English composer Benjamin Britten holds a reputation as one of the most prolific figures in 20th-century music. With a massive centennial celebration held worldwide just four years ago, his legacy is still preserved today as opera houses around the world continue to stage his legendary pieces. Britten was born on Nov. 22, 1913, and not a day has gone by where {…}
Sheri Greenawald, director of San Francisco Opera Center, announced the eleven recipients of the 2018 Adler Fellowship grant. Choosing promising young talent from the Merola Opera Program, recipients are given advanced training, via individual coaching and professional seminars, and a vast range of performance opportunities. The 2018 group of artists are comprised of eight singers, two pianists, and one director; {…}
Dmitri Hvorostovsky’s passing is one of the unfortunate events of the modern opera world. A baritone gifted with an elegant sound and an ever-evolving musical maturity that made him so exciting and powerful to watch. He could dominate in French, Italian, or his native Russian, leaving us some of the finest interpretations of recent memory. As we look back on {…}
Baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky has died at the age of 55. After being diagnosed with a brain tumor is 2015, Hvorostovsky had retired from the opera stage as he battled the disease. A year ago he announced that he would continue singing in recital and would continue recording. Born in Siberia, he made his debut at Krasnoyarsk Opera House, in the {…}
The opera world woke up to the sad news of Dmitri Hvorostovsky’s passing. Here is a look at all the love being spread by his colleagues and the like throughout the opera community. I just woke to the news that Dmitri Hvorostovsky has passed, and am floored. Absolutely heartbroken. Have no words.https://t.co/IOsAM1hXpb — Jamie Barton (@jbartonmezzo) November 22, 2017 Our {…}
It’s the holiday season and that means gift buying and making difficult choices. As a result, OperaWire has lightened the task as we chose albums from some of our favorite artists and our key recommendations from the hundreds of releases from 2017. Maria Callas If you are going to spend money this year, Maria Callas: The Live Recordings is OperaWire’s {…}
Michele Pertusi has withdrawn from singing the role of Assur in The Royal Opera’s “Semiramide” As a result, the role will now be sung by Mirco Palazzi. Palazzi has previously sung the role of Assur for Opera di Firenze, Opéra de Bordeaux and at a concert performance with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment under Mark Elder at the {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced the release of its 50th Anniversary gala on CD. The company announced that it will be a 3-CD set featuring the artists that performed on May 7, 2017, when the Met celebrated its golden anniversary in Lincoln Center. Among the artists that performed multiple arias and were among the most memorable of the evening included Renée {…}
For years Dmitri Hvorostovsky was one of the leading interpreters of “Rigoletto” around the world. And while there are many baritones in the modern era that have successfully realized one of the most complex characters of the Verdi canon, few navigated the emotional turmoil quite the way the great Russian baritone did. He brought crudeness and ugliness to his vocal {…}
The Des Moines Metro Opera’s Words and Music at the Carnegie Capital Campaign has successfully completed its fundraiser. The company announced that it was able to raise over $4 million, exceeding its original $3.5 million goal. General and Artistic Director Michael Egel announced the news at a donor recognition event to celebrate the campaign’s success. In total the campaign had over 175 donors, {…}
David Edward Lewis, a longstanding member of Opera Australia has been charged with child sex offenses. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the 58-year-old tenor is being charged with four counts of aggravated indecent assault of a victim under the age of 16 and two counts of sexual intercourse with a person 14 or over and under 16. The reports state that some {…}