“Norma” is known as the Mount Everest of the soprano repertoire. It’s a role that few sopranos dare take on, but it is one that most want to sing at some point in their career. This week Liudmyla Monastyrska puts her mark on the repertory staple for the first time in the U.S Known as one of the great dramatic sopranos {…}
PBS will showcase “L’Elisir D’Amore” from the Metropolitan Opera as part of its Great Performances Series on Sunday, April 29, 2018. The broadcast will kick off at 12 p.m. EDT and will showcase soprano Pretty Yende, tenor Matthew Polenzani, baritone Davide Luciano, and bass Ildebrando D’Arcangelo. The showcase, from February’s Live in HD series, was hosted Susanna Phillips and conducted {…}
This Saturday, audiences around the world will get a chance to see Massenet’s “Cendrillon” in cinemas as part of the company’s famed Live in HD broadcast. The showcase kicks off at 12:25 p.m. EDT and will star Joyce DiDonato as Cendrillon, Kathleen Kim as La Fée, Alice Coote as the Prince, Stephanie Blythe as Madame de la Haltière, and Laurent {…}
Donizetti’s “La Favorite” arrives on OperaVision to close out the month of March. The production from the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino arrives on April 26, 2018 in a production conducted by Fabio Luisi. Veronica Simeoni stars as Leonor with Celso Albelo as Fernand. Mattia Olivieri will play Alphone XI with Francesca Longari as Ines. The stream kicks off at 7 p.m. {…}
Jonas Kaufmann brings his famed interpretation of Giordano’s “Andrea Chénier” to the Vienna State Opera in a production that will be live streamed online as part of the company’s season-long series. The showcase on April 29 will be the tenor’s second production of the opera in just a few weeks. He performed the title role in Barcelona a few weeks {…}
Written in collaboration with David Salazar It’s been years in the making – Anna Netrebko singing “Tosca.” The soprano has been outspoken about her dislike for the character and about her doubts singing the role, but it’s a character that audiences have been dying to see her sing. Afterall, who but Netrebko can be considered the quintessential diva of the {…}
Fiorenza Cossotto is one of the great Italian mezzo-sopranos of all-time. Born on April 22, 1935, Cossotto attended the Turn Academy and made her opera debut in the world premiere performance of Poulenc’s now-iconic “Dialogues des Carmélites” at La Scala in 1957. From there she went on to have a prolific international career at such companies as the Met Opera, {…}
“La Bohème” is arguably the most popular opera in the world. It is full of intense intimacy, universal emotions, and ultimately allows us to revel characters that we, at some point, have known and experienced. For soprano Elizabeth Caballero, that Puccini classic is almost akin to a leitmotif in her life. On March 2, 2018, one of her greatest artistic {…}
Soprano Julie Fuchs has announced on her Facebook page that she will no longer be performing in Staatsoper Hamburg’s upcoming production of Mozart’s “Die Zauberflote.” “Today, I have an unexpected announcement to make,” writes Fuchs. “The Staatsoper Hamburg has unfortunately informed me just this week that the artistic integrity of the Jette Steckel production of ‘Die Zauberflöte’ cannot be maintained {…}
Leonard Warren, born on April 21, 1911, was one of the greatest American baritones in opera history. He is also widely remembered for one of the most tragic deaths in the artform. Warren grew up in the Bronx and worked in his father’s fur business early in his life. At 24, he joined the chorus of the Radio City Music {…}
William Shakespeare, the great Bard, was baptized on April 26, 1564, and many have attributed his birthday to April 23 of that year. He would die on that same day, April 23, 1616, after becoming arguably the most influential writer of his day. To this day he remains in that pole position, though not without a slew of controversies over {…}