already building up great success before his graduation. He was the winner of the All-Union Mikhail Glinka Vocalists’ Competition in 1971 and in 1972, he joined the Maly Musorgsky {…}
Sergei Rachmaninoff’s was a renowned pianist and composer. Born on April 1, 1873, he started playing the piano from age four and graduated from the Moscow Conservatory in 1892. In ensuing decades, he had a solid career as a composer and pianist, creating all of his operas during this period. However, the outbreak of the Russian Revolution forced him and {…}
“La Vida Breve” had its world premiere on April 1, 1913. While it has never been a major staple of the repertory, many sections of Manuel de Falla’s famed opera are performed often. Many instrumental sections of the work have been arranged by other composers in different means as well. Many Spanish artists such as Victoria de Los Angeles and {…}
Jake Heggie is one of the significant opera composers of the 21st century. Born on March 31, 1961, Heggie grew up in Columbus, Ohio and started studying the piano at age seven. After his father’s suicide in 1972, Heggie began writing music and his family relocated to the San Francisco Bay area. He studied at the UCLA for both his {…}
Tenor Nicola Martinucci enjoyed a potent career throughout the middle of the 20th century. Born on March 28, 1941 in Taranto, he actually got off to a late start as a singer, kickstarting his vocal career in his 20s. He made his debut in 1966 at the Teatro Nuovo di Milano in “Il Trovatore,” the same year he won the {…}
Samuel Ramey is one of the most versatile singers of his time. The bass was born on March 28, 1942, and studied at Kansas State University. From there he studied further at Central City and was an apprentice artist at the Santa Fe Opera. He had a major breakthrough in 1973 at the New York City Opera in “Carmen.” From {…}
Of Puccini’s operas, “La Rondine” is among the least-known, despite its own melodic invention. The work had its world premiere in Monte Carlo on March 27, 1917, with a cast that included soprano Gilda dalla Rizza and tenor Tito Schipa. The opera has never had an easy time, often seen as “lesser” Puccini; his editor Tito Ricordi dismissed it as {…}
