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 {…}
While the bel canto repertoire is among the most popular in the operatic canon, most people are quick to dismiss the genre’s overall quality, noting that the works themselves are simply a vehicle to show off a singer’s virtuosity. But Irina Lungu could not disagree more. The Russian soprano, who has dedicated the first five months of 2017 to immersing {…}
Hibla Gerzmava will make her Chicago Debut in a one-night event. The Russian soprano will join Maestro Vladimir Spivakov and the acclaimed Moscow Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra on June 4, 2017, at Orchestra Hall at Chicago’s Symphony Center. This performance will be part of MVCO’s 2017 North American Tour which is being presented by the Cherry Orchard Festival Foundation. Germava will {…}
This article is a joint collaboration between David & Francisco Salazar. Yesterday we gave you the finest female performers of the Metropolitan Opera’s 2016-17 season. Now we turn toward the men that truly brought down the house. Remember that these picks are mere favorites based purely on personal preference. Since there were so many incredible performers this season, here is {…}
Pretty Yende has been awarded the South Africa Music Award for International Achiever. According to a press release, the soprano is being recognized for her major strides on a global scale. The soprano, still very much at the start of her career, has already been showcased at some of the greatest opera houses in the world. This season was a {…}
This summer the Skylark Opera will present Mozart’s beloved masterpiece “Don Giovanni.” The new production will a site-specific production in collaboration with Angels & Demons Entertainment and will be set during the Prohibition era, circa 1932. The production will feature Don Giovanni as a nefarious owner of the most popular speakeasy in town. The production will take place at the Minneapolis {…}
(Credit: Tandun.com) For centuries, the major opera houses of the world have regularly programmed operas from European composers with some offerings of North American and, in fewer cases, South American composers. But when was the last time, with the exception of Tan Dun’s “The Last Emperor,” you heard an opera from an Asian composer. You probably haven’t. And it is {…}
It was one of New York City’s truly beautiful, spring days on May 14, 2017, which made it all the harder to leave the sun and enter into the glass lobby of the Alice Tully Recital Hall, but Carolyn Sampson was here to give a recital of her floral-themed program of art song, from her CD “Fleurs,” released in 2015. {…}
Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” is set for a major Met Opera return during the 2019-20 season. According to an article by the New York Times, the new production will be directed by Bartlett Sher and feature Eric Owens. Owens performed a duet from the opera at the recent Metropolitan Opera 50th anniversary gala celebration and program notes indicated that he {…}
The Greene Space is throwing on an opera party on Monday, May 15, 2017. The event which will be in a cabaret-style environment will showcase a new way to celebrate opera. According to The Greene Space’s official website, “Opera stars will share the evening with chefs, raconteurs and genre-busting artists in a striking environment created for each event by artist Doug Fitch.” This {…}
Plácido Domingo needs no introduction. He not only holds the record for most roles sung in opera for a single individual, but also has a lengthy career that has spanned half a century. And this week he celebrates his 50th anniversary at the Vienna State Opera in a special gala. The tenor made his debut at the Vienna State Opera {…}
