Puccini’s “Tosca” had its debut on Jan. 14, 1900. Since then it has been an instant classic, one of the staples of the operatic repertoire. All of the world’s greatest sopranos have taken their respective cracks at the role with Maria Callas, Renata Tebaldi, Leontyne Price and Eva Marton among some of the many popular exponents of the role. And {…}
On Jan. 13 the Minnesota Opera previewed the upcoming world premiere of William Bolcom’s recent opera “Dinner at Eight.” At the Feinstein 54 Below in Manhattan, the company held a dinner for members of the New Works Forum, sponsors and donors of the company. Bolcom was present at the dinner alongside librettist Mark Campbell. During a Q & A, Bolcom {…}
Ben Heppner was one of the most beloved dramatic tenors of his time and one that was admired for his technique. While he retired from the opera world and dedicated himself to radio, the tenor left so many memorable moments on stage. This season he celebrated his 25th anniversary at the Metropolitan Opera with a special gala alongside Deborah Voigt {…}
The Arizona Opera has announced its 2017-18 season. The company announced that it will present five operas and will open the season with “Hercules Vs. Vampires.” The opera will star Arizona opera’s 201617 studio artist Katrina Galka, Stephanie Sanchez, and Zachary Owen. The show will combine operatic singing and 1960’s pop culture, synchronizing live music with the 1961 cult classic film. There will {…}
Dmitri Hvorostovsky continues hospitalized after being diagnosed with pneumonia. According to Russian Reports , the baritone has no release date yet. Hvorostovsky was taken to hospital in St. Petersburg with pneumonia on Dec. 20. During that time the singer’s condition normalized but doctor’s noted that there was no telling when he might be discharged from the hospital. According to the reports, the {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has cancelled its new production of Verdi’s “La Forza del Destino.” The Met’s 2017-18 season had originally planned a new production directed by Calixto Bieto, which premiered at the English National Opera in November 2015. Met General Manager Peter Gelb said the decision was a few months ago and he wanted to make the announcement ahead of {…}
Its the end of the week so lets take a look at what some of your favorite stars were up to on Social Media . Jonas Kaufmann While Kaufmann does not have a social media page of his own, the Opera de Paris shared a number of pictures from rehearsals of “Lohengrin.” After a number of doubters thought Kaufmann would {…}
Juan Diego Florez is one of the most beloved tenors around the world. He has dominated the Bel Canto repertoire for years and his mastery of coloratura is unmeasured. For years the tenor has made an effort to revive works that are rarely performed or simply have been lost in the repertoire. These works have been given special treatment as {…}
The wait is over – Jonas Kaufmann will finally make his long-awaited return on Wednesday, Jan 18 in Wagner’s “Lohengrin” in Paris. The tenor has been sidelined since October after announcing that side effects from medication had caused a haematoma. After that he committed to remaining on vocal rest until his haematoma “completely subsided.” This forced him to cancel numerous {…}
This weekend many of the international opera houses are back in session and so are many of the stars. Juan Diego Florez will be in Vienna while Yonghoon Lee will be premiering Don Carlo in Munich. Renee Fleming, Anna Smirnova and Ludovic Tezier will also be performing Austria The Vienna State Opera kicks off its weekend with a star studded {…}
Renato Bruson is one of the famous Verdi baritones of all time. His rotund sound had such tremendous range that allowed him to tackle all of the composer’s major roles, almost all to resounding success. He also had such a fantastic technical mastery of his voice that, despite being born on Jan. 13, 1936, he could still be heard singing {…}