Lorenzo da Ponte, born on March 10, 1749, would go on to become one of the great librettists in the history of opera. He was born Emanuele Conegliano, but when his father converted from Judaism to Catholicism to marry a Catholic woman, he took the name of Lorenza da Ponte. He studied at the Ceneda seminary and eventually moved to {…}
Verdi’s “Ernani” is one of the composer’s most recognized works from his early period. The opera had its first performance on March 9, 1844 and has managed to hold the stage since thanks to its varied melodic qualities for the four lead characters. In the context of Verdi’s oeuvre, this work is also the first to feature the composer at {…}
“The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny” is a famed work by composer Kurt Weill with a libretto by Bertolt Brecht. The opera had its world premiere on March 9, 1930, in Leipzig and played in Berlin the following year. It would eventually be banned by the Nazis and virtually became forgotten until the 1960s. It has since {…}
Samuel Barber was one of the great American composers of the 1900s. Born on March 9, 1910, he grew up in Pennsylvania and expressed great interest in music from an early age. He composed his first work “Sadness” at age seven and at age 10 attempted his first opera “The Rose Tree.” He became even more serious about composition throughout {…}
Sergei Larin, born on March 9, 1956, was one of the major opera singers during the Soviet Union era to find success outside of his country. He was born in Latvia and underwent vocal training in Lithuania, his opera debut coming in 1981 at the Lithuanian Opera and Ballet Theatre. From there he became a mainstay at Soviet theaters for {…}
The Pacific Opera Project opened its 2019 season on March 2 with an ingenious production of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” set in classic video games from the 1980s. The fairy-tale story that premiered in Vienna in 1791 has lent itself over time to innumerable adaptations, and is often used as a way to attract children to the opera hall. With {…}
Boston Lyric Opera has announced its 2019-20 season, featuring productions that span three centuries of opera. The upcoming season will mark General & Artistic Director Esther Nelson’s 10th season with the company. According to the press release, BLO aims to focus on works that “reflect the highs and lows of power and politics,” while “bringing passionate opera installations to new neighborhoods, and {…}
This weekend we will shine a spotlight on a mix of repertory staples and some rarer works. Here are our weekend choices in alphabetical order by company. Silent Night – Arizona Opera The Kevin Puts-Mark Campbell collaboration continues to make the rounds around the country, making it essential viewing. This weekend, audiences can check out the final performances of Arizona {…}
Baritone Mark Cotton has been performing opera for 30 years, garnering acclaim around the United States for his portrayals in some of the greatest operas. Having studied with such greats as Carlo Bergonzi and Franco Corelli, Cotton has performed the roles of Falstaff in Otto Nicolai’s “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” Germont in “La Traviata,” Valentin in “Faust,” Belcore in {…}
This week’s picks feature a mixture of classics, a world premiere, and two rarely performed works. There are some role debuts and other stars performing signature roles. Frankenstein – La Monnaie du Mont, Belgium Mary Grey’s new opera makes its world premiere at the prestigious Belgium theater in a new production by Alex Ollé. Scott Hendricks takes on the title role {…}
The Opéra National de Paris has announced its 2019-20 seasons which will feature a total of 19 operas and the entire Ring Cycle in an all-new production. Bellini’s “I Puritani” opens the season in a production by Laurent Pelly. Elsa Dreisig takes the leading role with Javier Camarena and Francesco Demuro sharing the role of Arturo. Riccardo Frizza conducts the {…}
