Among the great works of Robert Schumann are his art songs, which are a staple of the vocal repertoire. But few know that the composer also created an opera of his own. “Genoveva,” which premiered on June 25, 1850, and has never had a fortunate fate on the operatic stage, was his lone effort. Though it has garnered some reconsideration {…}
Carl Maria von Weber wrote a number of operas, but only a select few have made it into the books of posterity. Shining brightest above these is “Der Freischütz,” the opera that had such a massive effect on the young Richard Wagner. The opera had its premiere on June 18, 1821, and has had a mixed life in the repertoire. {…}
Verdi’s “I Vespri Siciliani” is something of an oddity. Composed on the heels of his famous trilogy of “Rigoletto,” “Il Trovatore,” and “La Traviata,” and with a premiere on June 13, 1855, one might have expected that the composer would have up the ante. “Verdi” was excited about the possibility of conquering Paris after coming into such massive artistic maturity, {…}
We know the Enigma Variations. We know the Cello and Violin Concertos. We know his symphonic works. But we never got to hear a full opera from Edward Elgar, born on June 2, 1857—though this wasn’t due to lack of effort. The legendary English composer did actually get close to his one and only opera, but death took him too {…}
Today is the birthday of John F. Kennedy. But it is no ordinary birthday, as the former U.S. President would have turned 100 had he lived to this day. While the President has been showcased throughout history in books and films, his appearance in opera is actually far rarer. In fact, there is really only one opera dedicated to him {…}
Sergei Prokofiev’s operatic output isn’t all that well-known. While small bits from many of his works have made it into the mainstream via different means (a violin transcription of the March from “The Love for Three Oranges, for example), only one opera has passed the test of time, his adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s “War and Peace.” The opera, which premiered {…}
Leoncavallo’s “Pagliacci” has endured as a staple of the operatic canon since its premiere back on May 21, 1892. Leoncavallo was reportedly inspired to take on the work after seeing the success of Mascagni’s masterwork “Cavalleria Rusticana” and set out to write his own Verismo opera in one-act form. The result was a success that has often been associated with {…}
This article represents the first of our “Opera For Beginners” section. To celebrate the date of an opera’s world premiere, we will start to create separate profiles for operas that the uninitiated can reference for their learning pleasure! Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana” is one of the staples of the Verismo opera, a style of the late 1800s that showcased the lives {…}