Puccini himself once stated that “La Fanciulla del West” was his finest score. The opera, which had its world premiere on Dec. 10, 1910 at the Metropolitan Opera, showed the composer and his fascination for exploring “exotic cultures.” In this case, he heads over to California to explore the Gold Rush era. Despite a beloved score, the opera has never {…}
The Met Opera will continue its Live in HD series this Saturday, Dec 15, 2018, with a performance of Verdi’s “La Traviata.” The broadcast, which kicks off 12:55 p.m. Eastern time, is set Diana Damrau as the lead heroine with Quinn Kelsey as Germont, and Juan Diego Flórez as her lover Alfredo. This is Damrau’s fifth HD broadcast with her {…}
Mark S. Doss is an artist recognized for his wide range, not just in his roles, but in his life experience. The singer has performed with the major orchestras of San Francisco, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Chicago, and Toronto. Additionally, he has sung 95 roles with more than 60 major opera companies around the world including Milan’s Teatro alla Scala, the Vienna State Opera, London’s Covent Garden, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the Canadian Opera Company.
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf was one of the most refined and elegant singers of the 20th century. Born on Dec. 9, 1915, in Jarotschin, the soprano performed her first opera in 1928 and began her formal musical studies at the Berlin Hochschule für Musik in 1934. She was actually set on this path after her father was dismissed from his post as the {…}
The role of Gretel has always had a special significance for soprano Liv Redpath. When she was in the youth program at The Minnesota Opera, she got the chance to take on the role for the first time in the program’s yearly “Hansel and Gretel” and she immediately knew that opera would be an essential part of her career. These {…}
On Dec. 8, 2018 George Gagnidze will sing his 100th performance at the Metropolitan Opera as Michele in “Il Tabarro” in the centennial production of Puccini’s “Il Trittico.” The Georgian baritone has been a fixture at the Met since his house debut in the title role of Verdi’s “Rigoletto” in 2009. Since then he has returned to the Metropolitan Opera {…}
Audiences who wanted something more traditional visually will be happy with this new “Traviata,” though one hopes that the clumsiness of the staging and the exaggerated color scheme of the costumes will get some sort of revisions for future iterations.
Talents of the World has announced its first International Music Festival, which will take place at Carnegie Hall over the course of three days. The company has described its mission as “the development of the intellectual and spiritual potential of Human beings, to restore and promote the disappearing traditions of bel canto, and to draw audience’s attention to the inexhaustible {…}
Pietro Mascagni, born on Dec. 7, 1863, had an extensive career as an opera composer. Despite that, we remember him today for “Cavalleria Rusticana,” an enduring masterpiece about revenge and betrayal. The work is undeniably a fixture of the canon because of its incredible music, yet it was revolutionary because of the perspective it took on its characters. No longer {…}
The Oper Graz has announced that Roland Kluttig will be the company’s new chief conductor from 2020-21 season. Kluttig has been General Music Director at the Landestheater Coburg since 2010 and conducted such renown productions as “Lohengrin”, “Parsifal”, “Fidelio” and also with the Stuttgart “Salome.” He has also conducted at the Oper Frankfurt, the Hamburg State Opera, the National Theater Mannheim, the Opéra National {…}
Daniele Gatti has canceled a series of engagements due to heart problems.