Verdi’s “Ernani” is one of his early masterworks that remains at the forefront of the repertory. The work, which premiered on March 9, 1844, isn’t performed nearly as some of the later and more popular works, but it is a massive showcase for the four lead singers, particularly the tenor. The work itself represented the first time that the “Verdi {…}
Premiering on March 9, 1842 at Milan’s Teatro alla Scala, “Nabucco” is the opera to which Verdi attributes the beginning of his career as a composer. Although he had composed works prior to this, such as “Oberto” and “Un giorno di regno” it wasn’t until “Nabucco” where he would receive the overwhelming success that would follow throughout his career and {…}
Bellini’s penultimate opera “La Sonnambula,” which premiered on March 6, 1831, often gets a bad wrap due to its plot. But no one can deny the magical qualities of the music. This is Bellini at his most melodic. The work has been a favorite of numerous divas of the bel canto repertoire, including Maria Callas, who championed the opera extensively. {…}
“Mefistofele” is Arrigo Boito’s only fully completed opera, and as such, it is a prized jewel. The work, which premiered on March 5, 1868 at La Scala, is a faithful adaptation of Goethe’s “Faust.” Whereas most adaptations of the work focus on the first part of the work, Boito adapts both sections, including the the Helen of Troy sequence. As {…}
First premiering in Paris in 1836, “Les Huguenots” is based on the historical events of the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre of 1572, wherein thousands of French Protestants, called Huguenots, were wiped out by Catholics in an effort to maintain Catholic dominance. The composition of this work follows shortly after the great success enjoyed by “Robert le Diable” and so Meyerbeer {…}
Widely considered among the first operas, “L’Orfeo” made its premiere sometime during the 1607 Carnival season in Mantua, Italy. Though it fell out of performance shortly after the death of Monteverdi, it enjoyed a great revival in the 19th century which led to many fully-staged productions later on. The opera draws upon the Renaissance era’s many compositional techniques, melding them {…}
« La Juive » premiered on Feb. 23, 1835 at the Opéra de Paris and remains the only one of Halevy’s to make a massivr impact. The work was widely admired during its early years and even Richard Wagner was said to have borrowed from portions of it. The work was famously the last one to be performed by Enrico {…}
Rossini never composed a more famous opera than “Il Barbiere di Siviglia.” In fact, the work, which world premiered on Feb. 20, 1816 at the Teatro Argentina in Rome, is arguably the world’s most famous opera comedy, full stop. It’s popularity is proven simply by the fact that the work has never left the repertory since its debut over 200 {…}
First premiering at the Opera de Monte-Carlo on February 19, 1910, “Don Quichotte” is one of many adaptations drawing from Cervantes’ classic novel. Although prominent figures, such as Purcell and Strauss, have composed music to accompany performances of the famous tale, it is Massenet’s “Don Quichotte” that has enjoyed lasting success over the years. The work was composed at towards {…}
Throughout his career Verdi had to deal with the censors and their efforts to hinder his operas. Nowhere was this more prominent than in “Un Ballo in Maschera,” which premiered on Feb. 17, 1859. The work was originally entitled “Gustavo III,” but Verdi had to change the setting from Sweden to Boston and change the character of King Gustav III {…}
Making its premiere on February 17, 1904, “Madama Butterfly” is one of the most prominent works not only to come from composer Giacomo Puccini, but in the operatic canon as well. Despite this, its initial premiere at Milan’s Teatro all Scala was received unfavorably by critics and audiences. This is attributed to lack of time to rehearse the work, given {…}
