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 {…}